Should I archive or delete a user?
Recommendation: archive users.
We recommend archiving users instead of deleting them.
Advantages of archiving
Users list, where you archive or delete
- History preserved: When you archive a user, the account does not lose that user’s information history.
- Easy reactivation: You can reactivate the user in the future if needed.
When to delete?
- Test users: Deletion can be useful to remove test users, for example.
What happens when you archive a user?
- Access canceled: The user’s access is canceled immediately.
- License savings: The archived user will not consume a contracted user license.
- History kept: All historical information is kept (time entries, activities, team participation, projects, and so on).
- Reports: You keep access to that user’s information in reports and can filter by the archived user.
- Reactivation: The user can be reactivated in the future.
What happens when you delete a user?
- Access canceled: The user’s access is canceled immediately.
- License savings: The deleted user will not consume a contracted user license.
- History lost: All historical information is permanently deleted.
- Impact on reports: Information about that user in reports is lost, which can affect the hour-consumption and financial history.
- Irreversible: You cannot reactivate the user in the future.
Conclusion
Both actions (archive or delete) can be used to:
- Remove access: Remove the user’s access to the system.
- Save licenses: Only active users consume user licenses.
When choosing between archive and delete, consider whether you will need the user’s history in the future or whether the account is simply a temporary test.