Quick help: Deleted user

Article
02/17/2023

You may have to delete a user in your organization. You usually delete a user when the person leaves your organization.

Delete a user

In the admin center, go to the Users > Active users page.

In the admin center, go to the Users > Active users page.

Select a user, and then above the list of users select the three dots (more actions), and then choose Delete user.
In the deletion confirmation pane, select Delete user.
Read full article.

Restore a user

You can restore users by searching for deleted on the home page and choosing Deleted users in the results, or by going to the Deleted users page from the left navigation and choosing the user you want to restore. Read full article.

What are deleted users?

A deleted user is a work or school account that you're deleting from your organization.

Does deleting a user free up their Microsoft 365 license?

Yes, deleting the user frees up the Microsoft 365 license assigned to that user. You can then assign that license to another user. Read full article.

I had a deleted user listed in Deleted users, and then it disappeared. What happened?

The deleted user is kept in your organization for 30 days. After 30 days, we permanently remove the user from your organization.

How long do I have if I want to restore a user?

After you delete a user, you have 30 days to restore that user.

Do I lose all the user's data when I delete them?

When you delete a user, you don't lose their data. The user's data is stored for 30 days. When you restore the user within 30 days, the user all associated data is restored.