Deactivate a member in a workspace – Help Center

Deactivate a member to remove access while preserving their data and keeping them in your workspace. This approach is ideal for offboarding, temporary leave, role changes, or compliance reviews where conversations, transcripts, and shared content must remain available. Deactivation offers more control than removing or deleting a member, which can permanently remove data needed for collaboration, auditing, or reference.

Permissions: Only Workspace admins can deactivate members.

What happens to a deactivated member’s data?

When an admin deactivates a member, the following occurs:

No data is deleted when the user is deactivated. All existing data is preserved.
The user remains in the Workspace.
The member no longer counts as a licensed user.
Sign-in access is disabled immediately.
Previously shared conversations remain accessible (e.g., in Channels or via direct shares).

Deactivate a member

Follow the steps below to deactivate a member anytime.

Sign in to Otter.ai as an admin. Click on your profile and select Manage Workspace.
Click the three-dot menu next to the user you want to deactivate, then select Revoke access to Workspace.
Carefully review the pop-up. Click Revoke access to proceed. Learn more about what happens to a user’s data when they’re deactivated.
User is immediately deactivated.

Accessing shared conversations from deactivated users Previously shared remain accessible

All conversations the user previously shared remain accessible after deactivation, including conversations shared to Channels or via direct share.

All existing sharing permissions remain unchanged after deactivation (for example, if a conversation was shared with Viewer access, it will remain accessible as Viewer). The following conversation sharing settings are preserved:

Collaborator and Viewer access
Export settings
Public link settings
Collaborator settings

Note: If you need to change ownership or permissions of a conversation, have an admin contact our Otter Support Team.

Reactivating a member Reactivate a user anytime

Admins can reactivate a user anytime in Workspace > Members. Click on the three-dot menu next to the deactivated user and select Reactivate.

Existing conversations, transcripts, and shared content are restored as they were prior to deactivation.
The member will be immediately counted as a licensed user.

FAQs

What happens to a member’s data when they’re deactivated?

What changes when a member is deactivated:

The member can no longer sign in to Otter.
The member no longer counts as a licensed user.
Access is revoked immediately after deactivation.

What stays the same:

No conversations, transcripts, or shared content are deleted.
The member remains deactivated and listed in the Workspace.
Previously shared conversations (such as Channels or direct shares) remain accessible to collaborators.
Ownership and history of conversations are preserved.

When should an admin deactivate a member instead of removing them?

Admins should deactivate a member when access needs to be restricted without deleting data, such as during employee offboarding, temporary leave, role changes, or compliance-related reviews. Removing a member is more appropriate when their data no longer needs to be retained.

Can I still access a deactivated member's shared conversations?

Yes.
All conversations the user previously shared remain accessible after deactivation.

Does deactivation affect SSO or identity provider access?

Yes. Once deactivated, the user cannot sign in via SSO or any other sign-in method, even if their identity still exists in the identity provider (IdP).
In addition to deactivating the user in Otter, admins should complete any required offboarding steps in their identity provider (IdP).

Can conversation ownership or permissions be changed after a user is deactivated?

If you need to change conversation ownership or adjust permissions (such as Collaborator or Viewer access, export settings, or public link settings), have a Workspace admin contact our Otter Support Team.

Does deactivation immediately revoke access?

Yes. Deactivation immediately disables the user’s ability to sign in to Otter.
The user will no longer be able to access their account or any conversations.
The member will encounter the " User has been deactivated error when signing in.

Note: If you believe you were deactivated in error, contact your Workspace admin.

Can collaborators still access conversations shared by a deactivated user?

Yes. Any conversations that were shared before deactivation remain accessible to other users, such as through Channels, direct shares, or public links, based on the existing permission level.

What happens to a user’s data if they are reactivated?

When a user is reactivated, their existing conversations, transcripts, and shared content are restored as they were prior to deactivation.

Do existing sharing permissions change after deactivation?

No. All existing sharing permissions remain unchanged after deactivation. For example, if a conversation was shared with Viewer or Collaborator access, that permission remains in place.

Does a deactivated user still consume a license?

No. A deactivated user no longer counts as a licensed user or seat.
Depending on your contract or plan, their license may become available for reassignment.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, contact our Otter Support Team.