FAQs

What happens when admins deactivate or delete a user from Okta?

Deactivating and deleting a user in Okta are two different actions:

Deactivate a user

Delete a user

The account is disabled but not deleted. The user must be deactivated first.
The user loses access to Okta and all connected applications. All user data is permanently removed from Okta.
Data and account history are retained. Action is irreversible.
Useful for reporting, auditing, or reactivation. The user must be manually recreated if needed again.
Status in Okta changes to deactivated. Deletion does not remove them from external applications unless SCIM deprovisioning is enabled.