Team composition changes over time. People move to new roles, projects conclude, and access requirements evolve. PressPlay makes it straightforward to remove users from your organization when they no longer need access, helping you maintain security and keep your team list current.
Consider removing a user from your organization when:
They leave the company: Departing employees should lose access immediately
Project completion: External contractors or consultants who completed their work
Role changes: Someone moves to a different team that doesn't need this organization access
Access consolidation: Cleaning up duplicate or unused accounts
Security concerns: Any situation where continued access could be problematic
Regular access reviews help identify users who should be removed, ensuring your organization membership remains accurate and secure.
Before you can remove team members from your organization:
You must have appropriate permissions (admin or write access to organization management)
The organization must be active
You need to know the user ID of the person to remove
You cannot remove yourself from an organization—another administrator must remove you if needed. This prevents accidental self-lockout situations.
Removing a user from your organization is quick and immediate:
Access your organization's user management section. You'll see a list of all current team members, including their names, roles, and when they were added.
Find the user you want to remove in the team member list. You can typically search by name or email to locate them quickly if your organization has many members.
Select the option to remove the user. The system may ask you to confirm this action, as it cannot be undone directly—you would need to re-add the user if removed by mistake.
Verify that you're removing the correct user, then confirm the action. The removal takes effect immediately.
Understanding the effects of user removal helps you plan and communicate appropriately:
As soon as you remove a user, they lose all access to the organization. If they're currently logged in and working within that organization, they'll lose access when they attempt their next action or refresh the page.
The organization no longer appears in the user's organization list. If they were actively viewing it, they'll be redirected to another organization they're a member of, or to a default view if they have no other organizations.
Removing a user doesn't delete or modify any historical data:
Experiments they created remain unchanged
Assets they generated stay in place
Audit logs still show their actions
Reports continue to attribute actions to them
This maintains data integrity and preserves the historical record of who did what. The user's name may still appear in various places throughout the system—they simply can't log in and access the organization anymore.
If the user is a member of multiple organizations, removing them from one doesn't affect their access to others. Each organization membership is independent.
Removing a user from your organization doesn't delete their PressPlay account. They remain a user in the system and can still access other organizations they belong to. If they have no other organizations, they'll still have an account but won't be able to access any organization resources.
Follow these guidelines to manage user removal effectively:
When someone no longer needs access, remove them quickly. Don't wait for a convenient time or batch removals together for efficiency. Prompt removal reduces security risks and prevents confusion.
Keep a record of why users were removed and when. This helps during access reviews, audits, and troubleshooting. Include:
User name and ID
Date removed
Reason for removal
Who performed the removal
Whenever possible, let users know in advance that their access will be removed. This gives them time to:
Save or export any reports they need
Document their work for the next person
Transfer ownership of anything they created
Ask questions or raise concerns
Unexpected access removal can be jarring and disruptive. Professional courtesy goes a long way.
Double-check that you're removing the correct user. Pay attention to:
Similar names (multiple Johns or Marys)
Different users with the same first or last name
Temporary vs. permanent employees with similar roles
Removing the wrong person causes disruption and embarrassment. Take a moment to verify.
Before removing someone, consider whether there are better alternatives:
Downgrade permissions: Change admin to read-only if they still need visibility
Organizational leave: Deactivate the organization if the whole team is pausing work
Role adjustment: Modify their scope rather than removing entirely
Removal is final in terms of access—you can re-add the user, but their session ends immediately and they'll need to re-orient themselves if you add them back.
In security-critical situations like suspected account compromise or immediate termination:
Remove access first, communicate later
Document the situation thoroughly
Review audit logs for any suspicious activity
Consider whether organization settings or credentials need to be changed
Notify other administrators about the situation
Security takes priority over courtesy when necessary.
When removing someone with admin access:
Ensure at least one other administrator remains in the organization
Review what they configured or changed during their tenure
Verify that critical integrations (Slack, publishers) still work
Check whether any team members need permission upgrades to cover responsibilities
Losing all administrators would lock everyone out of management functions.
For contractors, consultants, or client stakeholders:
Remove access promptly when the contract or project ends
Retrieve any organizational assets they may have stored locally
Ensure knowledge transfer happened before removal
Document their contributions for future reference
When removing multiple users at once (like after a project concludes):
Create a list of users to remove
Verify each person individually before starting
Remove them one at a time, confirming each removal
Document the bulk removal with context
Notify remaining team members about the changes if appropriate
Once you've removed someone:
Check that the user no longer appears in your team member list. If you're unsure whether removal succeeded, look for them in the user management interface.
Watch for any disruptions caused by the removal:
Were they the only person who knew how to do something critical?
Did they own experiments or assets that need new ownership?
Are there scheduled tasks or notifications that need updating?
If the removed user had specific responsibilities:
Assign their work to remaining team members
Update documentation about who owns what
Notify the team about responsibility changes
For non-security situations, consider following up to confirm:
They're aware their access was removed
They don't have any questions or concerns
They understand the reason for removal
If you need to re-add someone who was previously removed:
Follow the standard process for adding team members
Assign appropriate permissions based on their new role
They'll start with a fresh session—no automatic restoration of previous settings
Historical data they created will still show their name, but they have no special connection to it
There's no penalty or limitation on re-adding someone. However, frequent add/remove cycles may indicate a need to better define roles or use different permission levels.
If you can't remove someone:
Verify you have permission to remove users
Check that you're not trying to remove yourself
Ensure the organization is active
Confirm the user is actually a member of the organization
If someone reports they can still access the organization after you removed them:
Verify the removal succeeded in the user management interface
Have them log out completely and log back in
Check that you removed the correct user (not someone with a similar name)
Ensure they're not accessing through a different organization with similar content
If you need to empty an organization of all users (perhaps for decommissioning):
Remove users one at a time
Leave at least one administrator until the end
Consider deactivating the organization instead if it might be needed again
Contact support if you need to completely delete an organization
Regular user management keeps your organization secure and efficient:
Monthly access reviews: Check that all members still need access
Quarterly audits: Comprehensive review of all team members and roles
Offboarding checklists: Standard process for removing access when people leave
Clear policies: Document when and how users should be removed
Thoughtful user management protects your organization's data while ensuring the right people have access to collaborate effectively. Remove access promptly when needed, communicate professionally, and maintain accurate records of team composition changes.
