Admin Center: Roles and Reports

brhea110891

Two questions:

1. What is the most efficient and safe way to deactivate a user who is no longer with the org, but do not know who to transfer all their owned sheets. Is there a way to archive until needed.
2. Is there a learning article or best practices reference for Workspace management?

Thank you.

Naeem Ejaz

Most Efficient and Safe Way to Deactivate a User in Smartsheet:

1. Use the "Transfer Ownership" Option

When deactivating a user in Smartsheet, you're prompted to transfer ownership of their items. You must assign a new owner or the items will be deleted.

🚨 Important: If you're unsure who to transfer ownership to, create a temporary “Archive Admin” user account (e.g., archive_admin@yourorg.com) and transfer sheets there for safekeeping.

✅ Steps:

1. Admin Center → Navigate to User Management.
2. Find the user → Click the three dots → Select Remove user.
3. You'll be asked to transfer ownership:
   • Choose a trusted admin or the archive account.
   • This includes sheets, workspaces, reports, dashboards, etc.

2. Archive the User's Content Temporarily

If you use an “Archive” account or a neutral owner:

• Create a workspace called "Archived [Name] Projects".
• Move all transferred content into that workspace.
• Set permissions to Admin only or limit access until needed.

This ensures:

• No data is lost.
• Everything is in one retrievable place.
• You maintain compliance and security.