Remove User Access

Use this procedure to revoke project access when contracts end, team members leave, or sharing is no longer needed. StatCounter removes access immediately.

Prerequisites

Before removing project access, verify:

• You are the project owner (only owners can remove shares)
• You've identified which user and which project(s) to remove access from
• You've exported any audit or compliance documentation showing current access
• You've documented the business reason for removal (offboarding, contract end, etc.)
• For Full Access users, you've verified no critical configurations depend solely on their knowledge

Step-by-Step: Remove Project Access

1. Access Project Sharing Settings

1. Log into StatCounter as the project owner
2. Navigate to your Projects list
3. Click on the project from which you need to remove access
4. Go to Project Settings → Sharing or Share Access

2. Document Current Access (Critical First Step)

Before removing any user, capture audit evidence:

1. Take screenshot showing user's current access and permission level
2. Note: user email, project name, permission level (Full Access or View Only)
3. Record the removal date and business justification
4. Store this documentation in your access control records

StatCounter removes access immediately, so you cannot retrieve this information after removal.

3. Remove the User

1. Find the user in the project's sharing list
2. Click Remove, Delete, Revoke, or the X/trash icon next to their name
3. Confirm the removal when prompted
4. The user is immediately removed from the project's access list

4. Verify Access Revocation

1. Confirm the user no longer appears in the sharing list for this project
2. If possible, ask the user to verify the project disappeared from their account
3. Remember: Removing access from one project doesn't affect other projects you may have shared with the same user

After Removal: Additional Steps

Check for other shared projects:

• If you've shared multiple projects with this user, remove them from each project separately
• StatCounter manages sharing per-project, not globally across all projects
• Review all your projects to ensure no stale access remains

Document the removal:

• Record removal date, user email, project name, and reason in your access log
• Update your project access mapping to reflect the change
• Store before/after screenshots for compliance records

Verify no orphaned configurations:

• If user had Full Access and configured filters or custom settings, verify these still work
• Document any project configurations that user created
• Transfer knowledge if user was the primary contact for this project's analytics

Common Removal Scenarios

Contract or Engagement Ends

Situation: Contractor's fixed-term engagement has concluded.

Process:

1. Verify contract end date has passed or deliverables are complete
2. Export any final reports or documentation created by the contractor
3. Document which projects were shared and for what purpose
4. Remove access from all shared projects
5. Update contractor engagement records to note access was terminated

Client Relationship Concludes

Situation: Client no longer needs access to their analytics or relationship has ended.

Process:

1. Confirm with stakeholders that client access should be revoked
2. Export final analytics reports for client handoff if needed
3. Document client's name, project(s) accessed, and relationship end date
4. Remove client's View Only access
5. Update client records to note analytics access was terminated

Employee Offboarding

Situation: Team member is leaving the organization.

Process:

1. Coordinate with HR offboarding timeline
2. Identify all projects shared with this team member
3. Export audit trail for each shared project
4. Remove access from all projects on their last day
5. Update team documentation showing responsibility transfer

Downgrading Instead of Full Removal

Situation: User no longer needs Full Access but should retain View Only access.

Process:

1. Use Update Access procedure instead of full removal
2. Change permission from Full Access to View Only
3. User retains ability to see reports but loses configuration access
4. Document the downgrade and its justification

Multiple Projects Shared with Same User

Situation: You need to remove user access from several projects at once.

Process:

1. Create a list of all projects shared with this user
2. Go through each project individually and remove the share
3. StatCounter doesn't have bulk remove - you must process each project separately
4. Verify user no longer appears in any project sharing lists
5. Document removal from all projects in a single access log entry

Troubleshooting Removal Issues

User Still Has Access After Removal

Symptoms: User reports they can still access the project after you removed them.

Solutions:

1. Verify the removal saved (check project sharing list - user should be gone)
2. Confirm you removed from the correct project
3. Ask user to log out completely and log back in
4. Have user clear browser cache or try incognito mode
5. Verify there isn't a second share with a different email address
6. If access persists, contact StatCounter support

Need to Restore Accidentally Removed User

Symptoms: You removed the wrong user or removed someone who still needs access.

Solutions:

1. StatCounter doesn't have "undo" for share removals
2. Re-share the project using Add User Access procedure
3. Reconfigure permission level to match what they had before
4. Notify user their access was temporarily interrupted
5. Document the accidental removal and restoration
6. Consider implementing confirmation steps to prevent future mistakes

Cannot Find User to Remove

Symptoms: The user you want to remove doesn't appear in project sharing list.

Solutions:

1. Verify you're looking at the correct project
2. Check if user was already removed by another admin
3. Confirm the user actually had access to this specific project (they may have had access to a different project)
4. Verify you're logged in as the project owner

Removing Access Affects Project Configuration

Symptoms: After removing a Full Access user, certain tracking or filters stopped working.

Solutions:

1. StatCounter maintains configurations even after user removal
2. If issues occurred, they're likely coincidental or the user made last-minute changes
3. Review project settings to verify tracking code and filters are intact
4. Restore any missing configurations using backup documentation
5. For future prevention, document all critical configurations before removing Full Access users

Security Best Practices

Timely revocation:

• Remove access on contract end date or employee's last day, not days later
• For high-privilege Full Access shares, consider immediate removal upon departure notice
• Set calendar reminders for temporary shares to ensure timely removal

Comprehensive removal:

• Check all projects, not just the most obvious ones
• Include StatCounter access removal in broader offboarding checklists
• Coordinate with HR or project managers to catch all access points

Audit trail maintenance:

• Always export evidence before removing users
• Document who requested removal and why
• Maintain records for your compliance retention period

Regular access reviews:

• Quarterly review of all project sharing settings
• Remove stale shares from contractors whose engagements ended months ago
• Challenge any shares that seem unnecessary or outdated

Emergency procedures:

• Establish process for immediate removal in security incident scenarios
• Ensure multiple admins know how to remove access (don't rely on single person)
• Document emergency removal in incident response procedures

Alternative: Downgrade to View Only Instead of Removal

Consider whether downgrading permission level is more appropriate than full removal:

When to downgrade instead of remove:

• User may occasionally need read-only access to reports
• Maintaining access provides continuity for occasional questions
• User is moving to role that still touches analytics peripherally
• Complete removal would complicate future access requests

Process:

• Use Update Access instead of removal
• Change from Full Access to View Only
• User retains reporting access but loses configuration capability
• Document the downgrade with business justification

Compliance Documentation

For each access removal, document and retain:

• Pre-removal snapshot: Screenshot of sharing list showing user's access and permission level
• Removal date and time: When access was revoked
• Project name: Which project access was removed from
• User email: Email address that was removed
• Business justification: Why access was removed (offboarding, contract end, etc.)
• Requestor: Who requested the removal
• Verification: Confirmation that removal was successful
• Related actions: Any configuration backups or responsibility transfers

Store removal records for your compliance retention period, typically 7 years for regulated industries. This documentation may be required for security or compliance audits.