Use this procedure to delete user accounts when team members leave, contracts end, or access is no longer needed. Umami permanently removes accounts and all associated data.
Prerequisites
- You have Admin role permissions (only Admins can delete users)
- You've exported any audit documentation referencing this user
- You've documented the business reason for deletion
- You've verified no critical integrations depend on this account (especially for service accounts)
Step-by-Step: Delete User Account
1. Access User Management
- Log into Umami as Admin
- Navigate to Settings → Users
- Locate the user to delete in the users list
2. Export Audit Trail (Critical First Step)
Before deleting:
- Take screenshot showing user's username, role, and website access
- Note username, role (Admin/User), and websites accessed
- Record deletion date and business justification
- Store in your IAM documentation
Important: Umami permanently deletes the account. You cannot retrieve this information after deletion.
3. Delete the User
- Find user in the list
- Click Delete, Remove, or trash icon
- Confirm deletion when prompted
- Account is immediately and permanently removed
4. Verify Deletion
- Confirm user no longer appears in users list
- Verify websites and data remain intact (only user account is deleted, not analytics data)
- If possible, verify user cannot log in
After Deletion: Additional Steps
Check for related access:
- For service accounts, verify any scripts or integrations using these credentials are updated
- Review any documentation referencing the deleted user
- Update team contact lists
Rotate credentials if needed:
- If deleted account was compromised or belonged to departed contractor, consider rotating passwords for other accounts as precaution
- For shared service accounts, rotate credentials when team members with knowledge leave
Common Deletion Scenarios
Employee Offboarding
- Coordinate with HR offboarding timeline
- Export audit trail showing account details
- Document any analytics configurations or reports they created
- Delete account on last day of employment
- Update team documentation
Contractor Engagement Ends
- Verify contract end date or project completion
- Export any reports or analysis the contractor created for handoff
- Document which websites they accessed
- Delete account on contract end date
- Update contractor records
Client Relationship Concludes
- Confirm with stakeholders that client access should be revoked
- Export final reports for client if needed
- Document client details and access period
- Delete client's User account
- Update client engagement records
Service Account Retirement
- Identify all systems/scripts using this account
- Create replacement account with new credentials if automation continues
- Update all integrations to use new account
- Verify old account is no longer in use
- Delete old service account
- Document account replacement in integration documentation
Accidental Account Creation
- If account was created by mistake and never used, delete immediately
- Document the error and correction
- Verify username is now available for future use
Troubleshooting Deletion Issues
Cannot Delete User
Symptoms: Delete button disabled or deletion fails.
Solutions:
- Verify you're logged in as Admin (Users cannot delete accounts)
- Cannot delete your own account while logged in - use different Admin account
- Check for database errors in Umami server logs
- Restart Umami service if deletion appears stuck
Need to Restore Deleted User
Symptoms: Account deleted accidentally and needs restoration.
Solutions:
- Umami doesn't have "undo" for deletions
- Recreate account using Add User procedure
- Reconfigure role and website access to match deleted account (use your audit documentation)
- Share new credentials with user
- Consider implementing peer review process for deletions
Service Integration Breaks After Deletion
Symptoms: Automated reporting or API integration stops working after deleting service account.
Solutions:
- Identify which systems were using the deleted account credentials
- Create new service account with appropriate access
- Update integrations with new credentials
- Test integrations to verify functionality
- For future prevention, maintain documentation of which systems use which service accounts
Security Best Practices
Timely deletion:
- Delete accounts on employee's last day or contract end date
- For compromised accounts, delete immediately
- Set calendar reminders for contractor accounts tied to engagement end dates
Comprehensive offboarding:
- Include Umami in broader offboarding checklists
- Coordinate with HR and IT to ensure all access points covered
- Verify deletion before closing offboarding tickets
Audit trail:
- Always export evidence before deleting
- Document who requested deletion and why
- Maintain deletion records for compliance retention period
Regular reviews:
- Quarterly review of all accounts
- Identify and remove stale accounts from departed contractors
- Challenge accounts that haven't logged in recently
Alternative: Disable Instead of Delete
Consider whether disabling (if Umami supports it) or downgrading is more appropriate than permanent deletion:
When to consider alternatives:
- User may need occasional access in future
- Account provides historical context for audit purposes
- Complete deletion would complicate compliance documentation
Options if keeping account:
- Change password to unknown value to prevent login
- Downgrade Admin to User role
- Remove all website access for User accounts
- Document that account is "disabled" in your records
Note: Umami may not support account disabling natively. If full deletion is required, ensure thorough documentation before proceeding.
Compliance Documentation
For each account deletion, document:
- Deletion date and time
- Username deleted
- Role (Admin or User)
- Websites previously accessed (for User accounts)
- Business justification (offboarding, contract end, etc.)
- Requestor (who requested the deletion)
- Approver (Admin who performed deletion)
- Verification (confirmation deletion successful)
Maintain deletion records for compliance retention period (typically 7 years for regulated industries). Since Umami provides limited audit logging, external documentation is critical for compliance.