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---
stage: Manage
group: Access
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: howto
---
# Moderate users
GitLab administrators can moderate user access by approving, blocking, banning, or deactivating
users.
## Users pending approval
A user in _pending approval_ state requires action by an administrator. A user sign up can be in a
pending approval state because an administrator has enabled any of the following options:
- [Require admin approval for new sign-ups](settings/sign_up_restrictions.md#require-administrator-approval-for-new-sign-ups) setting.
- [User cap](settings/sign_up_restrictions.md#user-cap).
- [Block auto-created users (OmniAuth)](../../integration/omniauth.md#initial-omniauth-configuration)
- [Block auto-created users (LDAP)](../../administration/auth/ldap/index.md#basic-configuration-settings)
When a user registers for an account while this setting is enabled:
- The user is placed in a **Pending approval** state.
- The user sees a message telling them their account is awaiting approval by an administrator.
A user pending approval:
- Is functionally identical to a [blocked](#block-a-user) user.
- Cannot sign in.
- Cannot access Git repositories or the GitLab API.
- Does not receive any notifications from GitLab.
- Does not consume a [seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
An administrator must [approve their sign up](#approve-or-reject-a-user-sign-up) to allow them to
sign in.
### View user sign ups pending approval
To view user sign ups pending approval:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. Select the **Pending approval** tab.
### Approve or reject a user sign up
A user sign up pending approval can be approved or rejected from the Admin Area.
To approve or reject a user sign up:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. Select the **Pending approval** tab.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Approve** or **Reject**.
Approving a user:
- Activates their account.
- Changes the user's state to active.
- Consumes a subscription [seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
## Block and unblock users
GitLab administrators can block and unblock users.
### Block a user
In order to completely prevent access of a user to the GitLab instance,
administrators can choose to block the user.
Users can be blocked [via an abuse report](review_abuse_reports.md#blocking-users),
or directly from the Admin Area. To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Block**.
A blocked user:
- Cannot log in.
- Cannot access Git repositories or the API.
- Does not receive any notifications from GitLab.
- Cannot use [slash commands](../../integration/slash_commands.md).
- Does not consume a [seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
Personal projects, and group and user history of the blocked user are left intact.
NOTE:
Users can also be blocked using the [GitLab API](../../api/users.md#block-user).
### Unblock a user
A blocked user can be unblocked from the Admin Area. To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. Select on the **Blocked** tab.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Unblock**.
The user's state is set to active and they consume a
[seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
NOTE:
Users can also be unblocked using the [GitLab API](../../api/users.md#unblock-user).
## Activate and deactivate users
GitLab administrators can deactivate and activate users.
### Deactivate a user
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/22257) in GitLab 12.4.
In order to temporarily prevent access by a GitLab user that has no recent activity,
administrators can choose to deactivate the user.
Deactivating a user is functionally identical to [blocking a user](#block-and-unblock-users),
with the following differences:
- It does not prohibit the user from logging back in via the UI.
- Once a deactivated user logs back into the GitLab UI, their account is set to active.
A deactivated user:
- Cannot access Git repositories or the API.
- Does not receive any notifications from GitLab.
- Does not be able to use [slash commands](../../integration/slash_commands.md).
- Does not consume a [seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
Personal projects, and group and user history of the deactivated user are left intact.
NOTE:
Users are notified about account deactivation if
[user deactivation emails](settings/email.md#user-deactivation-emails) are enabled.
A user can be deactivated from the Admin Area. To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Deactivate**.
For the deactivation option to be visible to an administrator, the user:
- Must be currently active.
- Must not have signed in, or have any activity, in the last 90 days.
NOTE:
Users can also be deactivated using the [GitLab API](../../api/users.md#deactivate-user).
### Automatically deactivate dormant users
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/320875) in GitLab 14.0.
Administrators can enable automatic deactivation of users who have not signed in, or have no activity
in the last 90 days. To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Settings > General**.
1. Expand the **Account and limit** section.
1. Under **Dormant users**, check **Deactivate dormant users after 90 days of inactivity**.
1. Select **Save changes**.
When this feature is enabled, GitLab runs a job once a day to deactivate the dormant users.
A maximum of 100,000 users can be deactivated per day.
### Activate a user
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/22257) in GitLab 12.4.
A deactivated user can be activated from the Admin Area.
To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. Select the **Deactivated** tab.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Activate**.
The user's state is set to active and they consume a
[seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
NOTE:
A deactivated user can also activate their account themselves by logging back in via the UI.
Users can also be activated using the [GitLab API](../../api/users.md#activate-user).
## Ban and unban users
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/327353) in GitLab 14.2.
GitLab administrators can ban and unban users. Banned users are blocked, and their issues are hidden.
The banned user's comments are still displayed. Hiding a banned user's comments is [tracked in this issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/327356).
### Ban a user
To block a user and hide their contributions, administrators can ban the user.
Users can be banned using the Admin Area. To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Ban user**.
The banned user does not consume a [seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
### Unban a user
A banned user can be unbanned using the Admin Area. To do this:
1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. Select the **Banned** tab.
1. (Optional) Select a user.
1. Select the **{settings}** **User administration** dropdown.
1. Select **Unban user**.
The user's state is set to active and they consume a
[seat](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md#billable-users).
|
