How to Transfer and Delete users in Zoho CRM

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Introduction

When someone leaves your organisation or moves to a different team, it’s important to properly transfer and delete their Zoho CRM user account. This ensures your data stays secure and your CRM remains up to date. 

Before deleting a user, you must decide what to do with the records they own—such as contacts, deals, or tasks. You can either transfer ownership to another user or delete them without transferring, depending on your team’s setup. 

In this guide, we’ll take you through how to transfer records and delete users in Zoho CRM, with helpful tips to avoid losing important data. 

 

Step-by-step Instructions: Transferring and Deleting Users in Zoho CRM

1. Who Can Delete a User?

  • Only the Super Admin can delete users.
  • Deleting a user removes them from your CRM, but not from your overall Zoho account or subscription.
  • The user will still count toward your purchased licence count unless removed through the Zoho Subscriptions settings.

2. Before Deleting a User: Choose Transfer Options

When deleting a user, Zoho CRM gives you two options: 

Option 1: Delete Without Transferring Records 

  • Use this if the records are co-owned or already assigned to others.

Option 2: Transfer Records Before Deleting 

  • You can transfer:
  • All open records in Deals and Activities (closed records will still show the deleted user’s name).
  • Assignments, such as owner updates and workflow participation.
  • Rule-based associations, including workflows, approvals, blueprints, and case escalations—if the user is the record owner.

3. How to Delete a User in Zoho CRM

To delete and transfer a user’s records: 

  • Go to Setup → General → Users.
  • Select the user you want to delete.
  • Click Delete this User.
  • In the pop-up:
  • Choose Delete without transfer OR
  • Choose Transfer now, then:
  • Select a new user in Transfer to
  • Tick the boxes for Record ownership, Assignment, and Criteria
  • Click Delete.

4. Deleting Users with Reporting Hierarchy Enabled

If the user has subordinates reporting to them, you must: 

  • Transfer subordinates to another user (must be equal or higher in the hierarchy),

OR

  • Leave them without a manager (non-reporting)

5. What Stays and What Doesn’t Transfer

Some data and references to the deleted user will remain in the system, even after deletion. Here’s what to expect: 

Will be retained:
  • Deleted user’s name in system fields like "Modified By" or "Last Updated By"
  • Roles, Groups, Territories the user was part of
  • Scoring rules referencing the user
  • Email sharing settings in reports (the user will no longer receive them)
Will not transfer:
  • Notes written by the deleted user
  • Zia Voice notifications and push alerts
  • In-product reminders, alerts, and email notifications
  • Reports and dashboards shared specifically with the deleted user
  • Auto-follow rules, webhook parameters, and telephony configurations linked to the user
  • Storage used by the deleted user

Tips for Managing Users in Zoho CRM

  • Always transfer ownership of key records before deleting a user.
  • Review workflows and blueprints to update any references to the deleted user.
  • Clean up user-specific filters, reports, and views for better performance.
  • Use the Mass Transfer option in modules like Deals or Tasks if needed after deletion.
  • Remember to adjust your licence count in Zoho Subscriptions to avoid paying for unused licences.

Related Articles

Organisation Settings - Previous How to Activate and Deactive users in Zoho CRM Next - Organisation Settings How to use Calendar in Zoho CRM

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