Freezing versus deactivating a user
Key Takeaway
Freezing and deactivating both block login, but only deactivating frees the user's license. When Salesforce blocks deactivation, freeze the user first, update what blocks it, and then deactivate.
Freezing and deactivating both stop a user from logging in to Salesforce, but they do different jobs. Freezing is a quick stopgap for when Salesforce won't let you deactivate a user yet. Deactivating removes the user's access but keeps their records and history, and deactivating is the action that frees up the user's license.
Freezing versus deactivating
You can't delete a Salesforce user, because deleting a user could leave orphaned records and lose critical business information. Instead, you remove a user by deactivating them. Deactivating blocks login but keeps all of the user's historical activity and records.
Freezing also blocks login, but it is meant for the meantime. You freeze a user when you can't deactivate them right away, so they can't log in while you reassign their ownership, memberships and other processes. To give a frozen user access again, click "Unfreeze".
| Freeze | Deactivate | |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks login | Yes | Yes |
| Frees the user's license | No | Yes |
| Use it to | Stop login until you can deactivate | Remove the user and keep their records and history |
| Permission needed | "Freeze Users" or "Manage Users" (to freeze or unfreeze) | "Manage Internal Users" |
A deactivated user doesn't count against the org's available user licenses. Freezing doesn't make the user's license available. So if your goal is to free a license for someone else, deactivate the user.
Freeing a license doesn't reduce the number of licenses the org is billed for. To change billing, you must change the org's license count.