Removing a portal user in Zoho CRM is a straightforward process handled through the Custom Portals settings, where you can deactivate, remove, or fully delete users depending on your needs.
Why this matters
Portal users in Zoho CRM are external contacts — such as clients or partners — who have been granted controlled access to specific CRM data. When a relationship ends, a user's role changes, or access needs to be revoked for security reasons, you'll need to know how to cleanly remove that individual without disrupting the rest of your portal setup. Getting this wrong can leave stale accounts with lingering data access.
Step-by-step
Step 1. Navigate to your Zoho CRM settings and open the Custom Portals tab. From there, select Manage Portals to see a list of all portals configured in your account. [5]
Step 2. Click into the specific portal that contains the user you want to remove. Once inside, go to the Users tab to view everyone currently active in that portal. [5]
Step 3. Locate the user's email address in the list. Click the More Options icon (typically represented by three dots or a similar control) next to their entry. [5]
Step 4. From the dropdown that appears, click Remove to take that user out of the portal. This strips their access without permanently deleting the entire portal itself. [5]
> Optional — Deactivate instead of remove: If you want to temporarily suspend access rather than fully remove the user, follow Steps 1–3 above, but choose Deactivate instead of Remove. You can reverse this at any time by returning to the same menu and selecting Activate. [5]
Step 5. If the user was invited but never accepted, their entry will appear under the Invitations tab rather than the Users tab. Navigate to Invitations and click Revoke next to their email address to cancel the outstanding invite. [5]
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Deleting the entire portal (if needed)
If your goal is to shut down the portal entirely — removing all users at once — the process is slightly different.
Step 1. Open the portal from the Custom Portal tab in your Zoho CRM settings. [1]
Step 2. Go to the General tab within the portal configuration and scroll to the Delete custom portal section. [1]
Step 3. Click Delete. Be aware that this action permanently removes the portal, every user associated with it, and all of their access to connected resources. [1]
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Removing a user in Zoho CRM Plus
If your organisation uses Zoho CRM Plus rather than standalone Zoho CRM, the user deletion path runs through the Users page in the CRM Plus admin panel.
Step 1. In the Users page, click the name of the user you want to delete from the list on the left side of the screen. [4]
Step 2. A sliding panel will appear on the right showing that user's profile and their assigned applications. Locate and click the Delete icon in this panel. [4]
Step 3. A confirmation message will appear, warning you that the deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Click Yes, I understand. Delete user to finalise the action. The user's name will then be removed from the Users page. [^4,^8]
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Common pitfalls
- Deletion is irreversible. Whether removing a portal user or deleting a full portal, these actions are permanent. There is no undo option once confirmed. [^1,^4]
- Deactivate vs. Remove: Choosing Deactivate only suspends access — the user record remains. If you need the user gone entirely, make sure you select Remove (or Delete in CRM Plus). [5]
- Pending invitations aren't in the Users tab. If a user never accepted their invite, they won't appear under Users — you must go to the Invitations tab and use Revoke instead. [5]
- Admin role changes require extra steps. If the user you're removing currently holds an Admin role, switching them to a standard user first may require you to reassign workspaces and specify roles for controlled access before the removal can proceed cleanly. [2]
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What to check
- Confirm the user no longer appears in the Users tab of your portal after removal — refresh the page if needed to verify the change has taken effect. [5]
- Check the Invitations tab to ensure no outstanding invite remains for the same email address that could re-grant access. [5]
- Verify application access in CRM Plus (if applicable) by reviewing the Users page to confirm the deleted user's name is no longer listed. [4]
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