# User setup, licenses, freezing and deactivation

*Platform Administrator Study Guide · Configuration and Setup · Last updated September 26, 2026 · https://certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator/configuration-and-setup/user-setup-licenses-and-deactivation*

How to create and maintain users: globally unique usernames, personal locale and time zone settings, choosing user and feature licenses, why users are deactivated rather than deleted, what freezing and deactivating actually change, and how single sign-on and login-as fit in.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform Administrator
- Exam section: Configuration and Setup
- Study guide: https://certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, demonstrate the proper setup and maintenance of users (user name is unique, locales, working hours, how to distribute licenses, types of licenses, not deleting a user, implications of making inactive, override, assigning feature licenses, management of users with various login methods).

## What the exam expects

- Create a user with a globally unique username, the right user license and profile, and correct personal settings (locale, time zone, language, start and end of day).
- Choose the most cost-appropriate user license, and add feature licenses such as Marketing User when a capability is gated per user.
- Explain why users are deactivated rather than deleted, and exactly what deactivation does and does not change.
- Choose between freezing and deactivating when access must stop immediately but deactivation is blocked or premature.
- Recover license capacity for new hires, and manage users with different login methods (single sign-on versus username and password).
- Reproduce a user's problem by logging in as that user.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Username uniqueness | Unique across all orgs, including trial and sandbox orgs | [Adding Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_adding_guidelines.htm&type=5) |
| Username format | Email address format; need not be a working mailbox | [Adding Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_adding_guidelines.htm&type=5) |
| Duplicate Username error | Name is in use in a production, trial or sandbox org; change it on that record | [Editing Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_edit_considerations.htm&type=5) |
| Platform Login license | Same access as Salesforce Platform, login-based pricing | [User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_available.htm&type=5) |
| Salesforce Platform license | Accounts, contacts, reports and custom apps; no leads, opportunities, campaigns, forecasts | [User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_available.htm&type=5) |
| Marketing User | Feature license checkbox needed to create and edit campaigns | [User Fields](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.user_fields.htm&type=5) |
| Delete a user | Not possible; deactivate instead | [Deactivate Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.how_to_deactivate_users.htm&type=5) |
| Deactivated user's records | Still owned by the inactive user until transferred | [Deactivate Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.how_to_deactivate_users.htm&type=5) |
| Deactivated user's groups | Still listed as a member of public groups | [Deactivate Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.how_to_deactivate_users.htm&type=5) |
| Deactivation and licenses | Inactive users don't count against available licenses | [Deactivation considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_deactivate_considerations.htm&type=5) |
| Freeze and licenses | Freezing doesn't release the license | [Freeze Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_freeze.htm&type=5) |
| Deactivation blocked | Default owners, custom hierarchy fields, workflow email alert recipients | [Deactivate Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.how_to_deactivate_users.htm&type=5) |
| Is Single Sign-On Enabled | User permission that subjects a user to SSO-only settings | [Require SSO](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.sso_enforce_sso_login.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Federation ID | User field used to match a user for federated SSO | [User Fields](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.user_fields.htm&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why can a new username fail as a duplicate even when no user in your org has it? → Usernames must be unique across all Salesforce orgs, including trial and sandbox orgs ([Adding Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_adding_guidelines.htm&type=5))
- Which user field fixes dates in the wrong format, and which fixes times that are a few hours off? → Locale fixes formats; Time Zone fixes the displayed hour ([User Fields](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.user_fields.htm&type=5))
- What does a Salesforce Platform license include and exclude compared with a Salesforce license? → Custom apps, accounts, contacts, reports and dashboards, but no leads, opportunities, campaigns or forecasts ([User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_available.htm&type=5))
- What stays the same for a user after deactivation, and what changes? → Record ownership, public group membership and permission set assignments stay; the license is released and manual or team sharing access is lost ([Deactivate Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.how_to_deactivate_users.htm&type=5))
- When would you freeze a user instead of deactivating, and what does freezing not do? → When access must stop now but deactivation is blocked or ownership is undecided; freezing doesn't release the license ([Freeze Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_freeze.htm&type=5))

## Sources

- [Deactivate Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.how_to_deactivate_users.htm&type=5)
- [Considerations for Deactivating Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_deactivate_considerations.htm&type=5)
- [Freeze or Unfreeze User Accounts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_freeze.htm&type=5)
- [Guidelines for Adding Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_adding_guidelines.htm&type=5)
- [Considerations for Editing Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_edit_considerations.htm&type=5)
- [User Fields](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.user_fields.htm&type=5)
- [Standard User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_available.htm&type=5)
- [Require Users to Log In with Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.sso_enforce_sso_login.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [View and Manage Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.admin_users.htm&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 11 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Platform Administrator pack (USD $19): https://certifyforce.com/practice-exams