How to Disable a User Account in Bullhorn ATS

Learn how to safely disable and re-enable a user account in Bullhorn ATS — including the steps you need to complete first to keep your data accessible.

When an employee leaves or an account was created in error, disabling prevents the person from logging in to Bullhorn (including Bullhorn for Mobile) while keeping your data secure and freeing up their licence. There are a few steps to complete before you disable the account. Skipping them can make records and lists difficult to access afterwards.

You'll need Admin-level access to complete these steps.

If you’re replacing a departing user with a new hire and want guidance on the full handover sequence, see Replacing One User with Another.

Before You Disable the Account

Complete these steps in order before disabling the account. Once an account is disabled, some of these actions become significantly harder to perform.

Step 1: Transfer the User’s Records

Ownership of candidates, contacts, jobs, and other records is tied to the user account. If you disable the account without transferring ownership first, colleagues won’t be able to find those records using the User filter in list views, and you won’t be able to bulk-transfer them from a disabled account.

Transfer records before disabling the account. If records aren’t transferred first, you’ll need to temporarily re-enable the account to do it later — which may result in additional billing if it takes your active user count above your contract limit.

For full steps, including the bulk list view method for users with large record counts, see Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS

Step 2: Recreate the User’s Tearsheets

Tearsheets (also called hotlists) owned by a disabled user become read-only — they can no longer be edited or managed. Recreate any tearsheets you want to retain under a new owner before disabling the account.

If the user owns any Private tearsheets, you must log in as that user and change them to Public before you can recreate them. Follow the steps in Managing Tearsheets.

  1. Go to Menu > Tearsheets.

  2. Filter the Owner column to the user you’re disabling.

  3. Select a tearsheet name to expand its records.

  4. Click the Select All checkbox in the column header. If the tearsheet contains more than the default page size, expand it to show 100 records per page first.

  5. Click the Selected button, then choose Add to Tearsheet.

  6. Choose to add the records to an existing tearsheet or create a new one. Enter a name and click Save.

  7. Repeat steps 3–6 for each additional tearsheet owned by this user.

Disabling the Account

Once you’ve completed both pre-disable steps, you can safely disable the account.

  1. Go to Menu > Admin > Users.

  2. Click the pencil icon next to the user you want to disable.

  3. Under Account Information, set Account to Disabled.

  4. Click Save.

The account is now disabled and the user can no longer log in to Bullhorn.

Re-enabling a User Account

There are several situations where you might need to re-enable a disabled account — for example, if a user returns from leave, if an account was disabled by mistake, or if you need to transfer records that weren’t moved before the account was disabled. The steps are the same in all cases.

  1. Go to Menu > Admin > Users.

  2. Set the filter at the top of the list to Disabled.

  3. Click the pencil icon next to the user you want to re-enable.

  4. Under Account Information, set Account to Active.

  5. Click Save.

The account is now active and the user can log in to Bullhorn again.

Re-enabling an account makes it billable immediately. If you’re re-enabling temporarily — for example, to transfer records that were missed — complete the transfer and re-disable the account on the same working day to minimise any billing impact.

Troubleshooting

Records owned by the disabled user aren’t visible to colleagues

This can happen if records weren’t transferred before the account was disabled. Re-enable the account, transfer the records, and disable again. For transfer steps, see Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS. Complete all three actions on the same working day where possible to minimise billing impact.

The bulk record transfer timed out

If you’re transferring more than 2,000 records for a single entity, the session may time out before the transfer completes. Refresh the page and continue from where you left off — records that were successfully transferred before the timeout won’t need to be transferred again. If timeouts persist, transfer in smaller batches of 500 records at a time using the list view method. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS.

A user can’t be found in the Users list after being disabled

Disabled users may be hidden by the default Users list filter. Set the filter at the top of the list to Disabled to show all disabled users.

FAQ

Can I delete a user account instead of disabling it?

No. User accounts can’t be deleted in Bullhorn. Disabling is the correct way to remove a user’s access and free up a user licence.

Will I be charged for a disabled user account?

No. Disabled accounts don’t count toward your active user billing. Only active and re-enabled accounts are billable.

What happens to a disabled user’s records when their account is disabled?

Disabling an account doesn't delete any records. Everything the user owned — candidates, jobs, contacts, placements — stays in the system and retains its original ownership. You should transfer those records to an active user before disabling the account. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS for a guide.

A disabled user's records still appear assigned to them. Why?

Record ownership isn't changed automatically when an account is disabled. You'll need to transfer ownership manually using the Records Transfer function in their profile, or via the list views. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS for a guide.

How do I transfer a departing user's records to another user?

Open the departing user's profile under Admin > Users, then use the Records Transfer option to reassign ownership to an active user.

Large-volume transfers may time out. If this happens, transfer record ownership via the list view instead. See Transferring Record Ownership in Bullhorn ATS for more information.

Do I need to recreate a disabled user’s Distribution Lists?

No. Distribution Lists owned by disabled users remain accessible directly so there is no need to recreate them.

Can I reverse a disable if I made a mistake?

Yes — see Re-enabling a User Account. Re-enabling makes the account billable again, so re-disable the user as soon as the issue is resolved.