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Question

Downgrade and reassign ownership of files

  • April 30, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 145 views
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As Admin, I need to downgrade an existing managed user to a free plan, transfer ownership of their files to a different managed user but keep their ability (on the free plan as an external user) to access files that were previously shared with them (with their existing email).

      1 reply

      Jey Bueno Box
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      • Jey Bueno Box
      • Community Manager
      • May 1, 2026

      👋 Hi ​@StewbobClark, welcome to the Box Community! I’d be glad to assist.


      If your goal is to reassign ownership of the user’s files, Box supports that: transfer the content to another managed user during deletion, as described in Deleting Managed Users.


      If your goal is to remove them from your managed user seats, Box supports downgrading or deleting as part of deprovisioning, per Deprovision Users with the Box API or CLI (subject to certain limitations such as retention or legal hold policies.)


      While ownership transfer is supported, continued access to previously shared content after downgrade may depend on how the user is deprovisioned and on the collaboration state afterward. Collaboration access may not be preserved in all downgrade, and some collaborations may need to be re-established.


      For that reason, I’ve submitted a support ticket on your behalf so the Product Support team can confirm the best approach for your specific case. Kindly keep an eye out for an email follow up to address your concerns.


      Thanks, and have a great day ahead!

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