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Question

Inquiry About Managed User Transfer and License Limitation

  • May 21, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 16 views
E

Hello,

 

We currently have 3 paid managed user accounts in Box.

One of our managed users has left the company, and we need to transfer all folders and contents from that user to a new employee. However, the new employee is currently an external user, so the account does not have enough storage capacity to receive all the transferred files and folders.

At the moment, we cannot complete the content transfer unless the new employee is converted to a managed user. However, adding the new employee as a managed user would temporarily increase the total number of managed users to 4, while we are currently paying for only 3 managed user accounts.

Since the content transfer has not yet been completed, we are also unable to delete the former employee’s managed user account.

Please advise on the best way to proceed in this situation.

 

Thank you.

Elin

    1 reply

    Jey Bueno Box
    • Jey Bueno Box
    • Community Manager
    • May 22, 2026

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


    The recommended approach to resolve this is:

    • Convert the new employee to a managed user first. The “Delete and Transfer” flow in the Admin Console requires the recipient to already be a managed user in your organization.
    • Note that this will bring your total to 4 managed users. Please email cancel@box.com to confirm the process and eligibility for decreasing seats afterward.
    • Increase the new employee’s storage quota to ensure they have enough space to receive all transferred content.
    • Perform the content transfer and then delete the former employee’s account.


    Another option, if you prefer not to purchase an additional license, is to transfer the content to an existing managed user. This keeps your total managed user count the same and avoids adding a new user right away.


    However, keep in mind that this may create extra steps later if you plan to redistribute the content to the new employee after converting them into a managed user.


    Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or need clarification.

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