Deactivating, Deleting, and Restoring a Client Record

In this article:

• Deactivating vs. Deleting a Client
• Deactivating a Client
  • Reactivating a Client
• Deleting a Client Record
  • Exporting Client Data
  • Deleting a Single Client
  • Bulk Deleting Client Records
• Restoring a Deleted Client

Deactivating vs. Deleting a Client

Choosing between deactivating and deleting a client depends on how you want to manage your ongoing relationship with them and your subscription. Account owners or permissioned team members can deactivate or delete a client.

• Deactivating is the right choice when a client is no longer actively working with you, but you want to preserve their full history, continue sending them forms or booking confirmations, or leave open the possibility of reactivating them in the future.
   
• Deleting is appropriate when you need to fully remove a client from your portal — for example, to reduce your active client count toward your subscription limit. Deleted clients can be restored within 60 days if needed.

⚠️ Important: Deactivated clients still count toward your subscription plan's client limit. If managing your client count matters for your plan, deleting, rather than deactivating, will reduce that number.

Deactivating a Client

Deactivated clients remain in your client list in a greyed-out state and their full history is preserved. They can no longer log into the client portal, but they can still receive email notifications and complete forms via email links.

To deactivate one or more clients:

1. Go to My Clients and locate the client(s) you want to deactivate.
    
2. To deactivate a single client, select the More Options menu (3 dots), and choose Deactivate.
   
    
3. To deactivate multiple clients at once, use the Select Multiple function to select the relevant clients, then click the Deactivate button.
   

📍 Note: Team members may deactivate clients if they have the appropriate permissions assigned by the account owner.

Reactivating a Client

Deactivating a client is fully reversible. When a client is ready to re-engage with your practice, you can reactivate them at any time.

To reactivate a client:

1. Go to My Clients. Deactivated clients appear greyed out near the bottom of your client list.
    
2. Locate the client's record and click Activate.
   

✅ The client's record, history, and resources will be fully restored, and they'll regain access to the client portal.

Deleting a Client Record

Deleting a client permanently removes them from your active portal and reduces your client count toward your subscription limit. Deleting a client also automatically cancels any upcoming bookings or telehealth sessions. Deleted clients can be recovered within 60 days; see Restoring a Deleted Client below.

⚠️ Important: You can delete a client even if they have an outstanding invoice or active package. Resolve any billing matters before deleting, if needed.

Exporting Client Data

We recommend exporting a client's data before deleting their record. You don't need to wait until you're mid-deletion to do this; client data can be exported at any time from their profile.

If you haven't exported yet, you can also do it from within the delete flow itself:

1. Either from the client list or the client record, click the More Options menu (3 dots) next to the client's name and select Delete.
    
2. In the Delete Client window, select Export Data. You'll be taken to a new window where you can choose what to export from the client's file.
   
    
3. Once your export is ready, it will appear in the Delete Client window. Select Download Export to save a ZIP file of the client's information to your device.

Learn more about Exporting Client Records From Practice Better →

Deleting a Single Client

1. Either from the client list or the client record, click the More Options menu (3 dots) next to the client's name and select Delete.
2. Export the client's data if you haven't already, then confirm and click Delete. 
   

Bulk Deleting Client Records

You can delete multiple clients at once, for example, inactive clients or clients with a specific tag.

1. Go to My Clients and click Select Multiple in the top-right corner.
2. Check the box next to each client you'd like to delete.
3. Click the bulk delete icon in the top-right corner.
4. Review the prompt. We recommend exporting client data before removing anyone from the system.
5. Type DELETE SELECTED in the text field and click Delete Clients to confirm.
6. You'll receive a notification once your clients' data has been removed from the system.

Restoring a Deleted Client

When a client record is accidentally deleted, Practice Better account owners can quickly restore it along with all associated data. Practice Better keeps deleted client records accessible for 60 days, giving you peace of mind and time to recover what you need.

To restore a deleted client:

1. Go to Settings (gear icon) > All Settings & Preferences.
    
2. Click Activity under the My Team section.
   
    
3. In the All activity dropdown, search and select delete a client to filter the log.
   
    
4. Locate the deleted client entry and click the expand icon to view additional details about the deletion.
   
    
5. Click Restore at the bottom of the entry. This option is available for clients deleted within the last 60 days.
   
    
6. Review the prompt and click Restore to confirm. You'll receive an email notification once the client's record has been successfully restored.
   

Your client record and all associated resources will be restored to your account, allowing you to pick up right where you left off.

📍 Note: Looking to restore an individual item, like a form, invoice, or session note, without restoring the whole client record? For that process, see Archiving and Restoring Deleted Resources →