Error 'This user is the default owner of records created by guest users and can’t be deactivated'

In order to resolve this, you must select another user as a default owner of records created by a guest user in a community.

To identify which site holds the user reference run the following query via the Developer Console Query Editor: Substitute <UserIdHere> with the Id of the user you are attempting to deactivate.

Select Id, Name from Site WHERE GuestRecordDefaultOwnerId = '<UserIdHere>'

Select another User as the default owner of records created by a guest user of a site
 

1. Navigate to the Preferences menu of the Experience Cloud site

In Salesforce Classic: Setup | Customize | Digital Experiences | All Sites | Workspaces or Manage
In Lightning Experience: Setup | Feature Settings | Digital Experiences | All Sites | Workspaces or Manage
 

2. Click Administration tile.

3. Click Preferences.

4. Under 'Record Ownership' section, change the default owner to another User.

5. Click Save.

Default Owner Change for Force.com Sites 
 

You can navigate to the Force.com Site within Setup.
 

1. Go to Setup

2. On the Quick Find Box, enter Sites

3. Under Sites and Domains, select Sites

4. Click the Site Name

5. Click Edit

6. Change the Default Record Owner

7. Click Save.

You should now be able to continue deactivating the user without any error.

What if I am not a member of the Digital Experience Site?

If you find that some Experience Sites shown in Setup > All Sites do not have links to Workspaces or Builder, this would indicate that you are not a member of the site. Site membership (along with the necessary Experience Administrative permissions ) is required to access Workspaces. You will need to add yourself as a member of the site. Either contact an administrator that is a member to add your profile or add yourself as a member using the API. Please refer to the following documentation instructing you on how to do this:

How do I update Experience Cloud site membership using the API?

Note: If the issue still occurs after following the steps, please log a Support Case for further assistance.


See Also:

• Assign Records Created by Guest Users to a Default User in the Org

• Best Practices and Considerations for Using the Guest Record Default Owner  

• Considerations for Deactivating Users     

• Error 'You cannot deactivate a user who is a portal administrator' when you deactivate a User