IT security · Checklist
Employee Offboarding IT Checklist: What To Do When Someone Leaves
When an employee leaves, two things need to happen: they should lose access to everything, and your business should keep everything they worked on. Block their sign-in first, save their email and files before you delete or unlicense anything, then close the access that is easy to forget: phones, shared passwords, and apps they signed up for with a work email. Here is the checklist, in order.
By SupportMax · Updated October 13, 2026
Do this first
1
Block their Microsoft 365 sign-in and sign them out everywhere
2
Change any shared passwords they knew
3
Keep their mailbox and files; don't delete the account yet
Questions? SupportMax: 310.331.8119 · Mon–Fri, 9–6 Pacific.
Plain-English guidance
Based in West Los Angeles
Keep the data, close the access
One accountable team
Where access hides
Where leftover access usually hides
Turning off the main account is the easy part. The risk is usually access nobody wrote down.
01
Phones and home computers
Company email and files often sync to a personal phone or home computer and stay there after someone leaves.
02
Shared passwords
Logins several people use, such as vendor portals, social media, the Wi-Fi, or the alarm system.
03
Apps nobody knew about
Tools someone signed up for with a work email, outside your main systems.
04
Forwarding and sharing
Email forwarding to a personal address, or files shared with anyone who has the link.
The checklist
Your employee offboarding IT checklist, in order
Plan it with whoever handles HR, so access closes when the job ends, not weeks later.
See What's Putting You at Risk1. Before the last day
List what they use: accounts, devices, apps, and shared logins. Decide who takes over their email, files, and open work, and plan how devices come back.
2. On the last day
Block their sign-in, sign them out of all sessions, and reset their password. Collect devices, and change shared passwords and any door, alarm, or Wi-Fi codes they knew.
3. In the following weeks
Hand over their mailbox and files, then remove the license. Check for forwarding rules, shared links, and apps tied to their email, and remove company data from personal phones.
What to close and keep
What to close, and what to keep
Work through all three areas. Most gaps are in the second and third.
Microsoft 365
In this order
Block sign-in and sign them out of all sessions
Convert the mailbox to shared, or forward it
Give a manager access to their OneDrive files
Remove the license once the data is saved
Devices and data
Get it back, keep it safe
Collect laptops, phones, and keys
Remove company data from personal phones
Save what you need before wiping a laptop
Set the device up fresh before reusing it
Passwords and apps
Close the side doors
Change shared and admin passwords they knew
Update Wi-Fi, door, and alarm codes
Find apps signed up with their work email
Remove them from vendor and client portals
Microsoft's step-by-step guide to removing a former employee from Microsoft 365 covers blocking sign-in, saving the mailbox, and handling OneDrive files. Its guide to revoking user access in an emergency explains signing someone out of every session. CISA's Cyber Essentials covers controlling who has access as a basic for small businesses.
If the departure isn't friendly
What if the employee is being let go?
Close access at the same time as the conversation, not after it. Have IT ready to block sign-in and end their sessions while the meeting happens, collect devices in person when you can, and change shared passwords the same day. Keep their mailbox and files, and don't delete anything in a hurry; you may need it later. For questions about final pay, records, or legal obligations, talk to your HR advisor or attorney. If you think someone is still getting in, see incident response help.
Microsoft 365 management →How SupportMax helps
How SupportMax handles offboarding for clients
01
Plan
We document the accounts, devices, and apps your team uses, so a departure is a checklist, not a scramble. It starts with setting up new employees the right way.
02
Close
We remove Microsoft 365 users, reset passwords, and update security settings.
03
Keep
We set up shared mailboxes and file access so the work stays with your business.
04
Check
We manage your devices and can monitor the dark web for exposed company passwords.
Working with SupportMax
One accountable team, clear next steps
Not sure who still has access?
Start with a free Technology Clarity Assessment. We look at how your technology is set up and tell you what's putting you at risk, in plain English. Questions first? Call 310.331.8119, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Pacific.
Questions
Employee offboarding: common questions
Have a question that isn't here? Call 310.331.8119 or schedule a free consultation.
Should we delete their Microsoft 365 account right away?
No. Block their sign-in first. Hand over or save their mailbox and files, then remove the license or delete the account. Deleting too early makes it harder to keep work the business needs.
What happens to their email after they leave?
Common choices are converting their mailbox to a shared mailbox so a colleague can read it, or forwarding new email to someone else. Microsoft's offboarding guide covers both.
Do we really need to change shared passwords?
Yes. Any password they knew, including Wi-Fi, vendor portals, and social media, should be changed. A business password manager makes this much easier next time.
What if they used their own phone for work email?
Remove company email and files from that phone. With the right Microsoft 365 setup, company data can be removed without touching their personal photos and apps.
How do we find apps they signed up for themselves?
Search their mailbox for sign-up and billing emails, check company card statements, and ask their manager. A software inventory, like our SaaS spend review, makes this easier.
Can SupportMax handle offboarding for us?
Yes. For our managed IT clients, we handle the IT side: Microsoft 365, devices, passwords, and access. Call 310.331.8119 during business hours, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Pacific, to talk it through.
Someone leaving soon?
Start with a free Technology Clarity Assessment to see what's putting you at risk, or call 310.331.8119, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Pacific. See also Microsoft 365 management.
Prefer to call? 310.331.8119 · Mon–Fri, 9–6