# Users

> Spectra Analyze user management for creating accounts, configuring access, and managing user directory and authentication settings.

***Spectra Analyze > Administration > Users & Personalization > Users***

## Adding users

To create a new user, click **Add User** and enter the following obligatory information:
- **Username**
- **Password**
- **Password Confirmation**
- **Email Address**
- **User Role**: from the drop-down list, select the appropriate [user role](/SpectraAnalyze/Administration/users-personalization/user-roles/) for this user. The available options are *All Permissions, Researcher, YARA Developer*.

Optionally, under **Personal Info**, provide the user's **First Name** and **Last Name**.

To save your changes, click **Save**, **Save and add another**, or **Save and continue editing**.

## Searching for users

The **Users** page contains a search bar for finding specific users. The search is case-insensitive. To search for a user, enter an exact or partial username or email address, and then click **Search**. To view the full list of users again, click the link denoting the total number of users in the parentheses next to the number of search results.

The user list supports multi-column ordering. The contents of every column can be sorted in ascending or descending order by clicking the column name. When another column name is clicked, the ordering priority is shifted to the new column and indicated by numbers next to the column names.

You can also use the filters in the right sidebar to filter the list of users by last login, date joined, status (active, superuser), and role.

## Editing users

To edit an existing user's settings, from the list on the **Users** page, click their username. From this page, you can update any information entered while [adding the user](#adding-users). 

You can also update the following **Permissions**:
- **Active**: designates whether this user should be treated as active. It is recommended you deactivate users by clearing this option, instead of deleting accounts.
- **Superuser**: designates that this user has full access to all features, regardless of the [user role](/SpectraAnalyze/Administration/users-personalization/user-roles/) assigned to them.

The **Important dates** section lists the dates when this user was added and when they last logged in.

## Removing users

You can remove users in the following ways:
- **Deleting users**: from the **Users** page, find and select the users you want to delete. Then, under **Action**, select **Delete Selected Users** and click **Go**. Alternatively, find and click the username of the user you want to delete, and at the bottom of the page, click **Delete**. On the next page, confirm the deletion of this user.
- **Deactivating users**: from the **Users** page, find and click the username of the user you want to deactivate. Under **Permissions**, clear the **Active** checkbox, and then click **Save**.

**Tip: Best practice**
It is not recommended you delete users. You should instead deactivate them.

When removing a user who has created YARA rulesets on the appliance, the ownership of those rulesets is automatically transferred to the administrator account that removed the previous owner account.

An administrator cannot remove or deactivate their own account while they are logged in. An administrator account can only be removed or deactivated by another administrator account.

## User directory settings

The Spectra Analyze appliance supports user account management with the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). LDAP authentication can be enabled and configured under [Administration > Configuration & Update > Configuration > Authentication](../../configuration-update/configuration/#authentication).

Importantly, the existing local accounts on the appliance are not managed or in any way affected by LDAP when its configuration changes.

Similarly, any username conflicts between LDAP and existing user accounts on the appliance resolve in favor of the existing account. For example, if an account named "goodware" exists on the appliance, it is not possible to assign the same name to an LDAP account.

Users added via the User Directory synchronization are automatically assigned a [user role](../../users-personalization/user-roles/). Users marked as **Superuser** have the **All Permissions** user role. Otherwise, they are assigned the **Researcher** user role.
