Reversing a deleted user by mistake
A moderator, rext, accidentally deleted a user while reviewing a post and is seeking help to recover the user. The moderator can’t find the user’s email in the logs, but only their username.
thoka suggests searching backups or email server logs to find the user’s email. Heliosurge proposes a method to recover the user by retrieving their email address and username from the logs, editing the anonymized username, and reactivating the user account. However, this method won’t restore the user’s profile picture and other details.
Lilly points out that the moderator deleted the account, not anonymized it, making Heliosurge’s method inapplicable. Heliosurge acknowledges this and suggests sending a direct email with an invite to rejoin.
rext has already sent an invite and is looking for a way to know if the user has accepted it. thoka and Lilly inform the moderator that they will receive a notification when the invitation is accepted and can also check redeemed invites at [your forum]/my/invited/redeemed.
Hello,
I’m a moderator in a forum using Discourse, and I accidentally deleted a user when I intended only to reject the post.
Is there a way to recover this user? Or at least send them an invite (and explain that it was a mistake)? I looked at the log and I could only see their username, but not their email.
I did see a related post about how to restore deleted posts by a user, but does that still work if the user itself has been deleted?
Thanks in advance for your help.
You will have to search your backup for his email.
Another vague option would be to scan your email server logs, if available.
It may need some finessing
But in the past check the logs. Retrieve email address & username. Edit Anon##### to previous username. Edit email back in the user profile. Activate user. Send them a pm explaining the situation.
This will not restore profile pic and other details. But will reattach posts, PM’s, likes etc
The staff logs usually gives email address.
The OP says they deleted the account when they were reviewing the post (presumably flagged in the review panel) as a moderator, not anonymizing.
Missed that part. So must have been a new account. Which then as far as I know best you could likely do is direct email the user with an invite to rejoin.
Hey all,
Thank you for your input.
It seems like an invite is the only way to do it, which I already did. Is it possible to know if the invited user has accepted the invite?
You will get a notification when an invitation is accepted.
in addition to a notification, you can also see your redeemed invites at [your forum]/my/invited/redeemed