---
stage: Manage
group: Access
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: reference, howto
---

# Abuse reports **(FREE SELF)**

View and resolve abuse reports from GitLab users.

GitLab administrators can view and [resolve](#resolving-abuse-reports) abuse
reports in the Admin Area.

## Receiving notifications of abuse reports

To receive notifications of new abuse reports by e-mail, follow these steps:

1. Select **Admin Area > Settings >  Reporting**.
1. Expand the **Abuse reports** section.
1. Provide an email address.

The notification email address can also be set and retrieved
[using the API](../../api/settings.md#list-of-settings-that-can-be-accessed-via-api-calls).

## Reporting abuse

To find out more about reporting abuse, see [abuse reports user
documentation](../abuse_reports.md).

## Resolving abuse reports

To access abuse reports, go to **Admin Area > Abuse Reports**.

There are 3 ways to resolve an abuse report, with a button for each method:

- Remove user & report. This:
  - [Deletes the reported user](../profile/account/delete_account.md) from the
    instance.
  - Removes the abuse report from the list.
- [Block user](#blocking-users).
- Remove report. This:
  - Removes the abuse report from the list.
  - Removes access restrictions for the reported user.

The following is an example of the **Abuse Reports** page:

![abuse-reports-page-image](img/abuse_reports_page_v13_11.png)

### Blocking users

A blocked user cannot log in or access any repositories, but all of their data
remains.

Blocking a user:

- Leaves them in the abuse report list.
- Changes the **Block user** button to a disabled **Already blocked** button.

The user is notified with the following message:

```plaintext
Your account has been blocked. If you believe this is in error, contact a staff member.
```

After blocking, you can still either:

- Remove the user and report if necessary.
- Remove the report.

The following is an example of a blocked user listed on the **Abuse Reports**
page:

![abuse-report-blocked-user-image](img/abuse_report_blocked_user.png)

NOTE:
Users can be [blocked](../../api/users.md#block-user) and
[unblocked](../../api/users.md#unblock-user) using the GitLab API.

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