---
stage: Manage
group: Authentication and Authorization
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: howto
---
# Locked users **(FREE SELF)**
## Self-managed users
Users are locked after ten failed sign-in attempts. These users remain locked:
- For 10 minutes, after which time they are automatically unlocked.
- Until an administrator unlocks them from the [Admin Area](../administration/admin_area.md) or the command line in under 10 minutes.
## GitLab.com users
If 2FA is not enabled users are locked after three failed sign-in attempts within 24 hours. These users remain locked until:
- Their next successful sign-in, at which point they are sent an email with a six-digit unlock code and redirected to a verification page where they can unlock their account by entering the code.
- GitLab Support [manually unlock](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/support/workflows/reinstating-blocked-accounts.html#manual-unlock) the account after account ownership is verified.
If 2FA is enabled, users are locked after five failed sign-in attempts within 10 minutes. Accounts are unlocked automatically after 10 minutes.
## Unlock a user from the Admin Area
1. On the left sidebar, expand the top-most chevron (**{chevron-down}**).
1. Select **Admin Area**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Overview > Users**.
1. Use the search bar to find the locked user.
1. From the **User administration** dropdown list, select **Unlock**.
## Unlock a user from the command line
To unlock a locked user:
1. SSH into your GitLab server.
1. Start a Ruby on Rails console:
```shell
## For Omnibus GitLab
sudo gitlab-rails console -e production
## For installations from source
sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails console -e production
```
1. Find the user to unlock. You can search by email or ID.
```ruby
user = User.find_by(email: 'admin@local.host')
```
or
```ruby
user = User.where(id: 1).first
```
1. Unlock the user:
```ruby
user.unlock_access!
```
1. Exit the console with Control+d
The user should now be able to sign in.