The short answer
Delegated access on X is separate from handing over a password and separate from connecting a third-party app. If a collaborator is leaving, the thing to review is the Delegate list, not just the password.
X Delegate lets an owner assign admin or contributor roles without sharing the account password. Owners and admins can manage delegates. Source
That matters because a former collaborator with a delegate role may still be able to act through that role even after other access changes. Treat delegation as its own access channel with its own cleanup step.
Delegated access, third-party apps and ordinary logins
These are three different things, and removing one does not remove the others.
| Access type | What it is | Where to review it | What removing it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delegated access | An owner or admin assigns a role to another account without sharing the password | Security and account access, then Delegate | Changes or removes that role |
| Third-party app connection | An app is connected to the account | App connections in account settings | Removes the app’s connection; it is not the same as account deletion |
| Ordinary login session | Someone signs in with credentials or a saved session | Login and security settings | Ends that session; it does not by itself change delegate roles |
The practical point: a password change is a login-security action. It is not a delegate-removal action.
Changing the X account password does not remove delegates; the owner alone manages password, phone number and login-verification settings. Source
So if your cleanup plan is “change the password and assume the delegation is gone,” the plan has a gap. Review the Delegate list directly.
Before you remove: build a role and access inventory
Do this before changing anything, so you have a baseline to compare against afterward.
- List every account shown under Delegate, with the role each one holds.
- Note which accounts are owners or admins, since those roles can manage delegates.
- Note which accounts are contributors and what they were expected to do.
- Separately list connected third-party apps, so you do not confuse an app connection with a delegate role.
- Separately note who else may hold ordinary login access.
- Write down the date of the review and who is expected to keep access after cleanup.
Keep this inventory somewhere you control. It is your before picture.
Removal steps
- Open Security and account access, then Delegate.
- Find the former collaborator’s account in the list.
- Change the role or remove the account, depending on what the current screen offers.
- If more than one former collaborator is listed, repeat for each account rather than stopping at the first one.
- Do not treat this as finished until you have read the list back.
Under Security and account access, Delegate, Members you have delegated to, an owner or admin can change a role or remove an account. Source
Owners and admins can make these changes, so confirm that the person doing the cleanup actually holds a role that can manage delegates.
Readback checklist: after removal
- Reopen the Delegate list and confirm the former collaborator no longer appears, or holds only the role you intended.
- Confirm the remaining owners and admins are people who should still have that power.
- Confirm the contributor list matches your after picture.
- Check connected third-party apps separately and remove any the former collaborator set up, if that is part of your cleanup.
- Review ordinary login access separately; do not assume the delegate change covered it.
- Record the date of the readback and who performed it.
Where this checklist stops
- A password change does not remove delegates, so do not use it as proof that delegated access ended.
- Removing a delegate role is not the same as deleting an account or erasing stored data.
- An edited or empty profile does not establish that access is gone.
- This process covers X delegation only. Other platforms have their own access models.
- If you cannot see the Delegate list, you may not hold a role that can manage delegates; have an owner or admin check.
- TraceSeek can help check known public usernames, but it cannot view or change X account settings, delegate roles or login sessions.
A note on public username checks
If part of your review is checking whether a former collaborator’s handle still points to a public profile, a username lookup can show public matches. Those matches are leads, not proof of ownership, and a lookup is not a complete account inventory. It does not reveal private activity, renamed accounts or whether someone still holds delegated access.
Recap
Review the Delegate list under Security and account access. Inventory roles before changing anything. Change or remove the former collaborator’s role. Read the list back. Handle third-party apps and ordinary logins as separate items. Do not rely on a password change to end delegation.