gitlab-org--gitlab-foss/doc/security/unlock_user.md

stage	group	info	type
Manage	Authentication & Authorization	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	howto

Locked users (FREE SELF)

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 admin unlocks them from the Admin Area or the command line in under 10 minutes.

Unlock a user from the Admin Area

1. On the top bar, select Menu > Admin.
2. On the left sidebar, select Overview > Users.
3. Use the search bar to find the locked user.
4. From the User administration dropdown select Unlock.

Unlock a user from the command line

To unlock a locked user:

1. SSH into your GitLab server.

2. Start a Ruby on Rails console:

   ## For Omnibus GitLab
   sudo gitlab-rails console -e production
   
   ## For installations from source
   sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails console -e production
   

3. Find the user to unlock. You can search by email or ID.

   user = User.find_by(email: 'admin@local.host')
   

   or

   user = User.where(id: 1).first
   

4. Unlock the user:

   user.unlock_access!
   

5. Exit the console with Control+d

The user should now be able to log in.