# How to Activate or Deactivate a Bot?

Activating/deactivating a bot allows you to enable or disable a bot without deleting it from the system. An inactive bot does not process client dialogues.

## When You'll Need This

- You need to temporarily disable a bot for maintenance or updates.
- You need to activate a bot after configuration and testing.
- You need to disable a test bot after completing testing.

## What's Important to Know

- **Active bot** — processes client dialogues and responds to messages.
- **Inactive bot** — does not process dialogues but remains in the system and can be activated again.
- **Deactivation** — does not delete the bot or its settings, only suspends operation.

## Before You Start

- [x] You are logged in with administrator rights.
- [x] You have permission to edit bots (`canSave`).
- [x] You have a bot that needs to be activated or deactivated.

## Step-by-Step Instructions

### 1. Open Bots List

1. Go to the **Settings** module through the menu or directly at `/settings-page`.
2. In the side menu, find the **"Bots"** section and expand it.
3. Click on **"Bots"** (`/settings-page/bots`).

### 2. Find Required Bot

1. In the table, find the bot that needs to be activated or deactivated.
2. Check the current bot status in the **"Status"** column.

### 3. Activate or Deactivate Bot

1. Find the status toggle in the **"Status"** column opposite the required bot.
2. To **activate bot**:
   - Click on the toggle to enable it (if it's disabled).
   - The toggle becomes green, indicating active status.
3. To **deactivate bot**:
   - Click on the toggle to disable it (if it's enabled).
   - The toggle becomes gray, indicating inactive status.
4. Note: active bots may have restrictions on deactivation (toggle may be readonly).

### 4. Confirm Status Change

1. The system may show a confirmation for status change.
2. Confirm the action if needed.
3. Bot status updates instantly.

## What Happens Next

Bot status changes:
- **Active bot** — starts processing client dialogues and responding to messages.
- **Inactive bot** — stops processing dialogues but remains in the system.

## How to Verify Everything Worked

- Check that bot status changed in the bots table.
- For active bot — check that the bot responds to client messages.
- For inactive bot — check that the bot does not respond to messages.

## Related Materials

- [View bots list](/en/settings/how-to/view-bots-list.md)
- [Configure bot](/en/settings/how-to/configure-bot.md)

## Important Notes

- ⚠️ **Deactivating active bot**: Deactivating an active bot suspends processing of all dialogues — be careful.
- 💡 **Testing**: It's recommended to test the bot first before activating on production.
- 🔄 **Active bots**: Some active bots may have restrictions on deactivation for system security.