# Unable to remove participant from subsession

**URL:** <https://devforum.zoom.us/t/unable-to-remove-participant-from-subsession/134564>\
**Category:** Video SDK\
**Tags:** video-sdk\
**Created:** [June 27, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/unable-to-remove-participant-from-subsession/134564 "2025-06-27T09:56:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jonathan11](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/jonathan11/32/69922_2.png) [@Jonathan11](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/Jonathan11)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/unable-to-remove-participant-from-subsession/134564/1 "2025-06-27T09:56:07Z")

</div>

**Using VideoSDK for Web version 2.2.0, Chrome 138 & Edge 137**

I’m creating a subsession and adding users to it as follows. This all seems to work correctly

```auto
const createResponse = await subsessionClient.createSubsessions(1);
const subsession = createResponse[0];

for (const u of participantsToAdd) {
  await subsessionClient.assignUserToSubsession(u.userId, subsession.subsessionId);
}

await subsessionClient.openSubsessions([subsession], {
  isAutoJoinSubsession: true,
  isAutoMoveBackToMainSession: true, 
  waitSeconds: 0
});

await subsessionClient.joinSubsession(subsession.subsessionId);

```

I don’t seem to be able to fully remove users from the subsession and return them to the main room.

Calling `subsessionClient.moveBackToMainSession()` does not remove the user, but instead sends the `subsession-invite-back-to-main-session` event to the participant regardless of the `isAutoMoveBackToMainSession` setting

If I handle the `subsession-invite-back-to-main-session` event and call `subsessionClient.leaveSubsession()` in the event handler, the participant becomes disconnected from the subsession (can no longer send or receive audio or video) but does not return to the main room. Changing the `isBackToMainSessionEnabled` setting when opening the subsession makes no difference.

At this point, the participant seems to be stuck in an ‘invited’ state.

Result of `subsessionClient.getgetCurrentSubsession()` call from participant

```auto
{
	"userStatus": "invited",
	"subsessionName": "Subsession 1",
	"subsessionId": "{E84F61A9-0D1D-1442-736D-5064DE9664B9}"
}

```

Result of `subsessionClient.getSubsessionList()` call from host

```auto
[{
	"subsessionId": "{E84F61A9-0D1D-1442-736D-5064DE9664B9}",
	"subsessionName": "Subsession 1",
	"userList": [
		{
			"isInSubsession": true,
			"userId": 16778240,
			"displayName": "Host",
			"userGuid": "56D0362F-C886-7012-7984-BBD26EF86762"
		},
		{
			"isInSubsession": false,
			"userId": 16793600,
			"displayName": "Participant",
			"avatar": "",
			"userGuid": "DD55D14F-C317-B0CC-ADAF-A15F75E9B8D6"
		}
	]
}]

```

Is there a way from here to return the participant to the main session?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![vic.yang](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/vic.yang/32/24656_2.png) [@vic.yang](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/vic.yang)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/unable-to-remove-participant-from-subsession/134564/2 "2025-06-27T15:14:23Z")

</div>

Hey @Jonathan11

Thanks for your feedback.

> isAutoMoveBackToMainSession

This is indeed an issue with our Video SDK, and we will fix it in the next release.

Thanks  
Vic

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Peter13](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/peter13/32/69662_2.png) [@Peter13](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/Peter13)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 2:30pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/unable-to-remove-participant-from-subsession/134564/3 "2026-02-15T14:30:34Z")

</div>

Hi. Some versions later in 2.3.14 I still have this exact same problem.

It is somewhat cripling, as I cannot take out a user by the host from a subsession which would really be the whole point of a such a system.

Additionally, over multiple tries, even if I set the isAutoMoveBackToMainSession to true in openSubsessions, when I try to load the options with subsessionsClient.getSubsessionOptions(), the isAutoMoveBackToMainSession is always false.

Is there a workaround for this whole thing while it is solved?

Best, Peter

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jonathan11](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/jonathan11/32/69922_2.png) [@Jonathan11](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/Jonathan11)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/unable-to-remove-participant-from-subsession/134564/4 "2026-02-20T13:47:34Z")

</div>

Hi @Peter13,

Don’t know if this will work for you, but I was able to develop a partial workaround for this issue, which might help if you’re only trying to remove the user from the call.

I used the command channel to broadcast a “disconnect:[USER\_GUID]” message from the host, and had the client code respond to the command by calling client.leave() to remove themself.

Hope this helps,

Jonathan