Overview
Asset statuses communicate the operational state of an asset — whether it is in active use, damaged, out of service, or disposed of. UniAsset ships with three built-in system statuses and lets you create unlimited custom statuses to match your own terminology and workflows.
Statuses appear on every asset's detail page, in asset lists, and in reports.
Who Can Access This
| Action | Roles |
|---|---|
| View the Asset Statuses page | All roles |
| Create and edit custom statuses | Owner, Admin, Manager, Employee |
| Archive a custom status | Owner, Admin only |
Members and Viewers can see statuses applied to assets but cannot create or modify them.
How to Access This Section
- Log in to your UniAsset account
- Click Settings in the left sidebar
- Select Asset Statuses
System Statuses
UniAsset includes three permanent system statuses. They cannot be edited, archived, or deleted.
| Status | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Green | The asset is in normal operation |
| Damaged | Yellow | The asset has a defect or is impaired |
| Disposed | Gray | The asset has been retired or written off |
System statuses appear at the top of the status list and are marked with a lock indicator to distinguish them from custom statuses.
Custom Statuses
Custom statuses let you extend the built-in list with terminology specific to your organisation — for example "In Repair", "In Transit", "On Loan", or "Pending Inspection".
What each custom status has
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The label shown on assets and in reports (required) |
| Colour | A hex colour used for the status badge (defaults to indigo #6366f1) |
| Description | Optional explanation of when to use this status |
How to create a custom status
- Navigate to Settings > Asset Statuses
- Click Create Status
- Enter a Name
- Choose a Colour using the colour picker or by entering a hex value
- Optionally add a Description
- Click Create
The new status is immediately available to assign to any asset.
How to edit a custom status
- Navigate to Settings > Asset Statuses
- Find the status in the list and open its actions menu
- Select Edit
- Update the name, colour, or description
- Save the changes
Editing a status updates its display everywhere it is currently applied to assets.
Colour picker
The colour field accepts any valid hex colour. The form includes a visual colour picker so you can choose by hue and saturation rather than typing a hex code manually.
Archiving a Custom Status
Archiving removes a custom status from the creation flow — it can no longer be assigned to new assets — but it does not change the status on assets that are already using it.
Archive is blocked if any assets are currently assigned that status. Reassign or change those assets to a different status first, then archive.
How to archive a custom status
- Navigate to Settings > Asset Statuses
- Open the actions menu for the status you want to remove
- Select Archive
- Confirm the action
Archived statuses are hidden from the status picker when editing assets. They are retained in the database for historical records.
Archiving requires Owner or Admin role. Managers and Employees cannot archive statuses.
Plan Availability
Custom statuses are available on all plans, including the Free plan. There is no upgrade required to create or use custom statuses.
Important Notes & Limitations
System statuses cannot be modified
- Active, Damaged, and Disposed are permanent. They cannot be renamed, recoloured, or removed.
Archive is blocked when a status is in use
- If any assets are currently assigned a custom status, you must reassign those assets before you can archive the status.
Archiving is not deletion
- Archived statuses remain in the database and continue to show on assets that had them assigned before archiving. They are only hidden from the status picker for new assignments.
Colour changes apply immediately
- Updating a status colour updates the badge colour everywhere that status appears across the platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rename a system status like "Active" to something else?
No. System statuses (Active, Damaged, Disposed) are fixed and cannot be renamed or recoloured. Create a custom status if you need different terminology.
What happens to assets using a status I archive?
Their status does not change. Archived statuses remain visible on assets that were already assigned them — they are only removed from the picker for new assignments going forward.
Can I restore an archived status?
Archived statuses are not permanently deleted. Contact UniAsset support if you need to restore an archived status to active use.
Is there a limit on how many custom statuses I can create?
No. You can create as many custom statuses as your workflows require, on any plan.
Who can assign statuses to assets?
Any user with permission to edit an asset can change its status. The status field is part of the standard asset edit form.
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