How to change a user's role
A user's role decides what they can do. Changing it is immediate.
Requirements
- Available on: All plans
- Roles: Owner only
Steps
- Go to Dashboard → Users.
- Find the user.
- Change their role.
- Save.
The five roles
| Role | Broadly can |
|---|---|
| Owner | Everything, including users, organization settings, and billing |
| Admin | Full asset, category, and maintenance management; read users; no user management |
| Manager | Create and update assets, assign, manage maintenance, view reports; no deletion, no user management |
| Employee | Read and update assets, complete maintenance, check items out and in |
| Viewer | Read assets, categories, departments, and checkouts |
Full detail: Roles and permissions.
When the change takes effect
Immediately, on the user's next request — not at their next sign-in.
Role, plan, and deactivation state are re-read from the database on every request, so there is no need to ask anyone to sign out and back in.
Choosing the right role
Most people asking for "more access" need Manager, not Admin. Manager can create and update assets, assign them, and manage maintenance. Admin adds deletion and category management.
Technicians should be Employees. They can update assets, complete maintenance, and check items in and out — everything needed to do the work.
Viewer is genuinely read-only, and narrow. Viewers cannot see work orders, service records, or incidents. It is the wrong role for anyone involved in maintenance.
There is one Owner. To change who it is, transfer ownership.
Roles are not plan capabilities
Both checks must pass. Promoting someone to Admin does not unlock a feature your plan does not include — an Owner on Nova still cannot open the Executive Dashboard.
Common mistakes
Making everyone Admin. Admin can delete assets and categories. Deletion is not reversible in the way people expect.
Using Viewer for a maintenance colleague. They will not be able to see work orders at all.
Changing a role to fix a problem that is actually a plan gate. Check whether the feature is locked by plan first. See Why can't I see this feature?.
Troubleshooting
I can't change roles. Role assignment is Owner-only.
I can't reach Dashboard → Users. Users is Owner and Admin only, and only Owners can change roles.
The user says nothing changed. Changes apply on their next request. Ask them to reload the page.
I can't assign the Owner role. There is one Owner. Use Transfer ownership.
They still can't access a feature after promotion. It is probably a plan capability rather than a permission.
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