Workspace roles control what each person can do inside a workspace, from full control to view-only access. This guide explains the five roles, what each can and cannot do, and how workspace roles differ from project roles.
The five roles
- Owner the person who created the workspace. Full control, including the things reserved for one person: transferring ownership and deleting the workspace. There is one owner at a time.
- Admin near-full control. Manages members, projects, and workspace settings. Cannot transfer ownership or delete the workspace.
- Manager runs the day-to-day work. Manages projects and tasks, and can manage members in roles below admin.
- Member does the work. Creates and edits tasks and collaborates on the projects they belong to, but does not manage the workspace or its members.
- Guest view-only client access. Can read and comment, but cannot create or change anything, and sees only the projects they have been added to.
What each role can do
Key: ✓ can do · ✗ cannot · Limited means partial access, explained in the notes below the table.
| Capability | Owner | Admin | Manager | Member | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View projects and tasks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓¹ |
| Comment on tasks and projects | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓² |
| Reply and react to comments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Create and edit tasks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edit or archive a project | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Invite, remove, or change members' roles | ✓ | ✓ | Limited³ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Change workspace settings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Delete a project | ✓⁴ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Transfer ownership or delete the workspace | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
¹ Guests see only the projects they have been added to, not every project in the workspace.
² Guest comments are shared with the team. Guests see comments shared with them, not internal team notes.
³ A manager can manage members in roles below admin, not other admins or the owner.
⁴ The workspace owner or a project's own owner can delete that project.
Owner
The owner created the workspace and has the highest level of control. Only the owner can transfer ownership to someone else or delete the workspace. Everything an admin can do, the owner can do too.
Admin
Admins have nearly all of the owner's abilities. They manage members, projects, and workspace settings. The two actions reserved for the owner are transferring ownership and deleting the workspace.
Manager
Managers keep projects and tasks moving. They can create, edit, and archive projects, manage tasks, change workspace settings, and manage members in roles below admin (invite, change roles, remove). They cannot transfer ownership, delete the workspace, or change the roles of owners and admins.
Member
Members do the hands-on work. They create and edit tasks and collaborate on the projects they belong to. They cannot manage the workspace, its members, or project settings.
Guest (client access)
Guest is a view-only role built for clients and outside collaborators. A guest can:
- View only the projects they have been added to
- Read comments shared with them
- Add comments on tasks and projects to give feedback
A guest cannot create or edit tasks, change projects, manage members, or see the rest of the workspace. Their comments are always shared with the team, and they do not see internal team notes.
Use the guest role to share a project with a client without giving them edit access. They can follow progress and leave comments while your team keeps full control.
Workspace roles vs project roles
A person's workspace role sets their baseline across the whole workspace. Individual projects can also assign their own roles for finer control inside that project.
Workspace roles apply across the whole workspace. Project roles only apply inside a single project. A workspace guest stays view-only everywhere, even on a project where they hold a different project role.
How to change someone's role
- Open Workspace Settings from your workspace dashboard (the Manage Workspace option).
- In the Members section, find the member you want to update.
- Use the role dropdown next to their name and choose Admin, Manager, Member, or Guest.
The Owner role can't be reassigned here; it changes only when you transfer ownership. Owners, admins, and managers can manage members, and a manager can't change owners or admins.