
Create a dashboard
Create a dashboard, choose where it appears, and understand who can see or change it.
Create a dashboard when the team needs a repeatable view
Create a dashboard for work people need to revisit:
- team status
- cross-project review hubs
- client summaries
- recurring review rooms
- operations checklists
- collections of important resources
If the information only needs to exist once inside a visual workspace, create a canvas instead. If it needs ownership and task movement, use a project.
The strongest dashboards have a clear audience. "Everything we might need someday" becomes a junk drawer fast. "Weekly launch review" is useful.
Availability
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Available on | Plans with dashboard access |
| Available for | Web app, desktop app, and mobile app |
| Who can create | Members with permission to create dashboards in the workspace |
| Mobile support | Dashboard creation is supported on mobile. Web or desktop can be more comfortable for long setup. |
| Access after creation | Depends on dashboard sharing and workspace permissions |
Before you create one
Decide:
| Decision | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Audience | Determines name, widgets, pinned resources, and permissions. |
| Purpose | Prevents the dashboard from becoming a loose collection of links. |
| Owners | Someone needs to maintain widgets and resources. |
| Visibility | Viewers need dashboard access and access to important resources. |
| Starting resources | A dashboard is more useful when it launches with real content. |
If the dashboard will contain sensitive project, client, or billing information, decide permissions before inviting the whole workspace.
Create the dashboard
Open Dashboards, then choose the create action. Name the dashboard clearly and follow the permission or visibility prompts shown in ALLO. After creation, add widgets, connect resources, and share with the right people.
If the workspace has no active dashboards, the dashboard area opens the manager first. Create the first active dashboard from there.
Name it clearly
Use names people can recognize in search, links, and tab titles. Good names include the team, project, client, or recurring meeting:
| Weak name | Better name |
|---|---|
| Status | Marketing Launch Status |
| Client | Acme Client Workspace |
| Weekly | Product Weekly Review |
| Links | Design System Resources |
| Ops | Support Operations Hub |
If a dashboard is temporary, include that context in the name so future maintainers can archive it confidently.
Set initial permissions
Dashboard sharing controls who can open or change the dashboard. It does not automatically grant access to every canvas, project, file, or link pinned inside it. If a dashboard is for a cross-functional group, check both dashboard access and resource access.
For permission setup, see Share a dashboard and Roles and access.
Add first content
After creating the dashboard, add enough content that the first visitor understands why it exists:
| Add | Why |
|---|---|
| A core widget | Gives the dashboard immediate state. |
| A pinned canvas | Provides visual or planning context. |
| A project resource | Connects the dashboard to execution. |
| A key file | Keeps reference material easy to find. |
| A link | Points to outside context when needed. |
For widgets, see Use dashboard widgets. For pinned resources, see Connect resources to a dashboard.
Create multiple dashboards when audiences differ
One giant dashboard is usually worse than several focused dashboards. Create separate dashboards when the audience, permission model, or update rhythm differs.
Examples:
| Need | Better structure |
|---|---|
| Leadership wants summary, team needs detail | One leadership dashboard and one team dashboard |
| Client should see only approved resources | A client-facing dashboard with restricted resources |
| Operations and product use different cadence | Separate dashboards with different owners |
| A project ended | Archive the dashboard that tracked that project instead of leaving it active forever |
If create is disabled
Create can be unavailable because your plan does not include dashboards, your role cannot create them, the workspace is in a billing or admin-hidden state, or you are using a surface where dashboard setup is not supported.
Ask a workspace admin to check your role and workspace plan. If you can create dashboards in another workspace but not this one, the issue is workspace-specific.
Troubleshooting creation
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Create button is missing | Role, plan, workspace policy, or current surface state | Ask an admin to check your permission and plan. |
| Create fails | Network, permission change, or workspace state | Refresh and retry. If it repeats, contact support. |
| New dashboard is empty | No widgets or resources have been added | Add widgets and pinboard resources. |
| Teammate cannot open it | Dashboard was not shared with them or workspace access is missing | Use Share a dashboard. |
| Resource on dashboard cannot open | Resource permission differs from dashboard permission | Share the underlying resource too, or replace it with a resource the audience can open. |
When to contact support
Contact support when an admin on an eligible plan cannot create any dashboard, the create action fails repeatedly after refresh, or a newly created dashboard disappears immediately. Include workspace name, dashboard name, your role, browser or desktop app, and screenshots of the error.
Related articles
- Dashboards overview
- Use dashboard widgets
- Connect resources to a dashboard
- Share a dashboard
- Archive and restore dashboards
- Members, guests, and external collaborators