Change a member role
Update workspace roles safely, understand what admin access changes, and know when item sharing is the better fix.
Change roles when workspace responsibility changes
Workspace roles control broad workspace responsibility. Change a role when someone should start or stop managing members, settings, billing-sensitive areas, workspace configuration, or other admin actions. Do not use a workspace role change as the first fix for one read-only canvas.
If the problem is one piece of work, change that item’s permission. If the problem is workspace administration, change the workspace role. The distinction is important because admin access is broader than edit access. See Members, guests, and external collaborators for the access model.
Availability and permissions
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Available on | All workspaces. Available roles and role labels can depend on plan and workspace settings. |
| Available for | Web app, desktop app, and mobile app. |
| Who can change roles | Workspace admins or permitted role managers. |
| Who can be changed | Active workspace members. Guests and external collaborators are managed from shared-item permissions, not member role menus. |
| What role changes affect | Workspace-level admin capabilities. Item-level permissions may still need separate changes. |
Where to change a role
- Confirm you are in the correct workspace.
- Open Workspace settings → Members, or the member management surface available in your workspace.
- Search for the member by name or email.
- Open the role menu or member actions.
- Choose the new role.
- Confirm the change if ALLO asks for confirmation.
- Ask the member to refresh if their visible controls do not update immediately.
If you cannot find the person, check whether they are an external collaborator, guest, invited user, or deactivated member. Only active workspace members can have workspace roles.
Before raising a role
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Exact person and email | Avoid giving admin access to the wrong account. |
| Real responsibility | Admin roles should match an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time task. |
| Billing sensitivity | Admins may see or manage billing, seats, AI credits, storage, or payment-adjacent settings where available. |
| Member management | Admins may invite, deactivate, or change roles for others. |
| Item permission | If the person only needs one project or canvas, share that item instead. |
Before lowering a role
Lower a role when someone no longer needs admin responsibility. Before doing it, check whether that person is the only admin who can manage billing, member recovery, or workspace settings. If they are the only person who knows a workflow, transfer the responsibility first.
Lowering a role should not delete their work. It may hide admin controls and reduce what they can manage. If they lose access to a specific item after a role change, check the item permission separately.
Workspace role versus item permission
| Need | Better fix |
|---|---|
| A teammate needs to edit one canvas. | Share that canvas with edit access. |
| A teammate needs to review one project. | Share the project or task with view or comment access. |
| A manager needs to invite members. | Consider a workspace admin or member-management role. |
| A finance owner needs Billing. | Use the workspace role that grants billing access. |
| A client needs to comment on a canvas. | Use guest or external collaborator access, not a workspace role. |
Role changes are a blunt instrument for item access. Use them carefully.
Examples
If a department lead now owns workspace membership, make them a workspace admin or the role your workspace uses for member management.
If a designer needs to update one canvas, give edit access on that canvas. Do not make them an admin unless they also need workspace settings.
If a former admin moved teams, lower their role after confirming another admin can manage members, billing, and recovery paths.
If a guest needs comment access, change the share link or invitation permission. Guests do not become workspace admins.
Common mistakes
Do not make someone an admin because they cannot edit one canvas. That grants too much workspace-level power and may still not fix the item permission.
Do not lower the last reliable admin without a handoff. Someone needs to be able to manage invites, billing-sensitive settings, deactivation recovery, and member roles.
Do not look for external collaborators in the role menu. External collaborators are not workspace members, so they are managed from the shared item.
Do not assume a role change updates every open browser tab instantly. Ask the member to refresh if the expected control is still hidden after the change.
Recover when a role change does not fix the problem
If the member still cannot open an item, check the item’s permission. Use Share a canvas, Share work with teammates, or Manage project members.
If an admin control is still hidden, confirm the member is in the correct workspace and signed in with the account whose role changed. Then refresh the page or restart the desktop app.
If the person disappeared from member management, check whether they were removed, deactivated, or invited under another email. Use Manage workspace members.
If the role change affected billing access and the person cannot reach Billing, check whether the workspace plan and role allow Billing management. See Open billing.
If the role change was wrong, change it back promptly and review recent member or billing actions if the role exposed sensitive controls.
Related articles
- Members, guests, and external collaborators
- Invite workspace members
- Manage workspace members
- Open billing
- When you can't access work
- When work is read-only