ClickUp Permissions Guide

ClickUp permissions control who can see, edit, and manage work across your Workspace. Understanding these settings helps you keep information secure while still giving your team, guests, and clients the right level of access.

This how-to article explains how permissions work, how they are inherited, and how to configure them step by step.

How ClickUp permissions are structured

Permissions in ClickUp are based on three core concepts:

• Workspace access: Who can sign in and view anything inside your Workspace.
• Location access: What people can do inside specific Spaces, Folders, Lists, tasks, Docs, and Dashboards.
• Item-level sharing: Fine-tuned control for individual tasks, Docs, views, and Dashboards.

These three layers work together to define a person’s effective capabilities at any point in your hierarchy.

Understand people types in ClickUp

Before you change any settings, identify what kind of access each person needs in ClickUp. There are three main types of people:

Members and admins in ClickUp

Members are full users inside your Workspace. They:

• Count as paid users on paid plans.
• Can be assigned tasks and mentioned in comments.
• Have access to Spaces, Folders, and Lists based on sharing.

Admins are members with extra administrative controls. They can:

• Manage most Workspace settings.
• Adjust security options and global configurations.
• Review and manage people and permissions.

Owners have the highest level of permission. The owner is usually the person who created the Workspace or was promoted by another owner.

Guests in ClickUp

Guests are limited users, ideal for clients, contractors, or stakeholders who only need access to a subset of work.

Guests can be:

• Internal guests: People with the same email domain as your Workspace (on supported plans).
• External guests: People outside your organization, often clients or vendors.

Guests are added at the item level. You can share:

• Individual tasks.
• Specific Lists or Folders.
• Docs, Whiteboards, or Dashboards.

View-only visitors

A view-only visitor is anyone who opens a public shared link without logging in. They can see content based on the public link settings but cannot make changes unless you allow editing via the shared link options.

How permissions are inherited in ClickUp

ClickUp follows an inheritance model for permissions. Understanding this makes it easier to predict what people can see and do.

Hierarchy-based inheritance

Permissions cascade down the hierarchy:

1. Workspace
2. Space
3. Folder
4. List
5. Task and subtasks

Key rules:

• Access at a higher level typically grants at least view access to items below.
• If you restrict access at a lower level, it can override broader sharing above.
• Guests are usually scoped to specific items or locations only.

Item-level sharing rules in ClickUp

You can override inherited permissions for specific tasks, Docs, views, and Dashboards by adjusting their sharing settings.

Common scenarios include:

• Granting a guest edit rights on one task while keeping the rest of the List private.
• Sharing a single List or Folder with a client without exposing the entire Space.
• Restricting sensitive tasks to a small internal group, even if the List is widely shared.

Permission levels you can set in ClickUp

Within shared Spaces, Folders, Lists, and items, you can usually choose among several permission levels, depending on the item type and your plan.

Common permission levels include:

• View only: People can see items but cannot change them.
• Comment: People can view and leave comments, but not edit main content.
• Edit: People can create, modify, and delete certain items.
• Full access: People can manage almost everything in that shared location, including sharing with others.

Some advanced permissions, like granular controls over custom fields or automation settings, may depend on your plan.

How to configure sharing and permissions in ClickUp

Use the following steps to configure access safely and consistently.

Step 1: Decide your Workspace sharing strategy

1. Identify which Spaces should be open to everyone and which must stay private.
2. Group sensitive work (HR, finance, legal) into clearly labeled private Spaces.
3. Set up member roles and decide who should be admins or owners.

Planning this helps you avoid accidental over-sharing later.

Step 2: Configure Space permissions in ClickUp

1. Open the Space settings from the left sidebar.
2. Go to the Sharing or Permissions area.
3. Choose who can access the Space: specific members, teams, or everyone.
4. Assign permission levels such as view, comment, or edit, based on responsibilities.

Changes at the Space level affect all Folders and Lists inside, unless overridden later.

Step 3: Adjust Folder and List permissions

1. Open a Folder or List inside your Space.
2. Click the sharing or permissions icon.
3. Review inherited access from the Space.
4. Override where needed by:

• Removing access for people who should not see this work.
• Adding specific individuals or teams with different permission levels.

Use this to isolate sensitive projects within a larger shared Space.

Step 4: Share tasks and Docs with guests in ClickUp

1. Open the task or Doc you want to share.
2. Click the Share button.
3. Enter the guest’s email address to invite them.
4. Select an appropriate permission level (for example, view-only, comment, or edit).
5. Send the invitation and confirm that the correct level is displayed next to their name.

This method keeps guests scoped to only the content you choose.

Step 5: Use public links safely

1. Open the item you want to share publicly (task view, Doc, or Dashboard).
2. Click Share and enable the public link option.
3. Choose what visitors can do:

• View only.
• Comment (if supported by the item type).
• Edit (use this only when absolutely necessary).

Review the active public links periodically to ensure nothing sensitive is exposed.

Best practices for managing ClickUp permissions

Keeping permissions organized in ClickUp reduces risk and confusion.

• Use the minimum required access: Give people only what they need to do their work.
• Group users into teams: Share with teams instead of individuals where possible to simplify maintenance.
• Limit admins and owners: Reserve high-level permissions for trusted people.
• Regularly audit access: Review who can see key Spaces, Folders, and Lists at least quarterly.
• Separate client work: Put external client work into dedicated Spaces or Folders for easier control.

Troubleshooting common ClickUp permission issues

Someone cannot see a task they should access

1. Check the List and Folder sharing to confirm they have at least view access.
2. Verify that the task is not restricted by a more specific share setting.
3. Confirm the user type (member vs guest) and adjust permissions as needed.

Someone sees items they should not see

1. Review Space-level access to ensure it is not shared too broadly.
2. Check for public links that might expose additional content.
3. Reduce their permission level or remove access at the Folder or List level.

Guest cannot edit items

1. Open the item’s share settings.
2. Confirm that the guest is listed with an edit-level permission, not just view or comment.
3. Check whether plan-based limits apply to guest capabilities.

Learn more about ClickUp permissions

For the complete technical breakdown of permissions, refer to the official documentation on the ClickUp Permissions FAQ.

If you want strategic help designing a secure and scalable permissions model, you can also consult implementation experts at Consultevo.

By structuring your Workspace, understanding people types, and applying inheritance and item-level sharing carefully, you can make ClickUp both secure and easy to collaborate in for every member, guest, and client.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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