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Restricting access to projects

By default, every Workspace member will be able to see any project along with its documents. However, you can manually restrict access to a project at a Workspace level and invite members individually instead.

You might need to restrict access to projects at a Workspace level when working with an NDA or collaborating on a project that’s still under wraps.

You can manually restrict access to a project through its share settings and enable individual access for any Workspace member. However, Admins in your Workspace will always be able to view all projects, regardless of their share settings. This way, even if all Workspace members leave a project, someone will always be able to access it.

Note: Right now, you can only adjust access to projects through the web app. Once you’ve restricted access to a project, the Mac app will show you those and any that others have added you to — look for the lock icon to identify these projects.

Restricting access to new projects

When you create a new project in your Workspace, you’ll see a new dialog where you can enter its name and adjust its share settings.

In the project’s share settings, you can restrict Workspace-wide access by changing the drop-down menu option from Default to No access. When you do this, only you and any Admins in your Workspace will be able to view this project.

You can’t set a different access level for your Workspace (e.g. view-only access for everyone). Access levels are based on a member’s role within the Workspace.

You can add individual Workspace members here as well. When you’re done, choose Create Project.

Restricting access to existing projects

To restrict access to an existing project in the Web app, open the project’s Share settings by clicking the Share… button in the top-left corner. You can also access the Share settings by hovering over the project’s name in the sidebar and clicking Dots Cloud then Share….

In the project’s Share settings, select No Access from the drop-down menu next to your Workspace’s name.

To add specific Workspace members, use the search bar to find them and click Add.

Restricted projects and access levels

When you add someone to a project via its Share settings, their access will be the same as their role within the Workspace. This means that an Editor will always have the right to edit and Viewers will only ever be able to inspect. Admins will be able to see all projects, regardless of their Share settings.

You can still set document-level permissions within a restricted project. For example, you can give a Workspace member access to a specific document and not the project as a whole. This way, they’ll only be able to see the document you’ve shared with them instead of the entire project folder. If you’re invited to a document within a restricted project, the document will appear in your Shared With Me view, but you won’t be able to see the project itself.

Note: Right now, you can only add Workspace members to restricted projects. However, you can still give document-level access to Guests, even if the document is within a restricted project.

Last updated on 22 Mar 2022

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