# Workspace roles: owners, admins, editors and viewers

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/workspace-roles)

Roles decide who can change what in a shared workspace. There are only four, and choosing well takes a minute. Here is what each one allows, with setups for teams of different sizes.

## The short version

- Gradiently workspaces have four roles: owner, admin, editor and viewer.
- Owners can do everything, including billing and deleting the workspace.
- Admins manage people, brands, Marks and API keys; editors make and edit designs and upload images; viewers see everything and change nothing.
- Team workspaces and roles are part of Pro, and invitations are sent by email with a link that works for seven days.
- Removing someone from a workspace takes away their access straight away, but their designs stay in the workspace.

Gradiently has four **workspace roles**. The **owner** can do everything, including billing and deleting the workspace. **Admins** manage people, brands, Marks and API keys. **Editors** make and edit designs and upload images. **Viewers** see everything and change nothing. Team workspaces and roles are part of Pro; you choose a role when you invite someone and can change it later from **Settings › Team**.

## What each workspace role can do

| Role | In one line | Typical person |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Owner | Everything, including billing and deleting the workspace | The founder or whoever pays |
| Admin | Manage people, brands, Marks and keys | Brand lead, studio manager |
| Editor | Make and edit designs, upload images | Designers, marketers, social leads |
| Viewer | See everything, change nothing | Clients, directors, legal review |

The same four roles in every workspace. Each workspace keeps its own list of people.

The roles nest: an admin can do everything an editor can, and an editor can see everything a viewer can. That makes the choice simple. Ask what the person needs to change, and give them the lowest role that allows it.

A role applies to the whole workspace, across every brand in it. If someone should only ever touch one client or one product line, the cleaner answer is a separate workspace for that work, not a narrower role. [Running several brands from one account](https://gradiently.design/guide/brands-in-gradiently) explains how brands and workspaces fit together.

## Admin vs editor: where the line sits

Most of the decisions on a team come down to admin or editor. The difference is whether someone shapes the workspace or works inside it.

| Task | Owner | Admin | Editor |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Make, edit and comment on designs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Upload images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invite people and change roles | Yes | Yes | No |
| Create brands in the workspace | Yes | Yes | No |
| Manage the workspace’s Marks | Yes | Yes | No |
| Create and revoke API keys | Yes | Yes | No |
| Billing, and the monthly AI credits refill | Yes | No | No |
| Delete the workspace | Yes | No | No |

Viewers see every design and brand but change nothing, so they are left out of this table.

API keys deserve a note. A key acts with the permissions you tick and within its creator’s role, so it can never do more than the person who made it. If that person is removed or loses their admin role, their keys stop working too. [Connecting an AI assistant](https://gradiently.design/guide/connect-ai-assistant) covers keys in full.

## How to invite people and choose a role

1. **Open Settings › Team** Check the workspace name at the top. Invitations belong to the workspace you are in.
2. **Enter an email and choose a role** Owners and admins can invite. Pick the lowest role that lets the person do their job.
3. **Send the invite** They get an email with a link to join. It works for seven days.
4. **They accept** They confirm the same email address the invite went to, and the workspace appears in their list.
5. **Adjust later** Change anyone’s role from the same list as the work changes. They see the new role straight away.

A wide banner reading Welcome to the studio, with a small line saying you have joined as an editor

A welcome banner a team might pin in its workspace for new editors, made in the brand’s own Mark.

## Roles for teams of different sizes

There is no right number of admins, but there is a wrong one: everybody. The setups below are starting points that keep control clear without slowing anyone down. Revisit the list whenever a project starts or ends, because that is when roles quietly drift.

| Team | Owner | Admins | Editors | Viewers |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Founder and a freelancer | Founder | None | Freelancer | None |
| Small marketing team | Head of marketing | One brand lead | Everyone who posts | Directors |
| Agency with clients | Agency principal | Studio manager, account lead | Designers | Each client’s contacts |
| Franchise or shops | Head office | Regional marketing | Shop managers | None |

### Avoid

- Making every teammate an admin to save asking
- Giving clients editor access to “just tweak the date”
- Sharing one login between several people
- Leaving departed freelancers in the workspace

### Do

- One owner, one or two admins, editors for makers
- Viewers for clients, so they see work without editing it
- One invite per person, so work and comments have names
- Remove people when a project ends; their designs stay

Viewers who only need to see a single finished design don’t need to join at all. **Share** on a design gives a view-only link anyone can open and download from, and you can turn it off at any time. [Working with a team in Gradiently](https://gradiently.design/guide/teams-and-workspaces) covers sharing, comments and version history.

## Changing roles and removing people

- **Changing a role** takes effect straight away. Gradiently confirms it, for example “Sam is now an admin”.
- **Removing someone** takes their access away at once. **Their designs stay** in the workspace, and you can invite them again later.
- **Leaving** is open to anyone except the owner. Your own personal workspace can never be left or deleted.
- **Deleting a workspace** is for the owner only, and deletes its brands, designs and invitations for everyone, so it asks you to confirm.

> **Set up the brand before inviting** Fill in the brand kit and choose the brand’s Mark before editors arrive, so their first design already looks right. [Setting up your brand kit](https://gradiently.design/guide/brand-kit-setup) takes a few minutes, and [brand consistency](https://gradiently.design/guide/brand-consistency) explains why it pays off.

## FAQ

### What are the workspace roles in Gradiently?

Owner, admin, editor and viewer. Owners can do everything, admins manage people, brands, Marks and keys, editors make and edit designs, and viewers see everything and change nothing.

### What is the difference between an admin and an editor?

Editors make and edit designs and upload images. Admins can also invite people, change roles, create brands, manage Marks and create API keys.

### Can a viewer comment on designs?

Viewers see every design and its comment threads, but they can’t change designs or resolve threads. Writing a comment also needs Pro on the commenter’s own account.

### How long does a workspace invitation last?

Seven days. The person must accept with the same email address the invite was sent to.

### Do I need Pro for workspace roles?

Yes. Team workspaces and roles are part of Pro. Every account also has a personal workspace that is always its own.