Troubleshooting project permissions

Troubleshooting project permissions

If a button is missing or greyed out, it is nearly always a permission. This article works through it from what you can see on screen.

Greyed out or missing? The difference matters

What you see What it means
A control is greyed out It exists here, but you cannot use it. Usually a permission.
A control is not there at all Either you lack permission, or it does not apply in this situation.
A read-only badge You have view access to this project.

The two point at different causes, so quote exactly which one you see when you contact support.

The usual reasons

You have Viewer access

Viewers can read observations, images and reports. Changing them needs Editor access. This is the most common cause by far.

Ask a project or workspace administrator to change your role. See Understanding roles and permissions.

You are in the wrong mode

Some tools only exist in Inspect. The drawing tools are hidden in Reports and disabled in Smart Detections. Check the mode picker in the header before assuming it is permissions.

Something else is active

  • Edit box is on in the clipping panel. The drawing tools grey out until you switch it off. Enable clipping on its own does not block them.
  • A drawing tool is armed, so you cannot select existing shapes. Press Esc.
  • An upload is running, and attaching files waits for it to finish.

The model is still loading

Most 3D tools stay greyed until the model has fully loaded.

Specific things people ask about

I cannot… Because
Create a new project Only workspace Creators and Admins can. Project Admin is not enough. See Understanding roles and permissions.
Draw an observation You need Editor access, and you must be in Inspect.
Delete an observation You need Editor access.
Delete an attachment You need Editor access. Without it the delete option is not shown.
Create an Observation Profile Only workspace administrators can author profiles. Anyone can view them.
Invite someone to a project You need Project Admin, or Creator or Admin at workspace level. A workspace Editor cannot.
Invite someone to the organization Only an organization administrator can.
Change project settings You need Admin access. Editors record findings but do not administer the project.
See the Files, Links or Members tab You lack permission for that tab; it is hidden rather than greyed.
Turn Auto-save observations on or off You need Admin access. The switch is greyed for everyone else. See Saving your observations.
Choose the project's Observation Profile You need Admin access to the project.

Still stuck?

Tell your administrator:

  1. Which project, and which workspace it is in.
  2. What you were trying to do.
  3. Whether the control was greyed out or missing entirely.

That third point is the one people leave out, and it is usually what identifies the cause.

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