Permissions guide

Permissions determine what users can see and do in OpenProject. They are assigned to users through project roles and global roles.

Most permissions are self-explanatory. This guide explains the purpose of each permission and highlights important dependencies and behaviors where applicable.

Tip

Some permissions only have an effect if the corresponding module is enabled for the project. If a module is disabled, the related permissions are ignored.

Project permissions

• Archive project – Allows users to archive and restore a project.

• Edit project – Allows users to access Project settings and edit the project’s configuration.

• Select project modules – Allows users to enable or disable project modules.

• View project attributes – Allows users to view project information and attributes.

• Export projects – Allows users to export project information.

• Edit project attributes – Allows users to edit project attributes on the overview page.

• Select project attributes – Allows users to configure which project attributes are available.

• View project phases – Allows users to view project life cycle phases.

• Edit project phases – Allows users to edit project life cycle phases.

• Select project phases – Allows users to activate or deactivate project phases. Inactive phases are hidden from the project overview and project list.

• Manage members – Allows users to add, remove and manage project members and their roles.

• Invite members by email – Allows users to invite project members by email. This includes both new users to the OpenProject instance and existing users who are not visible to them because of the current user visibility settings.

  Note

  Requires the Manage members permission.

• View members – Allows users to view project members.

• Manage versions – Allows users to create, edit and delete project versions.

• Select types – Allows users to configure the work package types available in the project.

• Select custom fields – Allows users to configure which custom fields are available in the project.

• Create subprojects – Allows users to create subprojects.

• Copy projects – Allows users to create a new project by copying an existing project.

  For project templates, this permission also allows users to create new projects based on the template.

  Note

  When a user copies a project, they are assigned the configured New role for users that create projects in the new project. Depending on your configuration, this role may grant additional permissions compared to their role in the source project.

  To access the Copy action from Project settings, users must also be able to open the project settings, which typically requires the Edit project permission. Alternatively, users can create a new project from a project template.

• Manage dashboards – Allows users to create and edit project dashboards.

• Manage files in project – Allows users to manage project file storages.

• Automatically managed project folders: Read files – Allows users to read files in automatically managed project folders.

• Automatically managed project folders: Write files – Allows users to modify files in automatically managed project folders.

• Automatically managed project folders: Create files – Allows users to create files in automatically managed project folders.

  Note

  Only available for Nextcloud file storages.

• Automatically managed project folders: Delete files – Allows users to delete files from automatically managed project folders.

  Note

  Only available for Nextcloud file storages.

• Automatically managed project folders: Share files – Allows users to share files from automatically managed project folders.

  Note

  Only available for Nextcloud file storages.

Work packages and Gantt chart permissions

• View work packages – Allows users to view work packages.

• Add work packages – Allows users to create work packages.

• Edit work packages – Allows users to edit work packages.

• Move work packages – Allows users to move work packages between projects.

• Duplicate work packages – Allows users to duplicate work packages.

• Add comments – Allows users to comment on work packages.

• Edit own comments – Allows users to edit their own comments.

• Moderate comments – Allows users to edit comments created by any user.

  Important

  Users with this permission can edit comments created by other users.

• View internal comments – Allows users to view internal comments.

Tip

Internal comments are only visible to users who have this permission:

• Write internal comments – Allows users to create internal comments.

• Edit own internal comments – Allows users to edit their own internal comments.

• Moderate internal comments – Allows users to edit internal comments created by any user.

  Important

  Users with this permission can edit internal comments created by other users.

• Add attachments – Allows users to upload attachments to work packages.

  Note

  This permission works independently of Edit work packages.

• Manage work package categories – Allows users to create, edit, and delete work package categories.

• Export work packages – Allows users to export work packages.

• Delete work packages – Allows users to delete work packages.

• Manage work package relations – Allows users to create, edit, and remove work package relations.

• Manage work package hierarchies – Allows users to manage parent-child relationships between work packages.

• Manage public views – Allows users to create, edit, and delete public work package views. This permission also affects other work package related views, such as team planner and calendar public views.

• Save views – Allows users to save personal work package views.

• View watchers list – Allows users to see who is watching a work package.

• Add watchers – Allows users to add watchers to work packages.

• Delete watchers – Allows users to remove watchers from work packages.

• Share work packages – Allows users to share work packages with other users.

• View work package shares – Allows users to view existing work package shares.

• Assign versions – Allows users to assign versions to work packages.

• Change work package status – Allows users to change the status of work packages.

  Note

  This permission works independently of Edit work packages.

• Become assignee/responsible – Allows work packages to be assigned to users or groups with this role in the project.

• View file links – Allows users to view file links attached to work packages.

• Manage file links – Allows users to create, edit, and remove file links.

• Manage wiki page links – Allows users to create, edit, and remove wiki page links.

Boards permissions

• View boards – Allows users to view boards.
• Manage boards – Allows users to create, edit, and delete boards.

Backlogs permissions

• View sprints – Allows users to view sprints.
• Select backlog types and statuses – Allows users to configure which work package types appear in the backlog and which statuses are considered completed.
• Create sprints – Allows users to create sprints.
• Start/complete sprint – Allows users to start and complete sprints.
• Manage sprint items – Allows users to manage sprint contents.
• Share sprint – Allows users to share sprint information.

Budgets permissions

• View budgets – Allows users to view project budgets.
• Edit budgets – Allows users to create, edit, and delete project budgets.

Calendars permissions

• View calendars – Allows users to view calendars.
• Edit calendars – Allows users to create, edit, and delete calendars.
• Subscribe to iCalendars – Allows users to subscribe to calendar feeds.

Documents permissions

• View documents – Allows users to view project documents.
• Manage documents – Allows users to create, edit, and delete project documents.

Forums permissions

• Manage forums – Allows users to create, edit, and delete forums.
• Post messages – Allows users to post messages in forums.
• Edit messages – Allows users to edit any forum message.
• Edit own messages – Allows users to edit their own forum messages.
• Delete messages – Allows users to delete any forum message.
• Delete own messages – Allows users to delete their own forum messages.

GitHub permissions

• Show GitHub content – Allows users to view GitHub integration content.

GitLab permissions

• Show GitLab content – Allows users to view GitLab integration content.

Meetings permissions

• View meetings – Allows users to view meetings.
• Create meetings – Allows users to create meetings.
• Edit meetings – Allows users to edit meetings.
• Delete meetings – Allows users to delete meetings.
• Send meeting invites and outcomes to participants – Allows users to send meeting invitations and meeting outcomes to participants.
• Manage agendas – Allows users to create, edit, and delete agenda items.
• Manage outcomes – Allows users to create, edit, and delete meeting outcomes.

News permissions

• Manage news – Allows users to create, edit, and delete news posts.
• Comment news – Allows users to comment on news.

Team planner permissions

• View team planner – Allows users to view the Team planner.
• Manage team planner – Allows users to create, edit, and configure the Team planner.

Time and costs permissions

• View spent time – Allows users to view all logged time.
• View own spent time – Allows users to view their own logged time.
• Log own time – Allows users to log their own time.
• Log time for other users – Allows users to log time on behalf of other users.
• Edit own time logs – Allows users to edit their own time entries.
• Edit time logs for other users – Allows users to edit time entries created by other users.
• Manage project activities – Allows users to create, edit, and delete project activities used for time tracking.
• View own hourly rate – Allows users to view their own hourly rate.
• View all hourly rates – Allows users to view hourly rates of all users.
• Edit own hourly rates – Allows users to edit their own hourly rate.
• Edit hourly rates – Allows users to edit hourly rates for all users.
• View cost rates – Allows users to view cost rates.
• Book unit costs for oneself – Allows users to book unit costs for themselves.
• Book unit costs – Allows users to book unit costs for other users.
• Edit own booked unit costs – Allows users to edit their own booked unit costs.
• Edit booked unit costs – Allows users to edit booked unit costs for all users.
• View booked costs – Allows users to view all booked costs.
• View own booked costs – Allows users to view their own booked costs.
• Save public cost reports – Allows users to save public cost reports.
• Save private cost reports – Allows users to save private cost reports.

Wiki permissions

• View wiki – Allows users to view wiki pages.
• View wiki history – Allows users to view the revision history of wiki pages.
• Edit wiki pages – Allows users to create and edit wiki pages.
• Manage wiki – Allows users to manage the project wiki, including renaming and deleting wiki pages.

Common permission dependencies

Some permissions depend on additional permissions or have behavior that is not immediately obvious.

Permission	Additional information
Invite members by email	Requires Manage members.
Copy projects	Users are assigned the configured New role for users that create projects in the copied project. Accessing Copy from Project settings typically also requires Edit project.
Add attachments	Can be granted independently of Edit work packages.
Change work package status	Can be granted independently of Edit work packages.
Become assignee/responsible	Controls whether a user or group can be selected as assignee or responsible for work packages.