How Notion Permissions Work

Getting Started with Permissions in Notion

Understanding how Notion permissions work is your key to managing who can do what in your workspace. At its core, Notion permissions are designed to be flexible and intuitive, letting you control everything from who can simply view a page to who can access entire workspaces.

And the golden rule here? Highest access wins.

Meaning, if someone has multiple levels of access , the highest level they’re granted is what actually applies. This lets you easily manage workspace permissions by the individual, group, or entire workspace.

Even on a free plan, you can set user permissions so that some people can only view, others can comment, and the trusted few can edit with full access. Let’s break down how these permissions work, one at a time.

The Levels of Access Explained

Every page in Notion falls under one of six primary access levels:

1. Can View: The simplest permission, allowing users to see content without the ability to interact.
2. Can Comment: This allows users to view and add comments but not edit the actual content.
3. Can Edit: Users with this access can make changes directly to the content.
4. Can Edit Content (Databases Only): Users can edit database entries without changing structure or properties.
5. Full Access: The “everything permission”, granting complete access to view, comment, edit, and even adjust sharing settings.
6. No Access: This permission prevents users from seeing or interacting with the page whatsoever.

Using the different levels lets you fine-tune access to fit your exact needs. Give every user the right level of interaction and keep everyone on the right page.

Sharing Options: Guests, Members, and Groups

In Notion, you can invite users as either Guests or Members, with each option providing a different type of access.

• Guests are restricted to specific pages they’re invited to and are free to add, meaning they don’t affect your billing. Ideal for occasional sharing without needing workspace-wide access.
• Members have full access to the entire workspace, which also adds them to your billing total. Members are typically part of your team and require broader permissions to work effectively across multiple pages or Teamspaces.
• Groups can be used to set a single permissions for everyone in that group. For example, a “Marketing” or “HR” group lets you adjust permissions for the entire group, instead of changing settings one by one.

Understanding when and where you use the different sharing options will lower the complexity ten fold. Once you know the sharing basics, you can use Notion to its fullest extent.

Remember, highest access wins.

The Role of Teamspaces and Private Sections

Notion gives structure to your workspace by dividing it into clear sections so it’s not an entire free-for-all. Each section has a unique purpose, all intended to make sure everything knows where to find what they need.

A Notion workspace is divided into 4 key sections:

• Private Section: Your personal work zone. Anything here is only visible to use. Use this section to keep your thoughts organized or work out ideas you’re ready to share.
• Teamspace: The heart of collaboration. The Teamspace section is where information can be accessed by workspace members. On higher-tier plans, you can set team-based access levels so only members of a specific team can see or edit information.
• Favorites: When you need quick access to specific pages, click the star in the top right to add it to your Favorites. It’s an easy way to keep important information handy without cluttering your sidebar.
• Shared: A quick view for all pages that are shared with guests. If you can’t find a page you shared, look below the private section for the Shared pages.

Each section’s purpose is simple but powerful. Use them together to create a clear structure, so there’s no confusion about what belongs where or who’s responsible for what.

By understanding permission levels, sharing options, and the purpose of each section, you’re ready to invite your team and get everyone on the same page.

Inviting Others and Setting Access

Getting the proper permissions is made even easy with user requests. Anyone can also request a different level of access, and it’s as simple as a quick approval on your end.

When it’s time to invite others into your workspace, it’s a simple three step process:

1. Click on Share at the top of any page.
2. Pick the person, group, or Teamspace you’re sharing with.
3. Choose their access level.

Once they’re added, you can adjust permissions, using the same “Share” button or through the “People” tab in your settings. And when you need to lock down access, select “No Access” to clear them from the page completely.

It’s about using a need-to-know style of access so everyone has what they need without extra information.

Practical Tips for Staying Organized with Permissions

After you’ve set up your workspace and invited your team, permissions can keep things flowing smoothly.

Here’s a quick list of tips to keep permissions simple without getting lost in the details:

• Highest Access Wins: Remember, Notion applies the most permissive level of access. If someone has “Can View” as a group member but has “Full Access” as an individual, they’ll have full access capabilities.
• Inherited Permissions: Subpages inherit the permissions of the parent page. If you’ve shared a top-level page with one level of permissions, its subpages will have the same permissions, until you update them directly.
• Turning Off Access: Want to make a page private again? Drag it from the Shared section into your Private section to remove all shared permissions, or use the Share menu to adjust it manually.
• Seeing Who’s on a Page: Notion shows who’s currently viewing or editing a page. Look for their profile icons at the top of the page for analytics, or click their icon to see where they’re currently at on that page.

These four tips will help point you in the right direction every time.

Troubleshooting Permissions

If someone’s struggling to access a page, here’s a are few quick checks that work a majority of the time:

• Double-check their Permission Level: Make sure they have the access they need. It’s often a simple switch from Can comment to Can edit that fixes the issues.
• Only Seeing A Few Pages: You can invite a guest to a page or add a member to the entire workspace. Guests only have access to the pages they’re invited to. If full workspace access is needed, an upgrade to member status will provide that.
• Can’t Find Page Shared With: If a page is shared with you, it will be located in the workspace that it was shared from. Verify that you’re in the workspace where that page should be.

This quick troubleshooting can save a lot of back-and-forth confusion, making sure that everyone can get to what they need without hassle.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, Notion’s help center can be a life saver. Or feel free to send me an email at [email protected] if it’s something we should handle together.

Bringing It All Together

When you look closer, permissions in Notion are fairly straightforward. The level of access a user gets can be boiled down to one question: “Do I want them to see, comment, edit, or share this page?”

Your answer determines the level of access you’ll give the user.

Whether you’re working with a small team or 2000 member organization, Notion permissions can help your workspace stay secure and organized.

Set it up right once, focus on what matters without access issues.