# Users

## Overview

Use **Users** to control who can access Birdie and what they can do.

Access is built from two layers:

* **Roles** define which features and actions a user can use.
* **Workspace permissions** define which workspaces a user can access.

In Birdie, the resource you grant access to is a workspace.

A user’s effective access combines:

* their **Role**
* their **workspace permissions**
* any inherited access from [Groups](https://ask.birdie.ai/admin-and-settings/users/groups)

### Roles vs. workspace permissions

| Concept                  | Controls                                         | Example                                                                |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Role**                 | Features and actions                             | Creating dashboards, exporting data, managing taxonomy, inviting users |
| **Workspace permission** | Visibility and editing rights inside a workspace | Viewer, Editor, or Admin access to a workspace                         |
| **Group**                | Shared workspace permissions for multiple users  | Give an entire team access to the same workspaces                      |

### Viewing and searching users

Go to **Settings → Users** to view everyone in your organization.

The user list shows:

| Column     | Description                                                      |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **User**   | Name, email, and avatar                                          |
| **Access** | Whether access comes from groups or direct workspace assignments |
| **Group**  | Current group memberships                                        |

Use the search bar to filter the list by name or email.

Select a user to open their detail page. This page includes:

* **Workspace Permissions** for direct workspace access
* **Groups** for inherited access

## Roles

Roles control **what a user can do** across Birdie.

Birdie has three predefined roles:

#### Admin

Admins can do everything in Birdie.

This includes:

* managing workspaces
* managing users and permissions
* managing organization settings
* using all other product features

#### Editor

Editors can use most product features and edit taxonomy.

They cannot:

* manage workspaces
* manage user permissions
* manage organization settings

#### Viewer

Viewers have read-only access.

They can view data and existing content, but they cannot make editing or configuration changes.

### How roles work

* Every user has one role for each resource.
* Roles are currently predefined as **Admin**, **Editor**, and **Viewer**.
* Changing a role does **not** change workspace visibility.

### Role management best practices

* Start with least privilege.
* Give **Admin** only to users who need full administrative control.
* Use **Editor** for users who need to work in Birdie without managing settings or access.
* Use **Viewer** for read-only access.
* Review role assignments during onboarding and access reviews.
* Keep feature permissions and workspace permissions separate.

## Inviting a user

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open Users

Go to **Settings → Users** and click **Invite user**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Enter identity and role

Enter the user’s email address and choose their role.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Choose the access method

Choose one of these options:

* **Add to a Group** for inherited workspace permissions
* **Individual access** to assign workspaces manually
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Send the invite

Review the setup and click **Send invite**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="success" %}
Use groups whenever possible. They scale better and reduce manual permission drift.
{% endhint %}

## Admin onboarding flow

Use this flow when setting up access for a new admin or a new team.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Choose the right role

Assign the right predefined role:

* **Viewer** for read-only access
* **Editor** for day-to-day work without admin controls
* **Admin** for full administrative access
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Create groups by team or function

Set up groups for teams that should share the same workspace access.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Configure workspace permissions

Grant each group or user the right workspace level:

* **Viewer**
* **Editor**
* **Admin**
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Invite users

Invite users with the correct role, then assign them to the right group.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Validate effective access

Confirm that each user can see the right workspaces and the right features.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Modifying a user

Open **Settings → Users** and select the user.

From the detail page, you can:

* change their role
* edit direct workspace permissions
* add or remove group memberships

Changes apply immediately.

## Removing a user

To remove a user:

1. Go to **Settings → Users**.
2. Open the **⋮** menu next to the user.
3. Click **Remove user**.
4. Confirm the action.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Removing a user revokes access immediately. Dashboards and other content they created remain in Birdie.
{% endhint %}

### Related page

* [Groups](https://ask.birdie.ai/admin-and-settings/users/groups)