Advanced features

CMS

CMS: Creating Custom Roles and Permissions

Set up precise access controls for your teammates and collaborators in your CMS (Content Management System) by creating custom roles. Define what actions collaborators can take in the CMS, such as managing content and collections. These roles can also include permissions from other areas, such as the Editor, Sites, or Stores, to match collaborators' site-wide responsibilities.

You can create as many custom roles as you need, assigning different collaborators varying access levels to your CMS collections. Once roles are assigned, use each collection's advanced permission settings to set permissions for specific roles and fine-tune their access.

Creating custom roles that allow CMS access

Choose which CMS permissions to assign to the role. Each permission gives collaborators access to a specific set of actions in your CMS, from working on draft items to managing entire collections. You can set an individual collection's advanced permissions to specify access levels or roles that have CMS access.

To create a custom CMS role:

Go to Roles & Permissions in your site's dashboard.
Click Manage Roles at the top.
Click + Create New Role.
Enter the Role Title and Description in the relevant fields.
Click CMS in the Permissions section.
Select the checkboxes next to the permissions you want to assign to the role:
- Manage Content: Can view, add, and edit content in existing collections.
- Edit Drafts: Can add, edit, and delete only draft items in existing collections. This permission only applies when the collection is set to Save changes as draft first. Learn more about saving collection changes as drafts before publishing.
- Manage Backups: Can add, restore and delete backups for all collections.
  Note: Make sure to also select Manage Content to grant access to the CMS so collaborators with the role can access the CMS and use backups.
- Manage Indexes: Can add and delete indexes for all collections.
  Note: Make sure to also select Manage Content to grant access to the CMS so collaborators with the role can access the CMS and use indexes.
- Manage Collections: Can create new collections, delete collections, and add, delete, or edit fields in all collections. Selecting this permission also selects the Manage Content permission.

Screenshot of selecting CMS permissions for a custom role.

Make sure to set the collection permissions:

If you want collaborators with the Manage Content or Manage Collections permissions to be able to add and update items in CMS collections, make sure to set Advanced collection permissions, then select the Add and Update checkboxes next to Collaborators or next to a specific collaborator role. Learn more about advanced collection permissions.

(Optional) Add permissions from other areas such as Editor, Sites, or Stores:
1. Click the relevant dropdown (e.g. Editor, Sites, Stores).
2. Select the permissions you want to assign to the role.

Important:

Admin roles grant collaborators full access to the CMS and access to other areas of managing your site. You cannot restrict admins from having full access to the CMS. The following permissions automatically make the role an 'admin' role:

Editor: Edit Site
Studio Editor: Edit Code
Studio Editor: Edit Site Structure
Velo: Access developer tools

Screenshot of selecting the Editor: Edit Site permission.

Click Save.

FAQs

Click below for answers to common questions about custom CMS roles.

Can I duplicate a preset role to edit its permissions and make it a custom role?

Yes, you can duplicate a preset role to edit its permissions and make it a custom role. However, it won’t automatically become an admin role unless you select one or more of the following permissions, which grant admin access:

Editor: Edit Site
Studio Editor: Edit Code
Studio Editor: Edit Site Structure
Velo: Access developer tools

Does selecting 'Manage Collections' automatically make a role admin?

No, selecting Manage Collections does not automatically make a role an admin. However, it does include the Manage Content permission, which gives access to all CMS collections. Roles only become admin if you select any of the following permissions:

Editor: Edit Site
Studio Editor: Edit Code
Studio Editor: Edit Site Structure
Velo: Access developer tools

Tip: In your advanced collection permission settings, you can set specific access levels per collection for each role that grants CMS access.

What is the difference between custom roles and admin roles?

Custom roles allow you to give collaborators tailored access to the CMS and other areas of your site. Admin roles, on the other hand, provide unrestricted access to the CMS and full control of site management. Custom roles automatically become admin roles when any of the following permissions are assigned:

Editor: Edit Site
Studio Editor: Edit Code
Studio Editor: Edit Site Structure
Velo: Access developer tools

What makes a collaborator an admin?

There are several preset roles you can assign to collaborators that grant them admin access, including the 'CMS Admin' role. In your collection permissions, when you set permissions for a specific role, you can select roles that grant CMS access under Roles with CMS access. Under CMS Admin roles (included), you can view all the admin roles that maintain full access to your collection.

CMS: Creating Custom Roles and Permissions

When creating a custom role, select the CMS Manage Content permissions to grant collaborators access to the CMS.

Select any of the following permissions to give a custom role full admin access to all your collections:

Editor: Edit Site
Studio Editor: Edit Code
Studio Editor: Edit Site Structure
Velo: Access developer tools

How do my site's collaborator roles and permissions work with collection permissions?

In your site's Roles & Permissions settings, you can add roles that give collaborators access to your CMS collections. These CMS access roles , by default, have all the collection permissions to view, add, update, and delete items. However, you can fine-tune their access levels for each collection in your collection permissions.

Keep in mind that CMS admin roles always maintain full access to your collections. This means CMS admins can perform all actions, including viewing, adding, updating, and deleting collection content, whether from the live site or the CMS itself.

Collection permissions allow you to define what people can do with a specific collection's content. You can define different access levels for each type of user. This includes everyone who can view your site, site members, collaborators with CMS access, and even specific collaborator roles.

Different types of users interact with your collection content in different ways, depending on the permissions you grant. While some actions are restricted to the live site, others extend to the CMS backend for collaborators. Here's how collection permissions work for each group of users:

Everyone and site members: When granted the relevant collection permissions, these users can only perform actions, such as viewing or modifying collection content, directly on your live site. Typically, this is done through input elements, but can also be done with the Data API.
Collaborators with CMS access: These collaborators, on the other hand, can perform these same actions both on the live site and within the CMS backend. Their access to the CMS provides additional control and management capabilities that go beyond what’s available on the live site alone.

Can I restrict admin roles from accessing the CMS?

No, admin roles always grant unrestricted access to the CMS, in addition to other areas of your site. To avoid giving full CMS access, ensure you do not assign permissions that elevate the role to admin status.

Can I change a custom role’s permissions after it’s created?

Yes, you can edit a custom role’s permissions at any time. Go to Roles & Permissions in your dashboard, select the role you want to modify, and adjust its permissions as needed.

What is the difference between 'Manage Content' and 'Edit Drafts'?

Manage Content lets collaborators add, edit, and publish content in existing collections. Edit Drafts is more limited — collaborators with this permission can add, edit, and delete draft items, but cannot publish them. Use it to let team members prepare content in collections that are set to Save changes as draft first, while someone with publishing permissions decides what goes live.

Learn more about saving collection changes as drafts before publishing.

Need A Professional Website?
Contact Us Today!

I'm a paragraph. I'm connected