Built-in access levels

Last update: February 7, 2025

Topics:
System Setup and Administration

CREATED FOR:

Admin

NOTE

This article describes the current built-in access levels in Adobe Workfront. For information about the new built-in access levels, see New access levels overview.

Each of the six current built-in access levels is designed for a particular type of user. These access levels let you control what users can edit and view in the system.

Each of the six built-in access levels are designed for the following types of users:

System Administrator
Planner
Worker
Reviewer
Requestor
External User

Depending on the access level, up to 3 settings are available for most of the Workfront object types:

Edit	Users can create, edit, delete, and share the Workfront object
View	Users can review and share the Workfront object
No Access	Users cannot access the Workfront object

If you need a custom Planner, Worker, Requester, or Reviewer access level, you can copy the built-in access level and determine the amount of access you want it to allow for the various Workfront object types.

TIP

You cannot modify the System Administrator or the External User access levels.

For information on creating a custom access level or modifying one of the built-in access levels, see Create and modify custom access levels.

IMPORTANT

We strongly recommend that you leave the built-in access levels unchanged so that you can refer to them after you set up your users.

For general information about these access levels, see Access levels overview.

System Administrator access level

Attached to the Plan license, the built-in System Administrator access level is designed for a user who is in charge of administering the Adobe Workfront system. You cannot modify this built-in access level.

Users with the System Administrator access level can do everything in Workfront. They can view and edit all Workfront objects and information entered in Workfront by all other users.

They also have full access to the Setup area, where they can change any setting at the system level. And they can access all areas in the Main Menu or the Main Menu , if available.

For more information, see Grant a user full administrative access.

Planner access level

Also attached to the Plan license, the Planner access level is designed for:

Managers of groups, teams, projects, and resources
Anyone who is responsible for planning, creating, and managing tasks, projects, portfolios, and programs
Anyone who is responsible for assigning work (tasks and issues) to other users
Users who build reports and who approve timesheets, work items, and documents
Users who need access to all areas in the Main Menu or the Main Menu , if available

You can create a custom version of the Planner built-in access level and determine the amount of access it allows for the various Workfront object types. For more information, see Create and modify custom access levels.

The following are the highest access settings available for objects in the Planner access level:

Workfront object type	No access	View access	Edit access
Projects			✓
Tasks			✓
Issues			✓
Portfolios			✓
Programs			✓
Reports, Dashboards, and Calendars			✓
Filters, Views, and Groupings			✓
Documents			✓
Users			✓
Teams			✓
Templates			✓
Financial Data			✓
Resource Management			✓
Scenario Planner			✓ (The default setting is No Access.)
Workfront Goals			✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Worker access level

Attached to the Work license, the Worker access level is designed for users who perform the work in Workfront. They do not plan the work; they complete it.

Users with this access level:

Are assigned to work items where they can contribute and log time
Can approve work and documents, but not timesheets
Can access and share reports
Can communicate with other users in the system
Cannot access all the areas in the Main Menu or the Main Menu , if available, and their “Users” area is named Teams. In the Teams area, users with this access level can view only teams that they belong to, along with the work assigned to those teams.
Have limited ability to create objects—they can’t create projects, portfolios, programs, or reports.

You can create a custom version of the Worker built-in access level and determine the amount of access it allows for the various Workfront object types. For more information, see Create and modify custom access levels.

The following are the highest access settings available for objects in the Worker access level:

Workfront object type

No access

View access

Edit access

Projects

✓ (Limited: users can only share the project, create tasks and issues in it, and edit data in custom forms that are already attached to it.)

Tasks

✓

Issues

✓

Portfolios

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Programs

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Reports, Dashboards, and Calendars

✓

Filters, Views, and Groupings

✓

Documents

✓

Users

✓

Teams

✓ (Limited access)

Templates

✓

Financial Data

✓ (The default setting is No Access. The View setting allows the user to view only the Finance area in Project Details.)

Resource Management

✓

Scenario Planner

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Workfront Goals

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Reviewer access level

Attached to the Review license, the Reviewer access level is designed for executives who request work from other users and who review and approve work. These are not project owners or team members, but they need access to Workfront to see the work items that they oversee.

For example, a stakeholder with this access level could log in to Workfront to participate in an ongoing review of marketing materials, see work updates on work, and review documents, approvals, reports, and calendars.

Users with the Reviewer access level:

Cannot be assigned work items or approve timesheets
Can access the Requests and Documents areas in the Main Menu or the Main Menu , if available
Have limited ability to create objects—they can’t create projects, portfolios, programs, or reports.

You can create a custom version of the Reviewer built-in access level and determine the amount of access it allows for the various Workfront object types. For more information, see Create and modify custom access levels.

More limited for projects and tasks than the Worker access level, the following are the highest access settings available for objects in the Reviewer access level:

Workfront object type

No access

View access

Edit access

Projects

✓

Tasks

✓

Issues

✓

Portfolios

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Programs

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Reports, Dashboards, Calendars

✓

Filters, Views, and Groupings

✓

Documents

✓

Users

✓

Teams

✓

Templates

✓

Financial Data

✓ (The default setting is No Access. The View setting allows the user to view only the Finance area in Project Details.)

Resource Management

✓

Scenario Planner

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Workfront Goals

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

Requestor access level

Attached to the Request license, the Requestor access level is designed for users who make and receive simple work requests in Workfront. By default, they are limited to the Requests area.

For example, a user can log issues to your organization’s help desk request queue.

Users with this access level:

Can make requests and update those requests
Can upload and approve documents
Can review the status of issues they have submitted
Cannot be assigned to work items
Can access requests only from the Requests area in Main Menu or the Main Menu , if available. For more information about request queues, see Create a Request Queue.

You can create a custom version of the Requester built-in access level and determine the amount of access it allows for the various Workfront object types. For more information, see Create and modify custom access levels.

The following are the highest access settings available for objects in the Requestor access level:

Workfront object type

No access

View access

Edit access

Project

✓ (Only the Project Details page)

Task

✓(Only the Task Details page)

Issue

✓

Portfolios

✓

Programs

✓

Reports, Dashboards, and Calendars

✓

Filters, views, and groupings

✓

Documents

✓

User

✓

Teams

✓

Templates

✓

Financial Data

✓

Resource Management

✓

Scenario Planner

✓

Workfront Goals

✓ (The default setting is No Access.)

External User access level

The External User access level is not attached to a paid Workfront license. It is the most restrictive access level, designed primarily for collaborators such as external consultants who don’t log into Workfront, but need to review, download, or view documents occasionally.

Workfront users can assign tasks to external users even though external users can’t log in to the system. However, we do not recommend assigning tasks and issues to External Users, because that work would remain unresolved in the system.

Users with the External User access level:

Can view only documents and calendar reports that are shared with them
Can see the users who share documents and calendar reports with them
Can approve the documents that are shared with them

You cannot modify this access level.

IMPORTANT

External User is available only if the option “Collaborate with people without Workfront accounts by using their email address” is enabled in the System Preferences area in Setup. For more information, see Configure system security preferences.

Although these settings are not visible in the Access Levels area for the External User access level, a user with this access has the following highest access to the Workfront object types:

Workfront object type

No access

View access

Edit access

Project

✓

Task

✓

Issue

✓

Portfolios

✓

Programs

✓

Reports, Dashboards, and Calendars

✓ (Only for calendar reports; no ability to share reports)

Filters, Views, and Groupings

✓

Documents

✓ (without the ability to share documents)

Users

✓

Teams

✓

Templates

✓

Financial Data

✓

Resource Management

✓

Scenario Planner

✓

Workfront Goals

✓

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