Understanding Folder Permissions in the Workspace

This article explains how folder permissions work in your workspace, including how inheritance and permission hierarchy works.

🔁 Understanding Permission Inheritance

Folder Permission follows a top-down inheritance model, meaning permissions are passed down from parent folders to their subfolders and documents.

1. Parent to Child – Child folders automatically inherit permissions from their parent folder.

2. Folder to Documents – Documents inherit permissions from the folder they are stored in.

3. Override Capability – You can override inherited permissions at any level by setting specific permissions on a folder or document.

Inheritance helps maintain consistency, but you can always customise access by adjusting permissions at a lower level.

🔒 Permission Levels

There are three levels of folder permission assignment in the workspace:

1. Default Permissions

1. • What it is: The default folder permissions that apply when no specific user or group permissions are set.

   • Who it affects: All users and groups without explicit permissions.

   • Priority: Lowest priority – can be overridden by both group and individual user permissions.

   • When to use: Use this option to establish default access for all users prior to applying individual or group permissions.

   • How to set: See How To Set Default Folder Permissions for step-by-step instructions.
2. Group Permissions
   • What it is: Permissions assigned to specific user groups.
   • Who it affects: All members within the selected group.
   • Priority: Overrides default permissions but can be overridden by individual user permissions.
   • When to use: Best for granting access to defined user groups (e.g. Internal, External).
   • How to set: See How To Set Group Folder Permissions for step-by-step instructions.
     
3. Individual User Permissions
   • What it is: Permissions assigned directly to specific users.
   • Who it affects: Only the selected individual.
   • Priority: Highest priority – overrides both default and group permissions.
   • When to use: Use when granting special access or applying restrictions to specific users.
   • How to set: See How To Set Individual Folder Permissions for step-by-step instructions.
     

⚙️ Folder Permission Hierarchy

When determining a user’s overall access, the system evaluates permissions in the following order:

1. Individual User Permissions (highest priority)

2. Group Permissions (if the user belongs to multiple groups, their access will follow the group with the greater permission.)
   • For example, if one group allows View Only and another group allows View and Edit, the user will have View and Edit permission.
3. Inherited Permissions from the Parent Folder (if no explicit setting exists)

4. Default Permissions ((lowest priority - only used if no inheritance is available)