Permissions define how each user works with Smartsheet. Learn more about seat types (user types in the legacy model), Admin access types, and more.
USM Content
Seat types
To understand seat types and how they work, see User model and provisional membership.
Can I change seat types?
Yes. System Admins can:
- Downgrade a Member or Provisional Member to Viewer, Guest, or remove their access
- Deactivate users who no longer need any access to Smartsheet
- Upgrade a user to a Member at any time
See Manage users for more information.
You can also edit a user from the User Management page in Admin Center.
To see how seat types are currently assigned on your plan, download the seat type report from the Admin Center. It shows each user's seat type, email, and internal vs. external status—helpful when reviewing access or preparing for the review period.
Admin user accounts
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| System Admin | A plan admin type that manages users, account-level settings, security policies, and licenses |
| Plan Asset Admin | A plan admin type that manages access requests on items without an Owner or Admin |
| Group Admin | A plan admin type that can create and manage groups of users using Smartsheet contact lists |
Free seat types
- In Business and Enterprise plans, Viewers and Guests are free.
- In Pro plans, Viewers are free.
Additional user types
Some Smartsheet plans include specialized user types for advanced features:
- Resource Viewers: Track allocation across projects in Legacy Resource Management. Requires a license under a Business or Enterprise plan. Learn more about Resource Viewers.
- Connector users: If your organization uses a Smartsheet Connector (like Salesforce or Jira), see Connector user types for more information.
LCM Content
User types
In the legacy model, user types and access levels are based on whether someone has been assigned a license and how they’re shared to Smartsheet items. This model uses licensing directly to determine whether a user has full access or is considered a free user.
| User type | Description |
|---|---|
| Licensed User | An internal or external user with paid access and full Smartsheet features. |
| Unlicensed Admin or Editor | An internal user with Admin or Editor permissions but no license and no ability to create Smartsheet items Or An external user with Admin permissions (on at least one item) but no license and no ability to create Smartsheet items |
| Viewer | A user with view-only access and no license |
| Guest | An external user with Editor or Commenter access and no license |
| System Admin * | A plan admin type that manages users, account-level settings, security policies, and licenses |
| Plan Asset Admin | A plan admin type that manages access requests on items without an Owner or Admin |
| Group Admin | A plan admin type that can create and manage groups of users using Smartsheet contact lists |
* A single System Admin may serve as the primary System Admin for only one plan at a time. While a System Admin can be designated as the primary System Admin for two different plans in the EU and US instances, they can't be the primary System Admin for two plans within the same instance.
How user types are assigned
User types in the legacy model are primarily based on whether the person has a license. If the person doesn't have a license, the permissions they're given on shared items (Viewer, Editor, Admin), plus whether or not they are internal or external to the plan, determine user type.
Think of it like this:
- Licenses affect whether someone is paid
- Permissions affect what they can do
- User type is the outcome of both
To learn more about permission levels and what they allow, see Sharing permissions on sheets, reports, or workspaces.
System Admins can manage licenses in the User Management page in Admin Center.
Internal vs. external users
Whether a user is internal or external depends on their email domain:
- Internal users: Have email addresses that match your organization's domain(s).
- External users: Have email addresses that don’t match your organization's domain(s).
Free user types
Free users are unlicensed users. They can collaborate on your plan without being assigned paid access. They include:
- Viewers
- Guests
- Unlicensed Editors or Admins
Additional user types
Some Smartsheet plans include specialized user types for advanced features:
Resource Viewers: Track allocation across projects in Legacy Resource Management. Requires a license under a Business or Enterprise plan. Learn more about Resource Viewers.
Connector users: If your organization uses a Smartsheet Connector (like Salesforce or Jira), see Connector user types for more information.
New plans using Resource Management by Smartsheet don't include Resource Viewer roles.