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Read-Only Users

Updated

A read-only user can view records without changing or deleting them.

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The read-only license

Designed for safe data sharing with people who need visibility but not edit access. It is a seat type for Enterprise-tier accounts only.

Read-only users can:

  • Receive notifications on records they’re following
  • Leave comments or @mention team members for collaboration
  • View dashboards
  • Run saved reports
  • Create and save list views

Read-only users cannot:

  • Update permissions
  • Be an administrator
  • Create, edit, or delete records
  • Be assigned a lead, task, project, or opportunity
  • Import or export data
  • Create or modify dashboards or reports

Creating a read-only user

Under Advanced Permissions, read-only access is granted through a profile that permits reading but not creating, editing, or deleting. Read-only users can only be created when using Advanced Permissions.

  1. Confirm your account is set to Advanced Permissions on the System Settings > Permissions page.
  2. Set up a profile called Read-Only from the Permissions > Profiles page. You can do this by cloning the Standard User profile and unchecking all the boxes except for those in the Read column. You can further limit the records the user can see by unchecking the Read box next to each record type.
  3. Add the user to Insightly.
  4. Click the user’s name to view their details.
  5. Click the Edit User button.
  6. Select the Read-Only profile you created in step 2.
  7. Click Save User Details.
Switching Between Simple and Advanced Permissions — The screenshot shows the Insightly Permissions System settings page with a dropdown menu open, displaying two options: Simple Permissions and Advanced Permissions. This is relevant for administrators deciding whether to use basic per-item permissions or more granular control through Roles, Profiles, Sharing Rules, and Organization-Wide Sharing. Clone Profile Permissions Setup in Insightly CRM — This screenshot shows the “Clone Profile” dialog in Insightly CRM, where a new profile named “Read-Only” is being configured with basic permissions (Read, Create, Edit, Delete) for various record types including Tasks, Contacts, Organizations, Leads, Opportunities, Projects, Emails, and Notes. Only the Read column has checkmarks enabled across all record types, illustrating how to create a restricted, read-only user permission profile.
Editing a User Profile in Insightly — The screenshot shows a User Details page for a user named Adele Adkins, displaying their email, role, and profile type as Standard User. The Edit User button is highlighted, indicating how an administrator would access and modify an existing user’s account settings. Selecting Read-Only Profile in User Details — The User Details form shows a dropdown menu for the Profile field with options like Administrator, Standard User, No Delete, Contractors, and Read-Only, with Read-Only being highlighted and selected. This illustrates how an admin can restrict a user’s access level by assigning them a Read-Only profile instead of a more permissive one.

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