The default workspace is designed to streamline and centralize org member access within your Coda workspace(s). Establishing a default workspace will help you prevent the accidental creation of individual workspaces and ensure new and returning users are correctly placed.

ℹ️ This feature is only available for Enterprise customers and can only be set by org admins.

Default workspace basics

What is a default workspace?

A default workspace is designed to ensure that all employees have access to a central workspace that their organization actively manages. This default workspace serves as a catch-all. It is suitable for the majority of Coda’s Enterprise customers, where there is one workspace that everyone should join.

The key feature of the default workspace is that org members cannot be removed unless they are specifically allocated to another workspace managed by the same organization. Additionally, default workspaces ensure that removed members will automatically be added back to the central workspace should they rejoin the organization in the future. Continue to the following section to learn even more about how this feature works.

ℹ️ As a reminder, workspace allocation can be managed in Coda with auto-join domains or via SAML SSO.

How it works

So how does a default work, exactly? Check out the scenarios below:

Where an organization only has one workspace and that workspace is set as a default:
- All organization members will join this workspace upon login.
- Org members can’t be removed from this workspace - only deactivated. If a workspace admin removes an org members from the workspace, the member will automatically re-join the workspace upon their next login.
- If an org member no longer needs access to the company workspace, an org admin should deactivate their account.
Where an organization has multiple workspaces and has one workspace set as a default:
- If you have workspace allocation rules set up, org members will join the workspace you have specified. If an org member has not been allocated a specific workspace, they will join the default workspace.
- An org member can only be removed from the default workspace if they are a member of another workspace within the organization (i.e., they have somewhere else to go).
- To fully block an org member's access to the org on Coda and prevent future rejoining, org admins must deactivate the org member (rather than remove them). This will ensure that the org member won’t be able to access any docs in any of the org’s workspaces going forward.

Importantly, these features of default workspaces do not apply to contractors or members of your workspace who do not match your owned domains (i.e. are not org members). These members can be removed and will not automatically re-join.

📣 Note that for Enterprise customers, removing members and deactivating members are two distinct actions with different implications. Check out the articles below to learn more.

Example

Below is an outline of what happens to removed vs. deactivated org members when there is no default workspace vs. when there is a default workspace.

We’ll use an example of an organization called ACME that has only one workspace. They have verified acme.com and acme.com.uk as their owned org domains and set up auto-join for these domains to the workspace. We’ll use an employee called Emily.

So what happens if Emily leaves the ACME company and then rejoins 6 months later?

Default workspace scenario	Action taken on Emily’s account	What happens when Emily rejoins ACME 6 months later
If the workspace is NOT set as default	and Emily was removed...	she will end up in a sidecar workspace 👎
	and Emily was deactivated...	she returns to the default workspace 👍
If the workspace is set as default...	and Emily was removed...	she returns to the default workspace 👍
	and Emily was deactivated...	she returns to the default workspace 👍

Set a default workspace

Org admins on Coda’s Enterprise plan can set a default workspace for their organization by following these steps:

Part 1: Ensure the default workspaces is on an Enterprise plan

To start this process, you will need to confirm that the desired default workspace is on an Enterprise plan.

More specifically, there must be only one Enterprise-level workspace in your org in order to continue with the steps below (other non-Enterprise workspaces are fine). If your org has multiple Enterprise workspaces, Coda will need to set the default workspace on your behalf. Please contact Coda Support for assistance with this.

Part 2: Confirm matching domains

You next need to ensure that the auto-join domains set for the desired default workspace match the owned domains for your organization in Coda. If the list of workspace auto-join domains does not match the full list of owned domains, you will not be able to proceed with setting a default workspace. This is to ensure you are aware of exactly which domains are registered to your org, and who will automatically join your default workspace.

To confirm matching domains, follow these steps:

Within Coda, navigate to your Admin settings panel (found in the upper left corner)
Go to the Domain Registration tab. Here you will see the list of owned domains that are currently registered with your org.
To cross-check the auto-join domains of the desired default workspace, click into the Workspace members section of admin settings, then select the Membership policies page. If your organization has multiple workspaces, be sure to select the desired default workspace from the dropdown at the top of the page. Then you will see the full list of auto-join domains for that workspace.
1. Note that you must also be a workspace admin in the default workspace in order to complete this step.
If there are any discrepancies between the two lists of domains, be sure to update accordingly to ensure they match.

default workspace - crosscheck owned and autojoin domains.gif

Part 3: Set your default workspace

Once your matching domains are confirmed, follow these steps to set the default workspace:

Within Admin settings, navigate to the Org workspaces page.
Click on the three dots (...) next to the workspace you want to make the default
Select Update as default.
Click Confirm and next to confirm the default workspace
Depending on your org, you may be prompted to complete additional steps, including:
1. Re-invite org members who are active in Coda but not in the central workspace
2. Deactivate org members who have been removed from the default workspace but not officially deactivated
3. Turn off individual workspace creation permission

Once you’ve completed the steps above, the process is complete and your new default workspace is set.

FAQs

Am I required to set a default workspace?

Setting a default workspace is not compulsory.

The central default workspace is meant to allow anyone within your organization to join. If your organization requires siloed workspaces, please contact your account manager or support to set up your workspace assignment structures appropriately.

Is a default workspace right for my org?

The default workspace is designed as a catch-all. It is suitable for the majority of Coda’s enterprise customers, where there is one workspace that everyone should join.

Having said this, we understand that some organizations have more complex structures and require multiple workspaces. In this case, a default workspace might not be appropriate or requires some further consideration. Please reach out to Coda support for guidance on how to set up your organization.

How can I consolidate old workspaces that are no longer used?

Please contact your account manager or Coda’s support team if you would like to remove old workspaces.

What happens if I try to remove an org member from a default workspace?

Workspace admins of the default workspace can still technically remove org members, however they are prompted to deactivate them instead. If the workspace admin is not also an org admin, and cannot deactivate the org member themselves, we identify the org admins they can contact to deactivate the member.

What is the difference between removing members and deactivating members?

In Coda, removing refers to the act of removing a member from a specific workspace. Any workspace admin can take this action. For instance, you could remove a member from one workspace but leave them in another.

Deactivating, on the other hand, refers to the process of fully dismissing an org member from your entire Enterprise org and all workspaces that belong to your org. Only org admins can take this action.