Learn about the workspace admin role, adding new admins, and how to identify your admin

Within a Coda workspace, there are several different types of roles (you can read about the full range of roles here). Every Coda workspace automatically has at least one workspace admin - also known as Doc Maker (Workspace admin). All admins are Doc Makers, but not all Doc Makers are admins. Admins set the rules and control the settings. If you create a workspace, you gain the role of workspace admin by default.

We recommend a minimum of two workspace admins in your workspace at all times. This ensures that things will continue without a hitch should one of the admins leave the organization.

📣 A note for our Enterprise customers: Enterprise workspaces have both workspace admins and org admins - two distinct roles. To learn about org admins abilities, check out this article.

Admin abilities & limitations

Workspace admins play important roles in the Coda workspace. They have control of the workspace settings, and have more abilities than ordinary Doc Makers. You can read all about the various abilities and how they compare to other roles in this article.

While admins have the most control of any role in a Coda workspace, there are some limits to these abilities.

Admins can re-assign docs to another doc owner, but only when the original owner has left the company and been properly offboarded.
Admins can access metadata related to Coda usage on a per-user basis, including: user role (Doc Maker vs. admin vs. editor), number of docs created, activity frequency, number of collaborators in docs, etc.
Admins can remove others from the Coda workspace.
Admins cannot access any docs, or doc titles, of anyone in the workspace unless those docs are explicitly shared with them or in a folder that the admin has access to.
Admins cannot delete any docs that they don’t already own.

Identify your workspace admin(s)

So let’s say you aren’t a workspace admin - but you need to figure out who in your workspace does have this role. For instance, maybe you want to make an adjustment to a doc or workspace, but don’t have the necessary admin permissions. You can quickly identify your workspace admin and ask them for assistance.

To do so, follow the steps below:

Navigate to your Coda homepage (coda.io/docs)
Hover over your workspace name in the left panel, and click on the three-dot menu that appears
Click into the Members & groups option
You’ll then see a list of all workspace members and their roles. Workspace admins are shown at the top of the list (after yourself), with the role Doc Maker (Workspace admin) next to their names.

Add a new admin to your workspace

We always recommend having more than one admin per workspace. This ensures that your workspace can continue to operate smoothly, even if one admin goes on vacation or leaves the company.

Note that only existing admins can add new admins to the workspace. To do so, just follow these steps:

Go to your workspace home (coda.io/docs)
Hover over your workspace name in the left panel, and click on the three-dot menu that appears
Select Admin settings
Search for or scroll to the Members and roles page (within the Workspace members section)
In the Members list, find the individual you’d like to make an admin
Click on the role shown to the right of their name
Select Doc Maker (Workspace admin) from the dropdown list. That’s it!

📣 Missing admins: If your workspace currently has no admins, you may be wondering how to go about adding a new admin. In a Free plan workspace, anyone can become a workspace admin by simply creating a doc. But if your workspace is on a Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan, you'll need to reach out to Coda Support (via the ? in the bottom right corner of any doc) for assistance adding a new admin.

Workspace admin settings

Workspace admins - and only workspace admins - have access to workspace settings, found within Admin settings. These settings allow you to adjust things like access to the workspace and billing. They also allow you to explore activity in your workspace. To access these settings, just go to coda.io/docs, click on your name in the lower-left corner, and select Admin settings from the menu. You can read all about these settings and how to use them here.

FAQs

Is workspace admin different from doc admin?

Yes! Workspace admin is a role in a Coda workspace. These admins have abilities that span the entire workspace. Doc admin, on the other hand, is a doc-specific designation. Doc admins have elevated permissions within a single doc. You can learn more about doc admins here.

Does a workspace admin count as Doc Maker?

Yes! All workspace admins are Doc Makers, but not all Doc Makers are workspace admins (think squares and rectangles). You can see this in the product, where workspace admins are called Doc Maker (Workspace admins). For billing purposes, Coda charges for workspace admins just the same as Doc Makers.

How much does each workspace admin cost?

Coda charges based on the number of Doc Makers in your workspace. Since workspace admins are also Doc Makers, each admin costs the same as a Doc Maker. This cost varies depending on what plan you’re on. You can learn more about pricing here.

How many admins can I have in my workspace?

You can have as many as you’d like - there’s no limit. We recommend always having at least two admins per workspace.

Our workspace currently has no admins. How do we add a new workspace admin?

Normally, only existing workspace admins can add new admins. So what do you do if your workspace has no admins at all? If your workspace is on a Free plan, anyone can become a workspace admin by simply creating a doc. If your workspace is on a Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan, you'll need to reach out to Coda Support (via the ? in the bottom right corner of any doc) for assistance adding a new admin

Are workspace admins the same as org admins?

No - these are two distinct roles in Coda. Org admins are unique to Enterprise workspaces, and they have elevated controls over the settings for the entire organization. Learn about org admin abilities here.

You could be both a workspace admin and an org admin simultaneously. But that’s not required. You can be an org admin but not a workspace admin - and vice versa.

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