🛡️ Permissions: Visibility (Private Projects)

Project visibility determines who can see a project and edit its content. By default, projects are open - all workspace members have access. Setting a project to private makes it completely invisible to everyone who has not been explicitly invited.

What does "private" mean for users?

• A private project is only visible to authorized people in the portfolio overview.
• A private project can only be found in search by authorized people.
• Tasks from a private project can be assigned to both authorized and non-authorized people. If a task is assigned to someone without project access, it will appear in their My tasks area and can be worked on normally there - but the person will never gain any visibility into the project itself.
• The project lead and the person who set the project to private always retain the right to view and edit the project. If a person is removed as project lead, their project access is not automatically revoked - see the article Managing a project: Project master data for more information.
• Guests can only access projects they have been explicitly invited to - regardless of whether a project is private or open. An open project is therefore just as invisible to guests as a private one, unless they have been invited.

Setting a project to private

1. Open Manage project
2. Switch to the Settings tab
3. Click Private in the Visibility section

The project is now only visible to invited people. All authorized people are listed under Users with access to this project.

Adding and removing people

To add more people to a private project:

1. Click the + icon in the Visibility section
2. Search for the person and select them

To remove a person, click the ✕ icon next to their name.

Show project name in tasks

When tasks from a private project are assigned to members or guests without project access, the project name is not visible in those tasks by default.

You can control this per project: Enable the option Show project name in tasks? under Manage project > Settings > Visibility. When active, members and guests without project access will also see the project name in the tasks assigned to them.

How private projects are labeled

Private projects are marked with the label Private in the portfolio and sidebar - visible to all people who have access.

Making a project public again

1. Open Manage project
2. Switch to the Settings tab
3. Click Open in the Visibility section

The project will then be visible to all workspace members again.

Related articles

• Restricting edit rights (permissions)
• Setting tasks to private (private tasks)
• Project settings

FAQ

What is the difference between visibility and edit rights?

Visibility controls who can see a project at all. Edit rights control who can edit a project – independently of whether it is private or open. See the article Restricting edit rights (permissions) for more information.

Do admins automatically have access to private projects?

No. Admins do not automatically have access to private projects. Access is only granted to people who have been explicitly added – or to teams for which the option Enforce in private projects has been enabled in the workspace settings.

What does the lock icon on a project mean?

The 🔒 lock icon in smenso indicates restricted edit rights – not a private project. Private projects are exclusively marked with the written label Private.

Can I assign tasks from a private project to people who don't have project access?

Yes. Tasks from a private project can be assigned to people without project access. The task will appear in their My tasks area and can be worked on normally there – but the person will never gain any visibility into the project itself.

Can people without project access see the project name in their task?

Not by default. You can enable this per project: turn on the option Show project name in tasks? under Manage project > Settings > Visibility.

Do guests have access to open projects?

No. Guests can only access projects they have been explicitly invited to – regardless of whether a project is open or private.

Does a person lose project access when they are removed as project lead?

No. Their access remains and must be manually revoked under Manage project > Settings > Visibility.