About staff permissions

This page was printed on Oct 20, 2021. For the current version, visit https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/staff-accounts/staff-permissions?utm_source=gurucopy&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Gurus.

Permissions determine the level of access that your staff have to your store.

Your staff might need specific permissions depending on their role, like Shopify POS login requirements. Carefully consider the permissions that you give to staff and collaborators.

Refer to Managing staff for more information about how to create or update staff.

Store owner permissions

A Shopify store can only have one store owner. It's usually the person who opened the store. You can check who’s listed as the store owner by clicking on Settings > Users and permissions in your Shopify admin. Emails from Shopify are sent to the store owner’s email address.

Some actions are available only to the store owner:

You can transfer store ownership if needed.

Description of staff permissions

Generally, permissions give you access to the page in your Shopify admin of the same name. In some cases, you need multiple permissions to complete tasks in a particular area of the admin.

General staff permissions

  • Home: view the Home page, which includes sales information and other store data.
  • Orders: view, create, update, delete, cancel, and export orders, and receive order notifications.
    • Edit orders: the Orders permission, and the ability to edit the items and discounts in an order.
  • Draft orders: create, change, and delete draft orders.
  • Products: view, create, import, and change products, collections, and inventory.
  • Gift cards: view, create, issue, and export gift cards to a CSV file. If your staff also needs to create or edit customers from the Gift cards page, then you also need to give them the Customers permission.
  • Customers: view, create, edit, and delete customers, and respond to customer messages in Shopify Inbox.
  • Reports: view and create reports, which includes sales information and other store data. You can't specify which reports staff can or can't access.
  • Dashboards: view the Overview and Live view pages, which include sales information, and other store and sales channels data.
  • Marketing: view, create, and automate marketing campaigns. If you're marketing using an app or a sales channel, such as with Shopify Email, then you also need the appropriate App and channel access permission.
  • Discounts: view, create discount codes and automatic discounts, and export discounts to a CSV file.

Online store permissions

  • Themes: view, change, and publish themes.
  • Blog posts and pages: view, create, change, publish, and delete blog posts and pages.
  • Navigation: view, create, change, and delete navigation.
  • Domains: view, buy, and manage domains.

Administration permissions

Only the store owner can make changes to the store's subscription or banking information. Staff need the Manage settings permission to complete most administration tasks.

  • Manage settings: access and manage Settings, and create webhooks.
  • Manage locations: create, change, and delete locations where you stock or manage inventory.

  • Edit permissions: view and change permissions for staff and collaborators, except in some cases. Refer to About edit permissions for more details.

    • Add and remove staff: add, update, or remove staff.

  • View Shopify Payments payouts: view Shopify Payments settings, payouts, and transactions.

  • View billing and receive billing emails: view, download, or export Shopify bills, view billing information and payment methods, and receive billing related emails. Collaborators with this permission don't receive billing emails.

  • View private apps: view private apps installed on your store.

    • Edit private app details and permissions: give permission to private apps to read, write, and make changes to your store.

App and channel access permissions

The staff member can view and access the apps and sales channels that you specify.

  • If you check Manage and install apps and channels, then the staff member can manage apps and channels if their permissions match the permissions that the app or channel requires. They can add, access, or delete apps and channels. If any new apps or channels are installed in the future, then the staff member can access or delete those apps or channels without you updating this permission.

  • If you check Approve app charges, then the staff member can install apps that have a cost associated with it, such as a one-time charge or a recurring subscription. Apps that offer a free trial period that turn into a paid subscription after the trial period ends require this permission to be turned on if you want the staff member to have the ability to install these apps.

  • If you check specific apps and sales channels, then the staff member can only access those apps and sales channels. They can't install or delete apps. If any new apps are installed in the future, then you need to update this permission to give the staff member access to them.

About edit permissions

The store owner can always edit any staff permissions. Staff with the Edit permissions permission can edit permissions for other staff, but only permissions that they already have.

For instance, a staff that only has the Edit permissions and Manage settings permissions can't add or remove the Themes permission for another staff because they don't have the Themes permission.

If your staff has the Edit permissions, then you can give another staff member the Edit permissions permission. For security reasons, you can only give another staff member Edit permissions if you have at least the same permissions as the staff member who you want to edit.

Shopify POS login requirements

To log in to Shopify POS using a Shopify ID or login credentials, staff accounts need the following 13 permissions:

  • Home
  • Orders
  • Edit orders
  • Draft orders
  • Products
  • Gift cards
  • Customers
  • Reports
  • Marketing
  • Discounts
  • App and channel access
  • Manage settings
  • Manage locations

You also need to select Give Point of Sale access to this staff in the Point of Sale access section to give staff access to Shopify POS.

If you select this permission, then your staff can log in to your Shopify admin, and log in to POS without a PIN. Staff with limited admin permissions and POS app only staff can't log in to Shopify POS without the store owner, or a staff account with the required permissions, logging in first.

Store owners and staff with all available permissions can view Shopify POS staff PINs and log into the Shopify POS app.

You can also create and assign roles to your Shopify POS staff, refer to Point of Sale staff management for more information. If you want to add Shopify POS app only staff, then refer to Adding Point of Sale staff.

Shopify Inbox permissions

Store owners and staff with all available permissions can use all of the Shopify Inbox features, and only staff with all available permissions can manage chat availability. Retail staff don't have access to Shopify Inbox.

Staff need to be added as staff in your store in order to use team conversations. Staff need the following permissions to access all of the Shopify Inbox features:

  • Products: share products.
  • Customers: manage chat availability, respond to customers and manage saved replies, share products, discount codes or view discount codes shared by other staff, or create a draft order or view draft orders created by other staff.
  • Discounts: share discount codes or access discount codes shared by other staff.
  • App and channel access: Manage chat apps that are connected to Shopify Inbox.

Examples of staff permissions

The types of permissions that you give depends on the needs of your staff. You can use these examples to help you choose permissions.

For staff that update your online store, you might give the following permissions:

  • Products
  • Settings
  • Themes
  • Blog posts and page
  • Navigation

For staff to create and edit blog posts, you might give them the following permissions:

  • Home
  • Reports
  • Apps
  • Blog posts and pages

For sales staff, you might instead give them permissions such as:

  • Orders
  • Gift cards
  • Customers
  • Blog posts and pages

For accountants, consider providing all available permissions so that your accountant can access the information that they need (including Orders, Reports, and access to Shopify Payments).

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