Basic Tutorial

In Airtable, permissions exist at two main levels:

Workspace-level roles (who can create/manage bases) Base-level roles (what someone can do inside a specific base)

Understanding both is important because someone might have high access in one base but limited access in another.

Base-Level Permission Roles

These control what users can do inside a specific base (database).

Role	What They Can Do	What They Cannot Do
Viewer	View records, filter/sort views, comment	Cannot edit data or structure
Commenter	View data + add comments	Cannot edit records
Editor	Add/edit/delete records, upload attachments	Cannot change tables, fields, or automations
Creator	Everything Editors can do + modify tables, fields, views, and automations	Cannot manage base collaborators
Owner	Full control including managing collaborators and deleting the base	Nothing restricted

Quick summary

• Viewer: read-only

• Commenter: read + comment

• Editor: change data

• Creator: design the base

• Owner: full control

Workspace-Level Roles

These control what users can do across all bases within a workspace.

Role	Capabilities
Workspace Viewer	Can see shared bases but not edit them
Workspace Commenter	Can comment in shared bases
Workspace Editor	Can edit records in shared bases
Workspace Creator	Can create new bases and edit structure
Workspace Owner	Full workspace control (billing, permissions, deletion)

Workspace roles affect every base in that workspace unless overridden.

Interface Permissions (Newer Feature)

In Airtable Interfaces, you can also control what users can do inside dashboards or apps.

Examples:

• view dashboards only

• edit specific records

• submit forms

• update certain fields

This lets you give someone limited editing access without exposing the whole base.

Simple Way to Think About Airtable Permissions

Role	Responsibility
Viewer	See data
Commenter	Discuss data
Editor	Update data
Creator	Build and modify the system
Owner	Manage people and full control

Example Team Setup (Common Best Practice)

Team Member	Role
Operations team	Editor
Managers	Creator
Executives	Viewer
System admin	Owner

This prevents accidental changes to the database structure.

Owner / Creator (The "Admin")

This is the highest level of permission. In a business context, this person is the "Architect."

• Modify Structure: Only Creators can add/delete tables, change field types (e.g., turning a "Text" field into a "Checkbox"), or delete the entire Base.

• Manage Users: They can invite new team members, change their permission levels, or kick them out.

• Billing & Settings: They control the workspace settings and payment methods.

• Extensions & Scripts: They are the only ones who can install new Extensions (formerly Apps) or write/edit custom Javascript code in the Scripting extension.