GoHighLevel User Roles and Permissions: How to Add Users

Adding a user to GoHighLevel takes a minute. Choosing what that user can see and do is the part that matters, because a new virtual assistant, receptionist or client with the wrong access can delete contacts, change workflows or open accounts they should never see. This guide shows how to add a user at agency level and inside a sub-account, what the two user types and two roles mean, which permissions to check first, and the setups I use for common team members. Menu names follow HighLevel's help pages and can change, so confirm them in your own account.

1. Two levels: agency and sub-account

• Agency level: the top account that owns every client account. Users added here can be given access to the agency settings, billing and several sub-accounts.
• Sub-account level: one business's CRM, with its own contacts, pipelines, calendars and workflows. If you run a single business, this is where you work. Older guides call the user list "My Staff"; HighLevel's current help pages put it under Settings → Users.

Every plan has unlimited users, so access is a security question, not a cost question. See GoHighLevel pricing.

2. User type and role: the two settings people mix up

HighLevel's help page makes the point that sub-account assignment decides whether someone can enter an account, while module and granular permissions decide what they can do once inside. You need to set both.

3. How to add a user at agency level

1. Open Agency View and go to Settings → Users.
2. Click + Add User and enter the name, email and required details.
3. Open Roles & Permissions.
4. Set the User Type. Choose Account for someone who should reach only certain clients, then select those sub-accounts. Choose Agency only for people who need agency-level access.
5. Pick the Role (Admin or User) and set the module and granular permissions.
6. Click Save.

4. How to add a user inside one sub-account

1. Open the sub-account and go to Settings → Users.
2. Click + Add User. If the email already belongs to a user, follow the guidance shown rather than creating a duplicate.
3. Open Roles & Permissions, choose a role and set the modules.
4. Turn on Only Assigned Data if the person should see only their own records.
5. Save.

5. The permissions to check first

• Modules: turning a module off blocks everything inside it. The list covers areas such as Contacts, Conversations, Opportunities, Calendars, Automation, Marketing, Payments, Memberships and Forms.
• Granular permissions: inside an enabled module you can allow or block specific actions.
• Only Assigned Data: limits a user to records assigned to them, such as their own contacts and opportunities. It works only on supported modules and is not the same as switching a module off.
• Sensitive agency permissions: sub-account creation and deletion, sub-account settings and billing, user management, Login As, dashboard exports and sub-account transfers. Give these to as few people as possible.
• Copy Permissions: copies one user's settings to another, one user at a time. Review the result before you save. There is no bulk assignment.

6. Setups for common team members

These are my suggestions, not HighLevel defaults. Start with less access and add what is missing.

7. Mistakes that cause real damage

• Giving a freelancer Agency access when one sub-account was all they needed.
• Leaving Automation open to everyone, so a well-meaning edit pauses a follow-up workflow. If you disable a module a workflow uses, the workflow can keep running, so make sure someone authorised can still manage it.
• Sharing one login. You lose the record of who did what, and you cannot remove one person without changing everyone's password. Give each person their own user.
• Never reviewing access. HighLevel recommends giving the least access each user needs and reviewing it when responsibilities change. Do it each time someone leaves, finishes a project or changes role.
• Transferring or deleting a sub-account casually. See GoHighLevel sub-account transfer.

8. Can't see a menu item?

If a user says a tab is missing, check their module permission first, then the granular permission, then Only Assigned Data. A user who cannot see a calendar or a workflow almost always has a permission switched off rather than a bug. For wider fixes see GoHighLevel errors and outages and the full feature list.

Want your team set up safely in GoHighLevel?

I'm Arslan Mumtaz, a software engineer who builds GoHighLevel systems for service businesses and agencies. I can set up roles for your team, tidy permissions on an account you inherited and lock down what clients can touch. Start with a $97 audit that includes a permissions check, credited toward any build. See GoHighLevel expert services or pricing.

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