Want to know more about user roles?
In this guide, let’s talk about the different user roles in SharePoint Online and their responsibilities.
Let’s get started.
User Roles in SharePoint Overview
These roles are important since they give users the necessary access.
Because of this, it’s important to assign the appropriate roles to avoid compromising the site’s security.
If you’re not sure how, you can actually change someone’s role easily in the site permissions:
Open each role, and you will see who its members are.
You can edit each user’s role easily — for example, giving a member ‘Full control’ will move them up to the Site owners group.
Take note, though, that site content in the library, list items, pages, etc, the permissions and roles are inherited from the parent site.
If that’s the case, you will have to stop inheriting permissions first before you can make changes.
Global Administrator
The global administrator role in Microsoft 365 holds the highest level of access within the organization’s environment.
They can:
- Manage all aspects of Microsoft 365 services (user accounts, licenses, and settings)
- Reset passwords for all users
- Add and manage domains within the organization’s Microsoft 365 setup
- Monitor service health and create support tickets
- Assign and manage other admin roles
You can see how powerful they are in the environment.
I recommend you limit the number of global administrators and implement MFA for an extra layer of protection.
SharePoint Administrator
SharePoint administrators, which you may already be familiar, manage the organization’s SharePoint environment.
They can:
- Create, delete, and configure site collections
- Assign and manage user permissions
- Monitor and adjust SharePoint site storage limits
- Implement and manage SharePoint features and services
As admins, they also have the responsibility to provide technical support and training to users to use the platform effectively.
If you’re confused about SharePoint admins and global admins, it’s that global admins manage all Microsoft 365 services.
SharePoint admins focus only on SharePoint Online management and can’t manage Microsoft 365 user accounts or licenses.
They can manage user roles and permissions in SharePoint Online, though they can’t assign administrator roles.
Site Collection Administrator
Let’s talk about another administrator role, the site collection administrator (SCA).
SCA (or site administrators) in SharePoint Online holds comprehensive control over a site collection and makes sure it’s managed properly.
They have the following:
- Possess unrestricted user access to all sites within a site collection
- Add or delete sites and modify settings within the site collection
- Assign and revoke user site permissions
- Activate or deactivate site collection features
These admins also oversee storage quotas as well as access and review audit logs to track user activities.
If you’re a global administrator, make sure to assign a site collection administrator thoughtfully.
These admins can access and modify all content within the site collections, regardless of individual permissions.
This is usually assigned to trusted individuals responsible for the overall governance and maintenance of the site collection.
Site Owner
Let’s now go to the usual roles that you can see in site collections, starting with the site owner.
Site owners in SharePoint Online hold an important role, as they oversee the management and functionality of a specific site.
A little similar to SCA, they can:
- Manage all aspects of the site, including content, settings, and configurations
- Assign and modify user permissions
- Alter the site’s appearance and functionality (like changing the theme)
They’re also responsible for creating, editing, and deleting site content, such as documents, lists, and libraries.
They can also modify the site settings and change the regional settings, search configurations, and even site features.
Since they have significant control over the site, make sure to limit the number of site owners.
Site Member
Site members, as the name suggests, are more focused on content creation and collaboration within a site.
They can:
- Add new documents, lists, and libraries
- Edit existing content
- Remove outdated or unnecessary content
- Create and manage lists and libraries
In a perfect setting, these members engage in discussions and contribute to team workflows to improve productivity.
This role is suitable for users who need to contribute content and collaborate actively but don’t require admin privileges.
Site Visitor
A site visitor is someone who is granted read-only access to a site so they can view content without making any changes.
Those in the site visitors group can:
- View and download content but can’t add, edit, or delete anything
- Browse through site contents like pages, documents, lists, and libraries as permitted
- When enabled/approved, they can share files and folders with existing users
As a security feature, site visitors lack permission to create, edit, or delete content within the site.
They also can’t alter site settings, manage permissions, or access administrative features.
This is ideal for those who need to consume information without altering site content (external users, stakeholders, etc).
Custom Roles and Permission Levels
In case you need something more than what’s already given, you can also create custom roles and permission levels.
In the SharePoint Online permissions pages, you can add a permission level and the permissions you want:
Just an overview of this:
- You can define specific sets of permissions to assign to users or SharePoint groups
- This allows tailored access controls
- For example, users can add/edit items but not delete them
This feature helps to have precise control over user actions.
But at the same time, you need to regularly review and document custom roles and permissions for security and compliance.
Do you have any questions about the different user roles in SharePoint Online? Let me know below.
For any business-related queries or concerns, contact me through the contact form. I always reply. 
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