Update User Access in Microsoft Clarity

Overview

Updating user access in Microsoft Clarity involves changing permission levels (Admin ↔ Member), transferring project ownership, or updating user email addresses. This guide covers all scenarios for modifying existing user access.

Prerequisites

To update user access, you need:

• Admin or Owner permissions on the Clarity project
• User must already have access to the project (see Add User Access if they don't)

Common Update Scenarios

1. Promote Member to Admin

When to do this:

• User's responsibilities expanded (now managing tracking implementation)
• User needs to manage other team members
• User requires access to project settings

Steps:

1. Go to Clarity dashboard > Select project
2. Navigate to Settings > Users
3. Find the user in the list
4. Click the Role dropdown next to their name
5. Select Admin
6. Change takes effect immediately (no confirmation needed)

User will now be able to:

• Edit project settings
• Manage users
• Configure integrations
• Delete the project

2. Demote Admin to Member

When to do this:

• User no longer needs configuration access
• Reducing risk of accidental changes
• User's role changed (e.g., moved to different team)

Steps:

1. Go to Settings > Users
2. Find the user in the list
3. Click the Role dropdown
4. Select Member
5. Change takes effect immediately

User will no longer be able to:

• Edit project settings
• Add or remove users
• Change integrations

User can still:

• View all session recordings and data
• Analyze heatmaps and insights

3. Transfer Project Ownership

When to do this:

• Original owner leaving the company
• Handing off project to another team lead
• Client taking over agency-managed project

Important: Only the current Owner can transfer ownership. Admins cannot transfer ownership.

Steps:

1. Current owner logs into Clarity
2. Go to Settings > Users
3. Find the user you want to make the new owner
4. Click Make owner or Transfer ownership next to their name
5. Confirm the transfer (this is irreversible without asking the new owner to transfer back)

What changes:

• New owner becomes the primary contact for the project
• New owner can transfer ownership to others
• Old owner becomes a regular Admin (still has full access, just not ownership)

Note: The new owner must already be an Admin. You cannot transfer ownership to a Member. Promote them to Admin first if needed.

4. Update User Email Address

Scenario: User changed email addresses and needs access from their new email.

Clarity does not support changing a user's email directly. Instead:

Process:

1. Remove the old email:

   • Go to Settings > Users
   • Find user with old email
   • Click Remove
   • Confirm removal

2. Re-invite with new email:

   • Click Add user
   • Enter new email address
   • Select same permission level they had before
   • Send invitation

3. User accepts from new email:

   • User receives invitation at new email
   • Clicks link and accepts
   • Access restored with new email

Data impact: Session recordings and project history are not affected. Only the user's access email changes.

Permission Level Reference

What Each Role Can Do

Choosing When to Promote/Demote

Promote to Admin when:

• User needs to implement or modify tracking code
• User will manage team access
• User requires configuration control
• User is a project lead or technical owner

Demote to Member when:

• User only needs to view data going forward
• Reducing risk exposure (fewer people with edit access)
• User is transitioning to a different role
• External collaborator engagement scope reduced

Advanced Scenarios

Multiple Admins (Co-Ownership)

Clarity allows multiple Admins, but only one Owner.

Use case: Team with 3 leads, all needing full control

Setup:

1. One person is the Owner
2. Other two are Admins
3. All have the same permissions (except only Owner can transfer ownership)

Best practice: Document who the Owner is and why, in case ownership needs to be transferred in the future.

Temporary Admin Access

Scenario: External consultant needs Admin access for 2 weeks to implement tracking, then should be demoted.

Process:

1. Week 1: Add consultant as Admin
2. Week 2: Consultant implements tracking, tests configuration
3. Week 3: Demote consultant to Member (or remove entirely)

Set a calendar reminder to demote/remove at the agreed time.

Agency-Client Ownership Transfer

Scenario: Agency sets up Clarity for client, then hands off ownership.

Process:

1. Initial setup: Agency creates project as Owner, adds client stakeholder as Admin
2. During engagement: Agency manages tracking, client has Admin access to view settings
3. Engagement ends:
   • Agency Owner transfers ownership to client Admin
   • Client becomes Owner
   • Client can remove or demote agency access as needed

This ensures the client retains full control of their data after the engagement.

Best Practices

Document Permission Changes

Track permission updates in a change log:

This helps with:

• Auditing who has had access and why
• Understanding historical permission changes
• Compliance and security reviews

Notify Users of Permission Changes

When changing someone's permissions:

Do:

• Email or Slack the user: "Hey, I've promoted you to Admin on the Clarity project for [reason]"
• Explain what the new permissions allow
• Provide guidance if they're new to Admin responsibilities

Don't:

• Silently change permissions without notice
• Assume users will notice permission changes

Review Permissions Quarterly

Every 3-6 months:

1. Review Settings > Users
2. Check if each user still needs their current permission level
3. Demote Admins who no longer need configuration access
4. Remove users who no longer need any access

Avoid Too Many Admins

Risk of many Admins:

• Accidental project deletion
• Conflicting configuration changes
• Unclear ownership and accountability

Recommendation:

• 1-3 Admins for small projects
• 3-5 Admins for large, multi-team projects
• Everyone else should be Members

Troubleshooting

"You don't have permission to change this user's role"

Cause: You are a Member, not an Admin

Solution:

• Only Admins can change user permissions
• Ask a current Admin to change the user's role
• Or, ask an Admin to promote you to Admin first

Can't Transfer Ownership

Cause: You are an Admin, not the Owner

Solution:

• Only the current Owner can transfer ownership
• Ask the current Owner to transfer ownership to you or the intended new owner

User Promoted to Admin but Still Can't Edit Settings

Cause: Browser cache, or user hasn't refreshed

Solution:

1. User should sign out and sign back in
2. Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R)
3. Try incognito/private mode
4. Wait 2-3 minutes for permissions to propagate

Changed My Mind, Want to Reverse Permission Change

No problem, just change it back:

1. Go to Settings > Users
2. Find the user
3. Change their role back to the previous level

Permission changes take effect immediately and can be reversed just as quickly.

Security Considerations

Principle of Least Privilege

Grant minimum necessary permissions:

• Default to Member
• Promote to Admin only when needed
• Demote back to Member when Admin access no longer required

Audit Permission Changes

If your organization requires security audits:

Maintain records of:

• Who had Admin access and when
• Why permissions were granted/changed
• When access was demoted or removed

Clarity doesn't currently provide built-in audit logs, so maintain your own documentation.

Owner Account Security

The Owner account is the most powerful. Ensure:

• Owner has 2FA enabled on their Microsoft account
• Owner email is actively monitored (not a departed employee's email)
• Ownership transfers when Owner leaves the company

If the Owner account is compromised, the entire project is at risk (including deletion).

Summary

Updating user access in Microsoft Clarity:

Promote Member to Admin

1. Settings > Users
2. Click role dropdown > Select Admin
3. Takes effect immediately

Demote Admin to Member

1. Settings > Users
2. Click role dropdown > Select Member
3. Takes effect immediately

Transfer Ownership

1. Owner logs in
2. Settings > Users > Click Make owner next to target user
3. Confirm transfer

Change Email Address

1. Remove user with old email
2. Re-invite with new email
3. User accepts invitation

Best practices:

• Document permission changes
• Notify users of changes
• Review permissions quarterly
• Limit number of Admins

Related guides:

• Add User Access
• Remove User Access
• User Management Overview

Additional Resources:

• Clarity User Roles Documentation
• Microsoft Account Security Settings