This guide provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for managing team members, collaborators, and guests in Webflow, covering both workspace-level and site-level user management.
Adding Users Overview
Webflow offers two ways to add users:
- Workspace Members: Add to workspace with access to multiple sites
- Site Collaborators: Invite to specific site only (guests)
Choose based on:
- Internal team: Add as workspace members
- External freelancers/clients: Invite as site collaborators
- Ongoing access: Workspace members
- Project-specific access: Site collaborators
Adding Workspace Members
Workspace members can access multiple sites and have workspace-level visibility.
Prerequisites
- You must be: Workspace Owner or Workspace Admin
- Plan requirement: Any plan (member limits vary by plan)
Step-by-Step: Add Workspace Member
1. Access Workspace Settings
- Log in to Webflow
- Click Workspace dropdown (top left)
- Select the workspace you want to manage
- Click Workspace Settings (gear icon)
- Navigate to Team tab
2. Invite Member
- Click Invite people to workspace
- Enter the email address of the person you want to invite
- Select their workspace role:
- Member (basic access, site-specific roles)
- Admin (full workspace access, requires Team plan)
- Billing Manager (billing access only)
- Optionally add a personal message
- Click Send Invite
3. Recipient Accepts Invitation
- Invitee receives email from Webflow
- They click Accept Invitation in the email
- If they don't have a Webflow account:
- They create one using the invited email
- Set password and complete profile
- If they have a Webflow account:
- They log in
- Accept the invitation
- They gain immediate access to the workspace
4. Assign Site-Specific Roles
After adding to workspace, grant site access:
- Open a site in Webflow Designer
- Click Share icon (top-right, looks like a person with a +)
- Find the workspace member in the list
- Click the role dropdown next to their name
- Select their role for this site:
- Designer (full design access)
- CMS Editor (content-only)
- No access (default, can't access this site)
- Repeat for each site they need access to
Managing Multiple Sites
To give Designer access to all sites:
- Assign Workspace Admin role (requires Team plan)
- Admins automatically have Designer access to all sites
To give selective access:
- Keep as Member role at workspace level
- Assign Designer/CMS Editor per site individually
Workspace Member Limits
| Plan | Member Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free/Starter | 2 | Owner + 1 member |
| CMS/Business | Unlimited workspace members | CMS Editor limits per site |
| Team | Unlimited | Multiple admins allowed |
| Enterprise | Custom | Contact Webflow |
Adding Site Collaborators (Guests)
Site collaborators are external users invited to a specific site only.
Prerequisites
- You must be: Workspace Owner, Admin, or Designer (with permissions)
- Plan requirement: CMS plan or higher for guest collaborators
Step-by-Step: Add Site Collaborator
1. Open Site Sharing Settings
- Open the site in Webflow Designer
- Click the Share icon (top-right, person with + icon)
- The sharing panel opens
2. Invite Collaborator
- Click Invite people to edit this site
- Enter the email address of the person you want to invite
- Select their site role:
- Designer (full site design access)
- CMS Editor (content-only access via Editor)
- Optionally add a personal message
- Click Send Invite
3. Recipient Accepts Invitation
- Invitee receives email from Webflow
- They click Accept Invitation in the email
- They create a Webflow account (if they don't have one)
- They gain access to that specific site only
Site Collaborator Limits
CMS Editor limits:
- CMS Plan: Up to 3 CMS Editors per site
- Business Plan: Up to 10 CMS Editors per site
- Enterprise Plan: Custom limits
Designer collaborators: Generally unlimited (varies by plan)
Guest vs. Workspace Member Differences
| Aspect | Workspace Member | Site Collaborator (Guest) |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace access | Yes | No |
| Multiple site access | Yes (if granted) | No (site-specific) |
| Billing visibility | Possible (if role assigned) | No |
| Managed at | Workspace level | Site level |
| Best for | Internal team | External collaborators |
Managing CMS Editors
CMS Editors have special considerations due to plan limits.
Step-by-Step: Add CMS Editor
For Workspace Members
- Add member to workspace (see above)
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Find the member
- Select CMS Editor role
- They can now access Webflow Editor
For External Guests
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Click Invite people to edit this site
- Enter email
- Select CMS Editor role
- Send invitation
Provide Editor Access
Share the Editor URL with CMS Editors:
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Look for Editor URL section
- Click Copy link
- Send link to CMS Editor
Editor URL format:
https://preview.webflow.com/preview/[site-name]?locale=en&preview=[preview-id]
CMS Editor Onboarding Checklist
When adding CMS Editors:
- Add user with CMS Editor role
- Share Editor URL with them
- Provide login credentials (their Webflow account)
- Send documentation on what they can edit
- Show them how to publish changes
- Explain CMS collection structure
- Set expectations for approval workflows (if any)
Adding Users in Bulk
Webflow doesn't support bulk user import, but you can streamline the process:
Multiple Workspace Members
- Collect email addresses in a list
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Invite members one by one (copy-paste emails)
- Send all invitations
- Assign site-specific roles after they accept
Multiple Site Collaborators
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Invite collaborators one by one
- Select appropriate roles
- Send invitations
Tip: Prepare a standard invitation message to copy-paste for consistency.
Removing Users
Properly offboarding users ensures security and prevents billing for unused seats.
Removing Workspace Members
Prerequisites
- You must be: Workspace Owner or Workspace Admin
- Note: You cannot remove the Workspace Owner (must transfer ownership first)
Step-by-Step: Remove Workspace Member
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Find the member you want to remove
- Click the three dots (...) or trash icon next to their name
- Click Remove from workspace
- Confirm removal
- User is immediately removed from:
- The workspace
- All sites in the workspace
- All workspace-level access
What Happens After Removal
- User loses access to workspace immediately
- User loses access to all sites in workspace
- User can no longer see workspace in their Webflow dashboard
- User's content/designs remain (not deleted)
- Ownership of created elements stays with the site
Removing Site Collaborators (Guests)
Prerequisites
- You must be: Workspace Owner, Admin, or Designer with permissions
Step-by-Step: Remove Site Collaborator
- Open site in Webflow Designer
- Click Share icon (top-right)
- Find the collaborator in the list
- Click the X or trash icon next to their name
- Confirm removal
- User loses site access immediately
Site-Specific Removal
To remove someone from specific sites but keep workspace access:
- Open each site they should lose access to
- Remove them from site collaborators
- They remain in the workspace
- They can still access other sites they have permissions for
Removing CMS Editors
Same process as removing site collaborators:
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Find the CMS Editor
- Click X or remove button
- Confirm removal
- They lose Editor access immediately
- Frees up a CMS Editor seat (if at limit)
Removing All Access Checklist
When offboarding a team member completely:
- Remove from workspace (if workspace member)
- Remove from individual sites (if guest collaborator)
- Revoke Editor URLs (they become inactive when user removed)
- Update any shared credentials they had access to
- Transfer ownership of any resources they created (if needed)
- Document removal date and reason in records
- Verify removal confirmation in workspace/site settings
- Check for any scheduled content they created
- Update team contact lists and documentation
Changing User Roles
Modify access levels without removing and re-adding users.
Changing Workspace Role
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Find the member
- Click their current role dropdown
- Select new role:
- Member
- Admin (Team plan required)
- Billing Manager
- Save changes
- Role updates immediately
Changing Site Role
- Open site in Webflow Designer
- Click Share icon
- Find the user in collaborators list
- Click their role dropdown
- Select new role:
- Designer
- CMS Editor
- No access (removes from site but keeps in workspace)
- Role updates immediately
Upgrading Access
From CMS Editor to Designer:
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Change their role from "CMS Editor" to "Designer"
- They gain full Designer access immediately
From Member to Admin (workspace level):
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Change role from "Member" to "Admin"
- Requires Team plan or higher
- They gain admin access to all sites immediately
Downgrading Access
From Designer to CMS Editor:
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Change role from "Designer" to "CMS Editor"
- They lose Designer access, retain Editor access
From Admin to Member:
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Change role from "Admin" to "Member"
- They lose admin access to all sites
- Must grant site-specific access individually
Transferring Ownership
Transfer workspace or site ownership to another user.
Transferring Workspace Ownership
Only the current Workspace Owner can do this.
Step-by-Step
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Find the new owner in the member list
- Click Transfer ownership next to their name
- Confirm you want to transfer
- New owner receives email notification
- They accept the transfer
- Ownership transfers completely
- You become a Workspace Admin (unless removed)
Before Transferring Ownership
- Verify the recipient is trustworthy
- Ensure they understand Workspace Owner responsibilities
- Transfer billing if needed
- Document the transfer for records
- Confirm they accept the transfer
Transferring Site Ownership
Move a site to a different workspace.
Prerequisites
- You must be: Workspace Owner or Workspace Admin
Step-by-Step
- Open site in Webflow Designer
- Go to Site Settings (gear icon, top-left)
- Click General tab
- Scroll to Transfer site section
- Click Transfer site
- Enter the email of the recipient
- Confirm transfer
- Recipient receives email
- They accept the transfer
- Site moves to their workspace
- You lose access to the site
What Transfers with the Site
- All pages and design
- CMS collections and content
- Custom code
- Site settings
- Asset library
- Form submissions
- Ecommerce products (if applicable)
What Doesn't Transfer
- Workspace members (recipient assigns new collaborators)
- Billing (new owner pays for site plan)
- Historical team notes/comments
Resending Invitations
If a user doesn't receive or loses their invitation:
Workspace Invitations
- Go to Workspace Settings > Team
- Look for Pending Invitations section
- Find the pending invite
- Click Resend invitation
- New email is sent
Site Invitations
- Open site in Designer
- Click Share icon
- Look for pending invites
- Click Resend next to the invitation
- New email is sent
Note: Invitations expire after 30 days. Resend if expired.
Troubleshooting User Management
Issue: Invitation Not Received
Possible causes:
- Email in spam folder
- Incorrect email address
- Email delay
Solutions:
- Ask user to check spam/junk folder
- Verify email address is correct
- Resend invitation
- Try different email address
- Contact Webflow support if persists
Issue: Can't Add User (At Limit)
Problem: Error message about reaching member/seat limits.
Solutions:
- CMS Editor limit: Remove inactive CMS Editors or upgrade plan
- Workspace member limit: Upgrade plan
- Check plan limits: Workspace Settings > Billing & Plans
Issue: User Can't Access After Adding
Possible causes:
- User hasn't accepted invitation
- User accepted but not granted site access
- Wrong email used
- Technical issue
Solutions:
- Verify they accepted invitation (check Pending Invitations)
- Grant site-specific role (if workspace member)
- Resend invitation to correct email
- Have user log out and back in
- Clear browser cache
Issue: Can't Remove User
Possible causes:
- User is Workspace Owner (can't remove, must transfer)
- You don't have permissions (need Admin or Owner role)
Solutions:
- If they're owner: Transfer ownership first, then remove
- If you're not admin: Ask Workspace Owner/Admin to remove them
Issue: Removed User Still Has Access
Possible causes:
- Cache delay
- User has access through different workspace/site
- User was removed from site but still in workspace (or vice versa)
Solutions:
- Verify removal in settings
- Remove from all sites AND workspace
- Ask user to log out and back in
- Wait a few minutes for propagation
- Contact Webflow support if persists
Best Practices for User Management
1. Onboarding Process
Create a standard process:
- Collect user information (name, email, role needed)
- Get approval from manager/owner
- Add to workspace/site with appropriate role
- Send welcome email with:
- Login information
- Editor URL (if CMS Editor)
- Documentation links
- Point of contact for questions
- Document the addition in records
2. Regular Access Audits
Quarterly reviews:
- Export list of all workspace members and site collaborators
- Review each person's access
- Confirm they still need access
- Remove inactive users
- Downgrade over-permissioned users
- Document audit results
3. Offboarding Process
When someone leaves:
- Remove from workspace/sites immediately
- Transfer ownership of their work (if needed)
- Update shared credentials they accessed
- Document offboarding date
- Archive user information for records
- Check for scheduled content or automations they created
4. Documentation
Maintain a user access log:
User: jane.doe@example.com
Role: Designer
Sites: client-a.com, client-b.com
Added: 2025-01-15
Added by: admin@example.com
Reason: Lead designer for client projects
Review date: 2025-07-15
Removed: (if applicable)
5. Security Practices
- Enable 2FA: Require for all users with Designer/Admin access
- Minimum access: Grant least privilege needed
- Regular reviews: Audit access quarterly
- Prompt removal: Remove access same day as offboarding
- Document everything: Track all changes
Next Steps
- Understand Roles and Permissions - Detailed role capabilities
- User Management Overview - Return to overview
- Webflow Overview - Back to Webflow documentation home