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Custom Field permissions

Safeguard important Custom Field information. Choose who can interact with individual Custom Fields to safeguard internal client notes, sensitive project information, and more.

When you customize permissions for individual Custom Fields, you can set baseline permissions for everyone in your Workspace and use overriding custom permissions for specific people or Teams!

Screenshot of Custom Field permissions.png

What you'll need

  • Custom Field permissions are available on the Business Plus and Enterprise Plans.
  • If a Custom Field doesn't have permissions set, any user role with the Manage Custom Fields custom role permissions can set custom permissions for it or make it private.
  • If a Custom Field's permissions have already been set, anyone with Edit permissions to the field can update it or make it private.

  • If someone other than the Custom Field creator makes a field private, the creator will retain access to the field.

  • Workspace owners can allow admins to manage private Custom Fields on the Enterprise Plan only.

Custom Field permission types

There are five types of Custom Field permissions.

Screenshot highlighting the five different permissions for Custom Fields.png

The table below explains each type in detail:

Custom Field permission Description
Default Each person's user role and that role's custom permissions setting determines their level of access to the Custom Field. This is the default when no permission is selected for a Custom Field.
Can edit People or Teams with this permission level can edit the Custom Field and set its values on tasks.
Can set People or Teams with this permission level can set the Custom Field's values on tasks. They can't edit the Custom Field.
Can view People or Teams with this permission level can see the Custom Field, but cannot set its values or edit its description.
Private Only people with explicit edit, set, or view permissions can see private Custom Fields. Private Custom Fields are hidden from everyone else.

Have questions? Read our Custom Fields permissions FAQ!

Baseline permissions

Set a baseline permission level for your Custom Field. Everyone in your Workspace will have the baseline permission unless someone with the Manage Custom Fields custom role permission overrides it for specific people using custom permissions.

To set baseline permissions for a Custom Field:

  1. From the Custom Field Manager, click the field name.
  2. In the sidebar, scroll down to the Permissions section.
  3. Under Baseline permissions, click the current permission. 
    Screenshot highlighting the Default Custom Field permission type.png
  4. Choose a permission level.

Custom permissions

Set overriding Custom Field permissions for specific people or Teams. Custom permissions always override the person or Team's role-based permissions, as well as the baseline permissions defined above.

For example, members typically cannot edit Custom Fields. If an admin or owner sets a member's custom permissions to Can edit for a Custom Field, they will now be able to edit that field.

Custom Field creators retain access to the Custom Fields they create, even if their user role changes.

Set custom permissions for an existing field

You can set custom permissions for existing Custom Fields from the Custom Field Manager.

From the Custom Field Manager:

  1. Select a field.
  2. In the Edit field sidebar, scroll down to the Permissions section.
  3. Under Custom permissions, click the search bar.
  4. Select the member or Team.
  5. In the dropdown to the right of their name, click their current permission level.
  6. Choose a custom permission level.

People with custom permissions to the field are grouped by user role and listed below the search bar.

Set custom permissions for a new field

You can also set custom permissions when creating a new Custom Field from List or Table view.

Make a Custom Field private

Make an existing Custom Field private and share it with specific people. The field will only be visible in tasks and views to people with explicit permission.

To make an existing Custom Field private from the Custom Field Manager:

  1. Click the field name.
  2. In the Edit field sidebar, scroll down to the Permissions section.
  3. Click Make private. Changes automatically save.
  4. Under Custom permissions, click the search bar.
  5. Select the member or Team.
  6. In the dropdown to the right of their name, click their current permission level.
  7. Choose a custom permission level.

 If someone other than the creator makes a Custom Field private, the creator will retain access to the field.

Sort, group, and filter tasks by private Custom Fields

People with permission can group, sort, and filter tasks by private Custom Fields in their views.

If the view is saved, people without permission to the private field will not see the grouping, sorting, or filtering affect their view.

If someone without permission to a private field changes and saves a view that is grouped, sorted, or filtered by the private field, the view will lose the private field grouping, sorting, or filtering.

Use private Custom Fields with Forms

People with permission can add Private Custom Fields to Forms. The private field will be visible to anyone completing the Form.

People in your Workspace without permission will see a placeholder for the Custom Field when editing the Form.

Use private Custom Fields with Automations

People with permission can use Private Custom Fields in Automations.

People without permission will see a placeholder for the Automation when managing Automations.

Use private Custom Fields in Formulas

You must have access to all of the fields used in Formulas to see the results. If a private field that you don't have access to is used, you won't see results.

Allow admins to manage private Custom Fields

Workspace owners can allow admins to manage private Custom Fields in their advanced permissions settings.