# Who can open a Project

View, Comment, Edit, or Full control. Give the least role that fits. Org members inherit a floor; extra grants only go up. Access is the Project, not each PDF.

Who can open a takeoff is **not** the same question as “are they in the company.”

The [Organization](/guides/organizations) answers “may they administer the company account?” The [Project](/guides/projects) answers “may they open **this** takeoff?” Seats (which tools are gray) are a third layer, ungated for now. Keep those three separate.

Give the role that matches the job. A PM who only reads the qty does not need Edit.

## Where this lives

The **floor** is Organization → **Settings** → Project access (shop default: All members can edit).

The **grants** are Project → **Collaborators**, **Teams**, or **Share**: named people, Teams, guests, Request access. That’s [Project collaborators](/guides/project-collaborators) in the chrome.

You cannot hide one PDF inside a Project someone can already open. Put secret work in another Project.

## The four Project roles

From least access to most:

| Role | They can | Who it’s for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **View** | Open the desk, read markups. | PM, reviewer, a GC who should not measure. |
| **Comment** | View + comments. | Reviewer who pins a note on the landing rail. |
| **Edit** | Measure, add Documents, rename the Project, Share (cannot assign Full control). | Estimators taking off this bid. |
| **Full control** | Edit + archive Documents, archive a Project that is not the last live one in the Organization, assign Full control, delete-class actions on that resource. | Whoever must recover the Project. Not every editor. |

Creating the Project seeds **you** as Full control. Inherit from the org is **never** Full control. Someone has to be handed it.

Only Full control can assign or change Full control. Edit cannot mint another owner. A Project must keep at least one person with Full control. You cannot remove that last person until you hand Full to someone else.

## How the floor works (inherit)

Organization **Project access** is the default for org members:

- **All members can edit Projects.** Shop default. Every member inherits **Edit**.
- **Creators and admins.** Creator plus org admins inherit Edit.
- **Restricted (invite only).** No inherit. Creator plus explicit people/Teams only.

On top of that, access is the **highest** of three things: inherit, every [Team](/guides/organization-teams) they’re on for this Project, and their individual grant. We do **not** take Bluebeam’s “most restrictive of several Teams.” If Estimating is Edit and a review Team is View, they get Edit.

You cannot grant **below** inherit. If the org floor is Edit, there is no “View-only coworker” on that Project until you change the org policy (usually to Restricted) and grant explicitly.

This floor is live. Switch All members to Restricted and org members lose inherit on **existing** bids unless you already granted them. It is not a setting that only applies to the next Project.

Guests have **no inherit**. They’re only what you granted. The floor never applies to someone who is not in the Organization.

## No lock on one PDF

Every Document in an accessible Project uses the Project role. If estimating must not see fab takeoffs, that’s another Project (and Restricted), not a hidden PDF.

Restricted **Document chrome** (hiding a file inside a Project you can already open) is leftover product, not a secret switch. It has not shipped.

Same-org file you can’t access looks like a miss (404). We don’t leak that the hospital bid exists to another department.

## Guests and Request access

Named-email invite. Request access for someone who found the URL. [Collaborators](/guides/project-collaborators) is the chrome. Not a public link. Guests cannot sit on a [Team](/guides/organization-teams). Prefer a guest on the Project over an org invite when the other party should not see your other bids. [Collaboration](/guides/realtime-project-collaboration) is the two setups.

## Shop vs a large office

| | Shop | GC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Default | All members / Edit | Restricted |
| Directory | Two people, maybe never Teams. Keep two org admins. | Org members + Teams + guests |
| Admin | Also takes off | Not on every bid |
| You’re done when | CSV is in Excel | The wrong crew never saw the takeoff |

Same four roles. Same Project. No Session product. SSO and seat SKUs later. They are not on the settings page today.

The measuring loop is still [how it works](/how-it-works). That’s takeoff, not a priced bid: [takeoff vs estimating](/resources/takeoff-vs-estimating). Measuring the set, with stairs as the worked package: [quantities](/resources/measuring-a-commercial-set). Whether you needed a platform for this loop: [choose takeoff software](/resources/choose-takeoff-software) · [a measure desk](/resources/takeoff-without-a-platform). Containment: [Organizations](/guides/organizations) · [Projects](/guides/projects) · [Documents](/guides/project-documents) · [delete and restore](/guides/delete-and-restore-archived). People: [organization members](/guides/organization-members) · [Project collaborators](/guides/project-collaborators) · [Teams](/guides/organization-teams). Same Project on every device: [cloud sync](/guides/project-cloud-sync). No install to start: [Browser desk](/guides/browser-desk-app). Two people at once: [Working together](/guides/working-together-collaboration).


## FAQ

### Can I hide one PDF inside a Project from someone who can open the Project?

No. Access is Project-wide. If they can open the Project, they can open its Documents. Put secret work in another Project (and Restricted org access), not a checkbox on one PDF.

### What do the four Project roles mean?

View opens the desk. Comment adds comments. Edit measures, uploads Documents, and can share. Full control archives Documents, can archive a Project that is not the last live one in the Organization, and assigns Full control. Inherit is never Full control.

### If the org default is Edit, can I put someone to View?

No. Extra grants only go up from inherit. To run a tighter Project, set the Organization to Restricted (invite only) or Creators and admins, then grant View/Comment/Edit explicitly. Changing the floor applies to live Projects, not only new ones.

### Does Organization Admin bypass Restricted Projects?

No. They don’t silently list or open other people’s Restricted Projects. Break-glass is an explicit, audited action when that chrome ships, not a silent admin back door.

### Can the GC look without a measuring seat?

Yes. View opens the desk. A PM does not need a measuring seat to read the qty. Guests get the same four roles without joining the company. Named-user seat SKUs are later. Today everyone who can sign in uses the same product.