Confluence Space Permissions

Space permissions control exactly what each person or group can do inside a space. As a space admin, you grant or revoke permissions to protect sensitive content, control who can publish changes, and maintain the quality of your team's documentation.

Who Controls Space Permissions

Two roles can manage space permissions: the Site Admin (who controls the whole Confluence site) and the Space Admin (who controls a specific space). You do not need to be a site admin to manage your own space — just a space admin.

Admin Hierarchy

SITE ADMIN
│   Controls: all spaces, all users, global settings
│
└── SPACE ADMIN (one per space)
        Controls: permissions, members, and settings
        for their own space only

Where to Find Space Permissions

Open your space, click the Space Settings cog (⚙) in the left sidebar, then click Permissions. This opens the full permissions matrix for the space.

Navigation Path

Space → Space Settings (⚙) → Permissions → Edit Permissions

The Permissions Matrix

The permissions matrix is a table where rows represent people or groups, and columns represent individual permission types. A tick in a cell means that person or group has that permission.

Permissions Matrix Diagram

                    VIEW  EDIT  DELETE  RESTRICT  ADMIN
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
All logged-in users  ✓     ✗      ✗        ✗        ✗
HR Team Group        ✓     ✓      ✓        ✓        ✗
Priya Sharma         ✓     ✓      ✓        ✓        ✓
Anonymous (public)   ✗     ✗      ✗        ✗        ✗
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

In this example, everyone logged in can view the space, the HR Team Group can edit and delete, and only Priya has space admin rights.

Individual Permission Types

What Each Permission Allows

PERMISSION          WHAT THE USER CAN DO
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
View Pages          Read all pages in the space
Create Pages        Write and publish new pages
Edit Pages          Modify existing pages
Delete Pages        Remove pages permanently
Add Comments        Post page and inline comments
Delete Comments     Remove comments (own or all)
Add Attachments     Upload files to pages
Delete Attachments  Remove uploaded files
Add Restrictions    Lock individual pages
Space Admin         Change space settings and permissions

Groups vs Individual Users

Granting permissions to a group is better than granting them to individuals. When a new person joins the team, add them to the group — they inherit all the group's permissions automatically. Removing a person from the group removes all their space access at once.

Group vs Individual Comparison

SITUATION: 5 new engineers join the team

WITH INDIVIDUAL PERMISSIONS:
→ Add each person one by one (5 actions)
→ Grant each permission type individually
→ Easy to forget someone or grant wrong level

WITH GROUP PERMISSIONS:
→ Add all 5 to "Engineering Group" (1 group action)
→ Group permissions apply to all 5 instantly
→ Remove from group when they leave — one action

Public vs Private Spaces

By default, spaces are visible to all logged-in users on your Confluence site. A private space restricts access to only the people or groups you explicitly add. Making a space private does not hide it from site admins — they always retain access.

Making a Space Private

STEP 1  →  Space Settings → Permissions → Edit Permissions
STEP 2  →  Find the row: "All logged-in users"
STEP 3  →  Untick the "View" permission
STEP 4  →  Click Save
RESULT  →  Only explicitly listed users and groups can see the space

Anonymous Access

Confluence can grant read access to people who are not logged in — called anonymous users. This allows you to publish public-facing documentation accessible from a web browser without any login. Only enable anonymous access for content that is genuinely intended for the public.

Anonymous Access Risk

ANONYMOUS ON + WRONG SPACE = Public data leak

✓ SAFE TO MAKE PUBLIC:        ✗ NEVER MAKE PUBLIC:
  Product documentation          Salary information
  Help centre articles           Internal policies
  API references                 Employee personal data
  Release notes                  Client contracts

Common Permission Setups

Recommended Configurations by Space Type

SPACE TYPE              WHO CAN VIEW    WHO CAN EDIT    WHO ADMINS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Open team space         All users       Team members    Team lead
Project space           Project team    Project team    PM
HR/Finance space        HR Group only   HR Group        HR Manager
Public docs space       Anonymous       Writers only    Tech Writer
Personal space          Owner only      Owner only      Owner

Auditing Permissions

Review your space permissions every quarter. People leave teams, projects end, and roles change. Old permissions left in place become security gaps. Open Space Settings → Permissions and scan the list for users or groups that no longer belong.

Permissions Audit Checklist

☐  Remove ex-employees from all individual permission rows
☐  Check if anonymous access is still appropriate
☐  Confirm space admin list is current and minimal
☐  Verify no test users have elevated permissions
☐  Ensure all new team members are in the correct groups