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Why are external users getting a "not permitted" error on the overview page of Confluence?

Maida Uddin

External users are getting "not permitted" when accessing the overview page in a space. They're able to access articles from the content tree on the left. They're just not able to access the overview page. We have restricted groups set on the overview page. Please advise.

We've checked the permissions for each user that is experiencing this issue and everything checks out.

Accepted answers

Mia Tamm _Simpleasyty_

Hi @Maida Uddin,

It sounds like the issue might be related to page restrictions rather than space permissions. Even if the users have access to the space and other pages, the overview page itself could have specific restrictions applied that are blocking them.

I’d suggest double-checking the restrictions set on the overview page directly (not just the space permissions). Sometimes the overview page inherits restrictions from a group or was set differently than the rest of the pages.

Hope this helps!

— Mia Tamm from Simpleasyty

All comments

Mia Tamm _Simpleasyty_

Hi @Maida Uddin,

Hope this helps!

— Mia Tamm from Simpleasyty

Maida Uddin

Thank you Mia!

We created groups for clients and have the restrictions set for them to view only. "Everyone" is set to have no access. Do you think that could be causing the issue?

Mia Tamm _Simpleasyty_

Hi @Maida Uddin,

Yes, you're absolutely right to check that! Here's what’s going on:

What's causing the “not permitted” error?

The issue is likely due to page-level restrictions, not space permissions. Even if external users can access other pages or content in the space, the Overview page itself may have specific restrictions applied.

Key points:

If the "Everyone" group is explicitly denied access on that page, no one in that group can view it, regardless of broader space-level permissions.
Confluence applies an "open by default" model: pages are accessible unless restrictions are added. Restricting the "Everyone" group effectively blocks access for all external users.

What to do:

Review the Overview page restrictions (click the lock icon), and make sure that the relevant group—such as "External users" or the specific client group—has view permissions.
Consider removing the explicit denial for "Everyone" so that external users can access the page.

Let me know if you'd like help adjusting those settings or fine-tuning the access — happy to assist!

— Mia Tamm from Simpleasyty

Mia Tamm _Simpleasyty_

Just a quick note @Maida Uddin: I realize we're dealing with Confluence Data Center, but the behavior remains the same: page-level restrictions override broader space permissions. So even if users have access to the space, they won't see the Overview page if it's restricted—especially if the “Everyone” group has been explicitly excluded.

— Mia Tamm from Simpleasyty

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