Configure Trello board permissions and visibility
15 min
Beginner
By the end of this lesson, youâll be able to:
- Set board visibility
- Configure board permissions
- Leave a board
- Close, reopen, and delete a board
Set your boardâs visibility
The visibility level of a Trello board determines who can view, join, and interact with it. You can control who can see your board by changing its visibility, enabling you to manage the boardâs privacy and collaboration.
To change board visibility:
- Open the board and select the Change visibility button to the right of the boardâs name.
- Select a new visibility level from the menu.
đ Click the icons below to explore different visibility levels.
Only board admins can change the boardâs visibility settings.
Configure board permissions
In addition to selecting user permission levels, board admins can also configure board permissions. Board permissions have to do with setting who is allowed to perform certain actions on a board, such as making comments and inviting new members.
Card comments and reactions
One permission setting that board admins can configure is who is allowed to comment on and react to the cards on a board.
đ Click the boxes below to see descriptions and examples for each commenting permission option.
To change who is allowed to comment on or react to cards on a board:
- Open the board menu (indicated by ¡¡¡) in the top-right corner of your board.
- Select Settings.
- In the Permissions section, click Commenting.
- Choose Disabled, Members, Members and observers, Workspace members (or Any Trello user if your board visibility is public).
đ In this board, only âMembersâ can comment and react.
Invite and remove members
Another permission setting that board admins can configure is who can invite and remove members. By default, all members on a board can add and remove others, but admins can choose to restrict this action to board admins only. Admins can also turn on a setting to allow any Workspace member to join without being invited.
đ For example: Sofia, a product manager, configures the Trello board for a confidential product launch to restrict invite and remove member permissions to admins. This control maintains security and ensures only authorized personnel manage board access.
To change who is allowed to add or remove board members:
- Open the board menu (indicated by ¡¡¡) in the top-right corner of your board.
- Select Settings.
- In the Permissions section, click Adding and removing members.
- Choose All members or Admins.
đ In this board, only âAll membersâ can add and remove members.
By default, any Workspace member can join a board within that Workspace without an invitation. You can disable this from Settings by clicking on Workspace editing to toggle the permission off.
đ In this board, any Workspace member can edit and join without an invitation.
Manage board lifecycle actions
Trello boards and workspaces, much like any project, need regular maintenance to ensure they remain organized, up-to-date, and aligned with your team's evolving needs.
Trello boards, much like any project, go through a lifecycle that requires regular maintenance to ensure they remain effective and relevant.
Maintenance actions during a boardâs lifecycle could include:
- Leaving a board: Removes your account from a board, which means you may no longer be able to access it. An admin cannot leave a Trello board unless there is at least one other admin on the board.
- Closing a board: The board will no longer be visible in the Boards list, but can be accessed if needed.
- Previewing a closed board: Board admins can view a closed boardâs content and change the boardâs membership without having to reopen it.
- Reopening a closed board: The board will be active and visible again in the Boards list.
- Deleting a board: The board and its data are deleted permanently. This action cannot be undone. If you want to get rid of a board without deleting its content, close it instead.
While anyone can leave a board, only board admins can close a board, preview or reopen a closed board, or delete a board.
đ Click the boxes below for examples and instructions for each action.
Try it yourself
Open Trello and follow the steps below.
đ Click the boxes below and follow the instructions to practice what youâve learned in this lesson.
Let's review!
Review these questions and see if you understood the key concepts in this lesson:
- What is the difference between private, workspace, organization, and public board visibility?
- In what situations would you select the various options for commenting and adding and removing members' permissions?
- In what situations might a board admin leave, close, reopen, or delete a board? Whatâs the difference between closing and deleting a board?
How was this lesson?
next lesson
Invite members to a Trello board
- Explore board users
- Invite someone to a board
- Change a userâs permission level
- Let's review!