Content permissions

There are four preset or composite permissions and seven custom permissions for content in your Files app:

• Preset or Composite permissions:

  • Edit (also called Can Edit)

    This is the highest level of permission and gives a user full control over the item; it contains all other permissions.

  • View (also called Download Only)

    Includes Browse, Download, and Preview permissions.

  • Upload

    Includes Create/Upload folders and Upload files

  • Preview

    Includes Browse and Preview

• Custom permissions (content must reside on a transfer server with node software at version 3.7.4 or higher; see the "Package Information" section of the IBM Aspera High-Speed Transfer Service Release Notes for specific build numbers for your platform):

  • Create/Upload folders

    Create or upload an empty folder; to upload folders containing files, enable this permission along with Upload files.

  • Rename

    Rename files and folders.

  • Upload files

    Upload files and folders; to upload folders containing files, enable this permission along with Create/Upload folders permission -- or use Upload composite permission. See Delete below for uploading a file with the same name as an existing file (overwrite or replace). You need Upload permission to a folder to move or copy content to it.

  • Download

    Download the folder or file in the folder.

  • Preview

    Preview movie files in the folder. Thumbnail previews of supported image tiles are always available.

  • Browse

    Browse folder content; if this setting is not enabled, you can see the folder but cannot view folder contents.

  • Delete

    Delete or overwrite files and folders in the folder.

The permission you have to a given file or folder depends upon how you gained access to it. Check your permission to a given folder by right-clicking and selecting Info.

• For items you upload to the root level of your Files app, and for items you move from a package in your Packages app to the root level of your Files app, you have full Edit permission (requires Upload permission to the root level; if your administrator has restricted upload capability to the root level of your Files app in this workspace, you can upload only to folders to which you have upload permission, not to the root level).
• For items you upload or move into a folder, you have the same permission that you have to the folder.
• For folders shared with you, you have the permission granted to you by the person who shared.
  Note: The person who shared a folder with you is the only person who can change your permission to that folder.

  The person sharing can grant you only the permissions they have to the given folder, or a lesser permission; for example, if I have Browse, Preview, and Download permission, I can grant you one or more of those three permissions, but I cannot grant you Delete permission, since I myself don't have Delete permission.)

  In the same way, the permission you can grant to a folder you share depends on the permissions you have to that folder. You can grant any or all of the permissions that you yourself have to that folder, but you cannot grant a permission that you do not have.