Create an access group

Last updated: August, 2026

Access groups help you grant and manage space access for your community members. This article explains key details about access groups and steps to create one in your community.

To get started, follow these steps:

1. Click Audience in the left sidebar, then select Access groups.

2. Click New access group in the top-right corner of the Access groups page.

3. Add Internal name. This name appears across your community, including in entry point configurations, making it easier to identify.

4. Optionally, add a brief description of this access group. Descriptions are helpful for managing multiple groups because they clarify the purpose or type of access that this group provides.

5. Once ready, click Create access group. You will now see the access group set up with two tabs: Members and Access.

Navigate to the Access tab to define which spaces or space groups this group offers. Here, you can see a table you can use to add or remove space groups. There are two columns: No access and Access.

To add access, hover over the name of the space group or space and click on it to move it to the Access column. If you add an entire space group, any new spaces created within that group will automatically be included in the access group. This applies regardless of whether the new space is set to private or secret. As a result, members of the access group will automatically gain access to these newly created spaces.

To remove access, hover over the name of the space or space group in the Access column, then click it to move it out of the Access column.

ℹ️ Note: To provide access to all current spaces in your community, click Add all next to the No access column header. Similarly, to remove access from all current spaces in your community, click Remove all next to the Access column header.

The Members tab provides an overview of all members who have been granted access to spaces through this access group. This includes:

• Members added via entry points (e.g., invitation links or paywalls).

• Members manually added to the access group.

You can manually add members here to grant them access to spaces that are part of the group. This helps you migrate members from legacy space access to new access groups, or manually grant them overlapping access.

💡 Tip: You can add members to an access group directly from their profile, not just from the access group setup. You can also manually grant access to specific spaces from a member's profile for greater flexibility.

To add members:

1. Click Add members on the Members tab.

2. Use the filters to refine the list for targeted selection. Once you have refined the list, you can add them all. Alternatively, you can scroll through the list and select the Checkbox next to each member to manually select them.

3. Click Add members.

You can link access groups to various entry points, including:

• Invitation links: Assign access groups when creating invitation links to specify what spaces members get access to when they use the link.

• Invites or bulk imports: Add access groups directly when inviting individual members or importing them in bulk using a CSV.

• Paywalls: Link access groups to paywalls, ensuring members receive access to specific spaces when they purchase a paywall.

• Onboarding settings: Configure access groups to automatically grant appropriate access to new members when they join the community.

When configuring the entry point, click the Access groups dropdown to select your preferred access groups.

When managing an entry point later, access groups are displayed with one of the following statuses:

• Connected:

  • These access groups are actively linked to the entry point.

  • Members who join via this entry point automatically receive the space access defined by these groups.

• Removed:

  • These are access groups that were previously linked to the entry point but are no longer active and have been removed from the entry point.

  • A Removed tag next to an access group indicates it was once connected and granted access to members who joined during that time.

  • This ensures you maintain visibility of past configurations and understand how space access was managed historically.

As an admin, you can preview your community exactly as a member of an access group would experience it. This "View as" feature lets you verify the configured space access and see how spaces appear in the sidebar for members.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Audience in the left sidebar, then select Access groups.

2. On the Access groups page, locate the access group you want to preview.

3. Hover over the access group, click More actions (three dots) icon, and select View as.

You now experience the community exactly as a new member would when added to the access group. When you're ready to return to your original view, click Exit at the right end of the masquerade control bar.