---
title: "Add new user"
slug: "add-new-user"
description: "Add team members to your Document360 project, assign roles, and control their access within the knowledge base portal for effective collaboration."
tags: ["Content access", "Project Roles", "User management"]
updated: 2026-05-18T10:49:48Z
published: 2026-05-18T10:49:48Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.document360.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add new user

Users are team members who log in to the knowledge base portal to create, edit, review, and manage content. Unlike [Readers](/help/docs/reader-accounts), who only consume the published knowledge base, users have portal access and are assigned roles that control what they can do. When you add a user, you specify their project role, content role, and the level of content access they receive.

---

## Before you begin

Before adding users, ensure the following:

- You have a Project **Owner** or **Admin** role.
- You have the email addresses of the users you want to add.

---

## Add a user

To add one or more users to your project,

1. Navigate to **Settings** (**) > ****Users & permissions****in the left navigation bar****in the Knowledge base portal.
2. In the left navigation pane, navigate to **Users & groups** > **Users**.
3. Click **Add** > **User** to open the **New user** dialog.

![User management interface displaying options to add users.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/Add%20user.jpg)
4. Enter the email addresses of the users you want to add in the **Email** field.

> [!NOTE]
> ** NOTE
> 
> You can add up to five email addresses at a time, separated by commas. To add more than five users at once, use [Import users](/help/docs/import-users).
5. Select the **SSO user** checkbox to add the user as an **SSO user**.
6. If you selected the **SSO** **user**checkbox, select an SSO configuration from the **Select SSO**dropdown menu.
7. Select the **Skip invitation mail**checkbox if you don't want your new users to receive an invitation email. You can share the portal URL with users directly so they can log in without an invitation.
8. Choose the desired [**Project role**](/help/docs/add-new-user#project-roles) for the new accounts.

> [!NOTE]
> ** NOTE
> 
> You cannot choose individual portal roles for each email you enter in the **Email** field. All addresses in the field receive the same project role.
9. Select the desired [**Content role**](/help/docs/add-new-user#content-roles) for the new users.

> [!NOTE]
> ** NOTE
> 
> You can assign multiple content roles to control access by selecting **Add another content role**. If no content role is selected, the user is assigned **None**by default.
10. Choose the level of [content access](/help/docs/add-new-user#content-access-levels) you want for the Content role.
11. Assign groups for the new users from the **Assign groups** dropdown. This field is optional. You can also add users without associating them with any group.
12. Once done, click **New user**.

![New user dialog showing fields for email, SSO option, project role, content role, and group assignment.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/Create%20user.jpg)

---

### Project roles

The project role determines what areas of the knowledge base portal a user can access and manage. For a detailed breakdown of permissions by role, see [Roles and permissions](/help/docs/roles-and-permissions).

| Role | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Owner | Has full access to all features, including billing. Can add or reassign other Owners. Only one Owner role can be assigned at a time per project. |
| Admin | Has access to all features except billing. Can manage users, projects, and configurations. Cannot add or assign the Owner role. |
| Contributor | Can create, edit, and publish draft articles and category pages. |
| Reviewer | Can log in to the knowledge base portal and access articles assigned to them for review. |
| Custom role | A tailored set of permissions defined by your organization. Custom roles are created and managed in [Roles and permissions](/help/docs/roles-and-permissions). |

---

### Content roles

The content role controls what actions a user can perform on articles and other content within the knowledge base.

| Role | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Draft Writer | Can create and edit articles and category pages, but cannot publish them. |
| Editor | Can manage articles, categories, drives, workflows, and content reuse. |
| Reviewer | Can add comments to articles, update workflow statuses, and set due dates for workflow statuses. |
| None | No content role assigned. This can be updated later as needed. |

---

### Content access levels

The content access level determines which knowledge base content a user can view and work with for their assigned content role.

| Access level | Description |
| --- | --- |
| None | The user has no access to any knowledge base content. |
| All | The user has access to all knowledge base content across all workspaces and languages. |
| Workspace/Language | Restricts access to content within specific workspaces and languages. Users can only view content designated for their assigned selections. |
| Category | Limits access to specific categories within designated workspaces and languages. Users can only view content under their assigned categories. |

---

## Troubleshooting

### Encountering an error while adding a user

**Error:**Error adding following emails

This error typically occurs due to one of the following reasons:

1. **Unsupported characters in the email address** Document360 only supports email addresses that include standard characters. Among special characters, only underscore (_) and hyphen (-) are allowed.

**Example:** Trying to add `tom&34@barny.com` will result in an error because the ampersand (`&`) is not a supported character.
2. **Email already associated with a Reader SSO account**

If the email ID you’re trying to add as a user is already linked to a Reader SSO account, the system will block the addition and display the same error message.

**Steps to resolve:**

- Ensure the email address does not contain special characters other than underscore (`_`) and hyphen (`-`)
- Update the email address to follow standard email formatting
- Retry adding the user or the reader with the corrected email
- Confirm that the email is not already used in a Reader SSO account

---

### Email verification error

You will see this error when you click an expired project invitation link. The activation link is valid for **7 days** from the time it is sent. Project Owners and Admins can resend the activation email.

1. Navigate to **Settings** (**) > ****Users & permissions**** in the left navigation bar****in the Knowledge base portal.
2. In the left navigation pane, navigate to **Users & groups**.
3. Under the **Users** tab, you can view the existing users in the project.
4. Hover the mouse pointer over the user to whom you want to send a project activation email. The **Send activation mail** icon appears on the right.
5. Click the **Send activation mail** icon, and the activation email will be sent to the user's email address.

---

### Unable to access the invitation email link

If you're seeing the error message **Email verification failed** when trying to activate your account, it usually means the invitation link has **expired**.

- The activation link is valid for **7 days** from the time it is sent.
- If the link has expired, you will not be able to activate your account with that link.

**How to fix it:**

1. Contact your project Owner or Admin.
2. Ask them to resend the activation email from the Knowledge base portal.
3. Use the new link to activate your account within the 7-day validity period.

> [!NOTE]
> ** NOTE
> 
> You can identify who sent the original invitation from the invitation email itself. Contact that Owner or Admin directly to request a new activation email.

![Invitation email showing sender details and activation link for a Document360 project.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/image(130).png)

---

### FAQ

#### Why am I unable to add a user to Document360?

This usually occurs when the user is already part of the project in a different role, such as a Reader (SSO Reader), Reviewer, or an existing user. In such cases, you won't be able to add the same email address again as a new user.

To resolve this, check if the user exists under [Readers and groups](/help/docs/reader-accounts). If they are listed as a Reader, you can [convert them to a user](/help/docs/reader-accounts#converting-a-reader-account-to-a-team-account) with the desired access. If the user is assigned as a [Reviewer](/help/docs/managing-reviewer-accounts), remove them from that role before assigning them the appropriate role and content access. Also, ensure the email ID entered is valid and free of typos.

#### Who can add or delete a user?

**Admins**and **Owners**of the project can add and delete users. Those with the **Manage users** permission can also add users.

- Only an **Owner** can add or reassign another **Owner**.
- **Admins** can add users, but cannot add or assign the **Owner** role.

#### Can I add a user without sending an invitation email?

Yes. Select the **Skip invitation mail** checkbox in the **New user** dialog before clicking **New user**. The account is created immediately, but the user will not receive an email notification. You can share the portal URL with them directly so they can log in.

#### What happens if I try to add someone who is already a Reader?

Document360 does not allow the same email address to exist as both a user and a Reader. If you enter an email that belongs to an existing Reader, the system will show an error. To give that person portal access, [convert their Reader account to a user account](/help/docs/reader-accounts#converting-a-reader-account-to-a-team-account) instead of creating a new entry.

#### Can I add more than five users at once?

The **New user** dialog accepts up to five email addresses at a time. To add more than five users in a single operation, use [Import users](/help/docs/import-users), which lets you upload a CSV file with as many users as your plan allows.

#### What is the difference between a user and a Reader?

Users have access to the knowledge base **portal** and can create, edit, or manage content depending on their role. Readers only have access to the **published knowledge base site** and cannot log in to the portal. If you need someone to view your published articles without contributing content, add them as a [Reader](/help/docs/reader-accounts) instead.

An authentication method that allows users to log in once and access multiple applications without re-entering credentials. In Document360, SSO can be enabled for both users (portal login) and readers (knowledge base site login). Document360 supports SAML 2.0 and OIDC-based SSO through identity providers such as Azure AD, Okta, and Google Workspace. Configure SSO in **Settings**> **Users & permissions** > **SSO configuration**.

## Related

- [Managing readers](/reader-accounts.md)
- [Managing reviewer accounts](/managing-reviewer-accounts.md)
- [Content access](/content-role-and-access.md)
- [Import users](/import-users.md)
- [Roles and permissions](/roles.md)
- [Add new use group](/team-account-groups-overview-page.md)
- [Deactivate or delete user](/managing-team-account.md)