2 Ways to Access and Edit a Postman Element
Tags: api, postman, tutorial, devops
Published: 2022-09-22 08:07:19

---
title: 2 Ways to Access and Edit a Postman Element
published: true
date: 2022-09-21 07:01:23 UTC
tags: api, postman, tutorial, devops
canonical_url: https://blog.postman.com/access-and-edit-postman-element/
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/sta5t4kyd7zgft3rpx24.png
---

When you want to edit an element in a [Postman workspace](https://blog.postman.com/solving-problems-together-with-postman-workspaces/), whether it’s owned by your team, another team in your organization, or in a [public workspace](https://blog.postman.com/public-workspaces-why-we-created-them-what-you-can-do), the first step is to get access. If you already have the Editor role in the workspace that contains the element—whether it’s a collection, API, environment, mock server, or monitor—you can edit it directly. If you don’t have the Editor role, read on to find out how you can either gain access or propose edits without changing your access.

## 1. Request the Editor role

If the Postman element is in a workspace owned by your team or another team in your organization, the most straightforward way to get access is to [request the Editor role](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/requesting-access-to-collections/#requesting-editor-role-access). If you’re able to see the element but you see a lock icon next to its name, then you currently have the Viewer role. You need to ask someone who has either the Editor or Admin role in this workspace to elevate your access. Select the more actions icon, and then select **Manage roles** to begin your access request.

![Viewing a collection in the Postman public workspace with the Viewer role](https://blog.postman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image1-1000x694.png)
_Viewing a collection in the Postman public workspace with the Viewer role_

## 2. Create a pull request

In some cases, there might be an element you want to edit, but it’s outside the scope of your organization. If you want to edit an element that you don’t expect to get access to, like a collection in a public workspace, you can submit a pull request instead. Start by [creating a fork](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/version-control/#forking-postman-entities) of the element you want to edit. You can fork collections, environments, and flows, but you can only create pull requests for collections and environments.

To create a fork, you can either select the element and click the **Fork** icon, or you can select **Create a fork** from the more actions menu. The fork will be created in the workspace you choose. Keep in mind that your reviewers need to be able to view your fork to review your pull request, so forking to a public workspace makes that possible. If you’d prefer to edit your fork privately, you can fork to your personal workspace and move it to a public workspace later, when you’re ready to submit your pull request.

When you’re done making changes to your fork, use the more actions menu (click on three-dots icon) to select **Create Pull Request** , and then choose who you want to review it. They must have either the Editor or Admin role to merge your changes. The reviewers will receive emails letting them know about the pull request, and you’ll receive emails if they have comments or approve the request.

## Watch and learn

Check out our recent [Postman _Level Up_](https://blog.postman.com/introducing-level-up-postman-videos/) video that demonstrates these two methods for editing a collection:

{% embed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-93OfONSsg %}

## Learn more about editing elements in Postman

- Read about [requesting access](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/requesting-access-to-collections/) in the Postman Learning Center
- Read about [using version control](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/version-control/) in the Postman Learning Center
- Watch [Version Control for Collections: Postman Level Up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKxukXJWRPI&list=PLM-7VG-sgbtC5tNXxd28cmePSa9BYwqeU&index=8)
- Read [Collaborating in Postman Just Got Easier: Workspace Roles and More](https://blog.postman.com/collaborating-postman-workspace-roles/) on the Postman blog
- Read [Introducing Environment Forking and Pull Requests](https://blog.postman.com/introducing-environment-forking-and-pull-requests/) on the Postman blog

The post [2 Ways to Access and Edit a Postman Element](https://blog.postman.com/access-and-edit-postman-element/) appeared first on [Postman Blog](https://blog.postman.com).