Can Confluence Admin see ALL spaces, including ALL personal spaces?
Asked by Wade Burgess:

How can a Confluence Admin determine if there are personal Spaces that have permissions set in such a way that only the owner of the personal Space is able to view the space?

I helped someone create a personal Space and make it private, and now when I look at the Space Directory, the personal Space is NOT listed.

What if this person leaves my company? How would I ever archive or delete the personal Space if I cannot find it or see it, even if I know it is there?


Answers:
author: Davin Studer
body: Are you a Confluence Administrator or a System Administrator? There is a difference between the two with Confluence Server. The below link describes the differences. Anyone in the confluence-administrators groups should be able to see all spaces and pages regardless of permissions or restrictions.

<https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/global-permissions-overview-138709.html>


author: Mirek
body: I think this page could explain all differences - <https://confluence.atlassian.com/confkb/confluence-admin-permission-levels-explained-604209420.html>

Basically if you want to see all pages then by default you need to be in group - confluence-administrators . Then having a direct link you can always see that page even if it is having a restriction set.

This is what documentation says:
> Members of this group can also see the content of all pages and spaces in the Confluence instance, *regardless of space permissions*.


author: Wade Burgess
body: Being logged in as a Confluence Administrator solved all my issues. Thanks for the help.

comments: author: Venkat Pragallapati
body: I'm the administrator but still can't the the personal space created by user who has removed permissions for all user except him. How to track those personal spaces?


author: Davin Studer
body: [@Venkat Pragallapati](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1499696) Are you a System administrator?


author: Thomas Schlegel
body: [@Wade Burgess](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/43973) ,

I just tested this with a test user in my environment. I can see the personal space of the test user as an admin. How did you make the personal space private? Removed every permissions except the one for the user himself?

comments: author: Wade Burgess
body: Yes, the only permissions are set to the owner of the personal Space. This is how I figured a personal Space could be made private, not knowing that it would also be invisible to a Confluence Admin.


author: Thomas Schlegel
body: But I think it is not invisible ;-)

Did you set a filter, e.g. showing just Site Spaces?


author: Wade Burgess
body: When I go to Space Directory, then Personal Spaces, it is not listed.


author: Anh Nguyen
body: Just got the same issue and had a solution. I am using Confluence 7.5.0 Data Centre.

Must be a Confluence and/or System Administrator. Select Spaces -\> Space directory -\> Personal Spaces (left hand side)-\> Select a personal space -\>Select/click the i in the circle (right hand side of the selected personal space)-\> Overview -\> Delete Space. If you can't see Delete Space then -\> Space tools (bottom left) -\> Permissions -\> Add your user-id and set permission -\> back to Overview and delete.


author: Anh Nguyen
body: I got the same issue and had a solution. I am currently using Confluence 7.5.0. You must be a Confluence/System administrator. Select Spaces -\> Space directory -\> personal Spaces -\> Select the i in the circle of a personal space you need -\> Overview (menu) -\> Delete Space. Just in case your group admin right doesn't allow you to delete, then select permissions (menu) -\> add your user-id -\> Select All -\> Save -\> Overview (menu) -\> Delete Space.


Tags: confluence-server

server