Is it possible to restrict permissions of users prior to sending an invite?
Asked by Admin:

Hi! We are creating a knowledge based tool. A space for our team to view all policies and download forms. We have decided to purchase the standard plan.

Since we are new in using confluence we have concerns on how to properly launch the space without compromising confidential contents. because there are other spaces in our site that some staff should not view. Following concerns are as follows:

1. How do we add users without them seeing all the spaces in the site.

2. If we allow them to download files in that space, does that mean the space is shareable to everyone outside the business or are the users allowed to export the space? Which unfortunately we can't allow since the space should only be for the team to view.

3. Are we to invite them first before we can add them to a group?

4. What happens once they have accepted the invite?

5. If I were a user that has been invited, do i need to download confluence on my mobile app to gain access?

Hope to get some clarity on the following and apologies in advance. I have been researching for hours and I can't seem to find a clear instruction when you are starting from scratch. There is an article about assigning permissions, but the step prior to that seem unclear. the article seem to be for people who have done previous steps to allow them to assign. disclaimers would be very helpful. like hey, you have to add user first prior to this, how to add user. Hope you can help us. Thank you in advance!


Answers:
author: Emily _ DevSamurai
body: Hi :) Welcome to the Community!  

To securely launch and manage your Confluence space without exposing confidential content, you may refer to these steps:

* **Control Space Access:** Use space permissions to control who can see which spaces. This ensures users only access spaces they're allowed to. Manage these settings in the space's "**Space Settings**" section.
* **Secure File Downloads** : Granting users the ability to download files doesn't mean the space is accessible outside your organization. You can restrict space sharing and content export through [**space permissions**](https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/what-are-space-permissions/) to keep your data secure.
* **Invite Users and Manage Groups**: First, invite users to Confluence. After they accept, you can add them to groups. Managing permissions through groups instead of individual users simplifies permission settings across different spaces.
* **Post-Invite Actions**: Once users accept the invitation, they'll access Confluence based on the permissions set for their group, allowing them to view, edit, or manage content within their allowed spaces.
* Users don't need the Confluence mobile app to access Confluence; they can log in through any mobile web browser. However, the app might provide a better experience for mobile users.

For detailed instructions, the Atlassian support documents on [**how to add users and set permissions**](https://confluence.atlassian.com/conf59/add-users-and-set-permissions-792498553.html), **[assigning space permissions](https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/assign-space-permissions/)** and **[managing global permissions](https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/manage-global-permissions/)** are great resources.  

I hope these will help!

comments: author: Admin
body: Hi Emily that you so much for your response. =) The company has decided to make it public so for us to avoid having to purchase per user, which will be cost effective. I am currently testing the public link and it is still tricky. I am honestly finding confluence not that user friendly. We created a space with links in it, and I thought making the space public plus the sub pages within the space public, that it will work without the need to log in. I am finding out that I have to copy public links of the individual pages one by one for it to work without logging in. It completely defeats the purpose of the knowledge based portal. =(

I am hoping there is a better way to do this? One space with all needed links accessed by our employees. Thank you!

Below is the space (resource portal) with the links.

![Screen Shot 2024-04-03 at 3.49.25 pm.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/315945i2CEA1A262DBF6796/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screen Shot 2024-04-03 at 3.49.25 pm.png")


author: Susanna Babayan
body: Hi!

1) for the first point you can add users into groups and then change their permissions in each space: for some spaces they can view it and for some others they cannot.

2) I'm not sure I understood what you mean here. *"if we allow them to download files in that space, does that mean the space is shareable to everyone outside the business or are the users allowed to export the space?".*How are downloading files related to sharing the space?

3) you can add them in a group when inviting to instance. Confluence groups are configured via Jira, so when adding a new user you can define their group as well.

4) they get access and connect to it. from Admin side, if the users has connected, you'll be able to see when was their last connection date

5) Why do you need to donwload Confluence on your mobile? you can access the site in PC since you have the invite.


Tags: cloud

confluence-cloud