Creating user roles in your portal is essential for controlling access to its content. Roles let you go beyond simple login-based visibility – giving you the flexibility to create custom tiers within your portal users' list.
You can decide which groups of users should have access to extra features or exclusive content while keeping the rest available to everyone who logs in. This means you can easily design tier‑based access systems, from client portals and dashboards to learning hubs or membership communities.
💡 Want to know how to turn your app into a portal?
Follow the step‑by‑step tutorial on how to create and set up a portal.
How to create custom roles in your portal
Step 1: Go to your portal's User Directory form
Open your portal, and jump to the User Directory – you'll always find it at the top-right corner. This is where all registered users of your portal are stored.
Hover over your user table and click Edit profile fields.
This opens the form that defines your user data structure – essentially, the fields stored in each user’s Profile.
ℹ️ You can customize what information you collect about your portal users, and add any new custom fields you might need:
You’ll find the User Roles field added by default in this form.
Step 2: Edit or add new User Roles
In your User Directory form, locate the User Roles field,
Delete or rename existing default role – e.g, change it to Member,
Add any new roles you might need based on your use case, e.g., VIP:
💡 You can also set a default role to be assigned to all new users.
Click on the User Roles field, and in its settings panel on the right, under Default answer, pick which role(s) should be assigned to users automatically upon signing up:
How to assign or update roles for existing users
In your User Directory table, you can manually assign or update roles for any user at any point:
Click to expand the user’s row in the table – a detailed view will open on the right‑hand side,
Find the Roles field at the very top, and tick or untick the boxes to assign or unassign any role,
Click Save at the bottom‑right to update the user’s information:
💡 If you have many existing users you need to assign/update roles for, it might be faster to do that in bulk:
Exporting your User Directory to an Excel sheet,
Updating the Role column in bulk,
Then importing it back.
🔗 For detailed guidance, check the guide on importing users into your portal.
How to use roles to control page access
Once roles are set up, you can restrict access to pages and data based on them.
Next to any portal page, click the three-dotted menu (...) → Access → Specific user roles. Then, choose which roles should allow access to that page:
For example:
In a learning portal, you could show general lessons to Members while restricting bonus content to VIP users only.
ℹ️ You have full control over who sees each page in your portal – from public visitors or logged-in users to specific user roles or internal teams:
In addition to managing access to pages, you can also control whether users can view & edit their own submissions, without exposing anybody else's:
Bottom line
By creating and assigning user roles, you gain precise control over who can access what in your portal. Whether you’re managing clients, students, or working on internal projects, roles help you organize permissions clearly and deliver a more tailored experience for every type of user.