Preview As

Preview As shows the application through another user's or role's permissions. You do not have to sign out or open a second browser.

Use it to check a role before you hand the account over.

The blue Preview As banner at the top of the screen during a preview(click to enlarge)

Start a preview

1. Click the gear icon and choose Preview As, or use Preview As… in the Settings sidebar.
2. Pick a tab: As User or As Role.
3. Search for the user or role and select it.
4. Click Start Preview.

Selecting a user shows their role memberships below the list, so you can confirm the identity before you start.

What the preview changes

A blue banner appears at the top:

While it is showing:

• The sidebar lists only the entities that identity can reach
• The dashboard shows their counts and recent activity
• The data grid is read-only — nothing can be saved
• Admin-only widgets are hidden when the preview identity is not an administrator

What stays yours

• Your own session is untouched. You are still signed in as yourself.
• The settings menu stays fully active. Administration, the migration wizards, and every admin tool remain open to you.
• No data can be changed through the preview.

End a preview

Click Exit Preview in the banner, or reload the page. The preview is held in memory only — it is never written to the database or to your browser storage.

Previewing an administrator

As User always previews without administrator rights, even when the selected user is an administrator. The modal says so before you start.

As Role keeps the role's own Administrator flag. Previewing an administrator role therefore shows the full administrator view, with editing still disabled.

Related

• Roles & Permissions — set up what you are about to preview
• Permissions Report — the same answer as a report, without previewing
• Administrator & Moderator — why some identities see everything
• User Management — the accounts you can preview