FigJam permissions: why view-only links can still allow edits

A FigJam link set to Can view does not necessarily make everyone who opens it a viewer. Someone invited to edit the file can keep editing through that link. Someone with an individual Can edit role on the containing folder can inherit editing access to the board. The link audience, individual roles, and the person’s product seat are separate parts of access.

For ordinary feedback, signed-in viewers can leave comments. Adding stickies needs editing access. An open session offers temporary editing for visitors without accounts, but those visitors cannot post board comments until they sign in.

Set the audience and invitations

Open the board’s Share controls to choose who can use a link. The available audiences are Anyone, Organization on Organization or Enterprise plans, Workspace on Enterprise plans, and Only invited people. An audience has its own Can view or Can edit setting. You can also enter a person’s email address, choose that person’s role, and use Send invite. Figma’s sharing instructions describe both routes.

For example, a link audience set to Anyone with Can view lets someone use that link as a viewer. If Alex also has an individual Can edit invitation to the file, the view setting on the link does not take away Alex’s editing role. Conversely, a person who has only Can view cannot add a sticky simply because the board’s invitation asks for ideas.

Do not treat the individual invitation list as a complete list of people with access. A person may have an inherited folder role or access through the file’s audience. If you copy a link while a node or frame is selected, Figma’s sharing guide says it opens at that selection, or at its parent when nested. That changes where someone lands; it does not create a separate permission for that part of the board.

Check the containing folder

There are two different folder controls to keep straight. A folder’s audience setting does not automatically carry over to every file in it; each file has its own audience. An individual role granted directly on a folder does pass down to its files. You cannot reduce that inherited individual role by assigning a lower role on one file. Figma explains the distinction in its permissions guide.

Consider a fictional board called Saturday photo walk in a Weekend planning folder. Both the folder and the board have Only invited people as their audience. The board contains a Route ideas section, and public links are disabled in this example.

Person	Individual invitation	Access to this board
Morgan	Can edit on Weekend planning	Inherits Can edit, assuming a seat that supports FigJam editing
Sam	Can view on the board	Can view and, when signed in, comment; cannot add stickies
Alex	Can edit on the board	Can edit, assuming a seat that supports FigJam editing
Jules	No folder or board invitation	Has no access in this example

The board’s individual invitation list shows Sam and Alex. Morgan’s editing role comes from the folder, so the absence of a direct board invitation does not make Morgan a viewer. If Alex’s board invitation is removed, Alex loses the only access path declared in this example. Morgan keeps the individual folder role.

Now change only the folder audience to let plan members edit the folder, while leaving the board audience at Only invited people. Jules can reach the folder but still cannot reach this board. Follow the separate states in the worked access example or download the plain-text worksheet.

If Morgan should no longer inherit access to the board, review Morgan’s role on the relevant parent folder or consider a suitable different folder. Moving the board changes whose individual folder roles it inherits, so check the destination’s legitimate invitees before making that change.

Tell collaborators which action you need

A brainstorming invitation is clearer when it names the board, the place for contributions, and whether you expect edits or comments. For the fictional board above, an edit invitation could say:

Saturday photo walk: add one route idea in Route ideas before Friday. Use the Figma account that received your edit invitation. If you see View only, reply with that label; do not request access to the entire Weekend planning folder.

Use that message after confirming the file role and product seat. Asking for one board’s edit access can avoid exposing unrelated work in the containing folder.

If you need feedback without changes to the board’s objects, Can view can be enough for signed-in comments. Figma says a viewer cannot add or change objects, while an editor can add, move, edit, and delete FigJam objects. Viewers can also use cursor chat and emotes. Figma’s FigJam guide sets out those differences.

Fix common access problems

They can comment but cannot add a sticky

Check their role on the board. Can view permits comments for a signed-in person, but adding a sticky changes a board object and requires editing access. View only near the file name and an inactive toolbar are documented signs of view access. The person can use Ask to edit if that option appears; you can then check the board invitation, any inherited role, and whether their seat supports editing. Figma’s FigJam guide covers the viewer controls.

They can still view after you remove a file invitation

Look for another access path before assuming the removal failed. An individual folder role can remain in force, and the file’s audience may still allow access. In the photo-walk example, removing Morgan from a file invitation would not solve anything because Morgan’s declared role is on Weekend planning. Changing the board to Only invited people would not cancel that inherited role either. Figma’s permissions guide explains both cases.

An invited editor cannot edit

Confirm that the person is using the account that received the invitation, then check the file role, inherited roles, and product seat. Figma states that editing requires Can edit access and a seat capable of editing the product. If they see View only, ask for that exact label and use the board’s Share controls to check the role. Figma’s permissions guide describes the seat requirement.

Anyone is missing

An Organization or Enterprise administrator may have disabled public-link sharing. Ask the administrator about that setting rather than changing wider organization controls to share one brainstorm. Also note that in Starter Drafts, Anyone links are view-only; Figma says a file must move into a folder to allow editing through such a link. Figma’s sharing guide and admin guide describe these limits.

Use an open session for a live brainstorm

For a short live session, an eligible file editor can choose Start in Share under Open session and copy its link. Figma documents open sessions for Professional, Education, Organization, and Enterprise plans. A session lasts up to 24 hours at a time and can end earlier. If the option is missing, check the plan, whether the file is in Drafts rather than team space, and whether an organization administrator has restricted open sessions. Figma’s open-session guide covers setup; its admin guide covers the separate restriction.

In a separate fictional 45-minute public brainstorm about walking routes, a visitor without a Figma account enters a chosen name and adds a Riverside loop sticky. If the visitor asks where to leave a board comment, explain that comments require signing in or creating an account. They can use a sticky during the session instead. Visitors cannot use audio until they sign in, and their temporary edit access does not include permission to change sharing settings or manage the session.

Temporary visitor editing stops when the session ends. Previously invited viewers can retain their usual view access. Figma’s open-session guide also says temporary visitors do not affect team billing; a persistent seat invitation after the session can have billing effects depending on the seat.

The photo-walk worksheet and open-session scenario are fictional examples. Product instructions follow the linked Figma documentation; the examples do not record a logged-in account trial.