Groups

Last updated: May 12, 2026Latest Frontend Version: 2.17.3

Prerequisites

Access Level:

User, Sub-admin, Admin

Permission Requirements

• . Basic Vault Interaction
  • View metadata for own files (necessary to download)
  • View access/sharing/project history of own files
  • Create file metadata
  • View keys for own files (necessary to download)
  • Download own files' content
  • View directories
  • Create directories
  • Delete directories
• . Basic Group Interaction
  • View groups they are a member of
  • View keys for groups they are a member of
  • Create groups
  • Rename own groups and transfer ownership
  • Add users to groups they are a member of
  • Edit other members in groups they are a member of
  • Remove other users from groups they are a member of
  • Delete groups they are the owner of
• . Basic Project Interaction
  • View projects they are a member of
  • View other members in projects they are a member of
  • Classify resources with projects they are active in
• . Project Management
  • Declassify resources tagged with projects they manage
  • Edit metadata for projects they manage
  • Delete projects they manage
  • Add users to projects they manage

Groups let you share files with a defined set of collaborators in a single action. Instead of sharing each file individually with multiple users, share it with a group and all members receive access.

When to use groups:

• You regularly share files with the same set of people (e.g., a research team, a lab group)
• You want new files to be automatically accessible to all group members when shared with the group
• You need to manage access collectively: adding a member to the group grants access to all group-shared files; removing a member revokes it

Groups can also be associated with projects, restricting group membership to certified project members.

Access Group Directories

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. View all the groups you have access to in the right panel.

info

• Users with user roles can only view the groups they are part of.
• Users with sub-admin roles and admin roles can view the groups they manage.
• Users with super-admin roles can view all existing and past groups.

note

You can use the search bar to find a group in the right panel.

View Groups from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Users section.
3. Click the Groups section in the top left panel.
4. View all existing and past groups in the system.

info

You must be a user with an admin or super-admin role to access groups from the Management section.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Cannot View the Group Tab in the Vault

You cannot view the group tab because you do not have group viewing permissions from your admin.

Ask Your Admin for Group Permissions

Ask your admin to grant you permission to view your group members from the Vault.

To Admin

Follow the steps in 

View User Permissions from the Vault

 then check the View groups they are member of permission, under Basic Group Interaction sub-section in Manual permission management section.

View Your Group Members from the Vault

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group whose members you want to view.
4. In the new window, view the list of group members on the right.

Create a Group

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Create group button.
4. In the pop-up, enter the group name.
5. Click Create.
6. In the new pop-up, enter user names to add to the group.
7. Select their user permissions in the group.
8. Click Add to group.

note

• The box Add users to group after creation is checked by default.
• You may be asked to enter your password upon group creation.

info

When you create a group you are automatically assigned the group owner role.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Created Group Successfully

Created group group-name.

Create a Group Tagged by a Project from the Vault

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Create group button.
4. In the pop-up, enter the group name and select the project to tag the group with.
5. Click Create.
6. In the new pop-up, enter user names to add to the group.
7. Select their user permissions in the group.
8. Click Add to group.

caution

You can only add users to a group if they are members of the project the group is tagged with. Users must satisfy project requirements to join a project-tagged group.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Created Project-Tagged Group Successfully

Created group Tag tagged-group-name.

Manage a Group

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the appropriate group.
4. Select Open overlay.
5. In the pop-up, view the group details.

note

Group members can be managed by a group owner or by a group member with group permissions granted by the owner.

Add a New Member to a Group

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, click the Add a new member section in the left panel.
5. In the pop-up, enter the user name to add to the group.
6. Select the user's permissions in the group.
7. Click Add to group.

info

You cannot add members to a project-tagged group unless you are a member of the same tagged project.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Added User to Group Successfully

user-name added to group group-name.

Added User to Project-Tagged Group Successfully

user-name added to group Tag tagged-group-name.

Unable to Add New Members

The add new members section is not visible in groups.

Ask the Group Owner to Grant you Add Member Permissions

To add new members to the group, you must ask the group owner to grant you permission to add members.

To Group Owner

To allow group members to add new group members in the group:

1. In the Vault section, click the Groups card on the right panel.
2. Click the appropriate group to open the group overlay.
3. In the new window, select the member you want to grant permission to add new group members.
4. On the left panel tick the Add Members.
5. Once done, click Close.

Change Group Members' Permissions

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, select the user you wish to change permissions for.
5. On the left panel tick or untick the permissions as needed.
6. Once done, click Close.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Updated Group Members' Permissions

Updated permissions for user-name.

Unable to Change Group Members' Permissions

All group members' permissions are inactive.

Ask the Group Owner to Grant you Permissions

To change permissions for other group members, you must ask the group owner to grant you permission to manage group permissions.

To Group Owner

To allow group members to manage permissions in the group:

1. In the Vault section, click the Groups card on the right panel.
2. Click the appropriate group to open the group overlay.
3. In the new window, select the member you want to grant permission to manage permissions in the group.
4. On the left panel tick the Change Permissions.
5. Once done, click Close.

Promote a Group Member to Owner of the Group

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, select the user you wish to promote to group owner.
5. Click Promote to owner button in the top left panel.
6. In the pop-up, click Yes to confirm.

note

The owner of the group may perform actions within the group regardless of their group permissions.

warning

When you promote a member to group owner, you will lose all ownership permissions. You will no longer be able to delete the group, but you can leave it. The promoted user, as the new group owner, will have the ability to delete the group but will not be able to leave it.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Transferred Ownership to a Group Member

Transferred ownership to user-name.

Unable to View Transfer Ownership and Other Group Commands

The left panel section commands are not visible in groups.

Ask the Group Owner to Grant you Permissions

To transfer ownership and perform other actions in the group, you must ask the group owner to grant you group permissions.

To Group Owner

To allow a group member to transfer ownership and make changes in the group:

1. In the Management section, click the Users section in the left panel.
2. Select the appropriate user to update permissions.
3. Click the Open Overlay button in the top right.
4. In the new window, go to the Manual permission management section.
5. Under Basic Group Interaction section, tick the Rename own groups and transfer ownership permission.
6. Once done, click Close.

Make a Group Member a Group Manager

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, select the group member you wish to promote to group manager.
5. Tick the Add Members permission in the left panel.
6. View the role change under the Role column on the right.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Promoted Group Member to Manager

Updated permissions for user-name.

Remove a Group Member

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, select the user you wish to remove from the group.
5. Click Remove from group button in the left panel.
6. In the pop-up, click Yes to confirm.

caution

Removed group members cannot interact with the group's files in any way.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Removed Group Member

Removed user-name from the group.

Rename a Group

Method one:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the group you wish to rename.
4. Select Rename.
5. In the pop-up, enter the new group name.
6. Click Rename.

Method two:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, click the Rename group section in the left panel.
5. In the pop-up, enter the new group name.
6. Click Rename.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Renamed Group Successfully

Group renamed to new-group-name.

Change the Project in a Group

Method one:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the group whose project you wish to change.
4. Select Change project.
5. In the pop-up, select the project.
6. Click Classify.

Method two:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, click the Change project section in the left panel.
5. In the pop-up, select the project.
6. Click Classify.

caution

• You must be a certified member of the project you want to tag your group with.
• Multiple groups can share the same project tag.
• Non-members of the project can view the tagged group's contents only after being granted certified project membership by an admin.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Changed Project in Group

Set project for group-name total-time-to-classify.

Changed Project in Tagged Group

Set project for Tag tagged-group-nametotal-time-to-classify.

Failed to Change Project Tag in Group

Failed at failed-action-time/: Insufficient group permissions to perform that action.

Ask the Group Owner to Grant you Permissions

To change the project tag in a group, you must ask the group owner to allow you to change the group's project tag.

To Group Owner

To allow group members to change the project tag in the group:

1. In the Vault section, click the Groups card on the right panel.
2. Click the appropriate group to open the group overlay.
3. In the new window, select the member you want to grant permission to change the project tag for the group.
4. On the left panel tick the Modify Project Tag.
5. Once done, click Close.

Forcefully Change the Project in a Group

Method one:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the group whose project you wish to change.
4. Select Change project.
5. In the pop-up, tick Use my permission to override rules, re-tag resources with any visible project, regardless of current project relations.
6. Select the project to tag the group.
7. Click Force change with admin privilege.

Method two:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, click the Change project section in the left panel.
5. In the pop-up, tick Use my permission to override rules, re-tag resources with any visible project, regardless of current project relations.
6. Select the project to tag the group.
7. Click Force change with admin privilege.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Forcefully Changed Project in Tagged Group

Set project for Tag tagged-group-nametotal-time-to-classify.

Remove Project from a Group

Method one:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the group whose project you wish to change.
4. Select Change project.
5. In the pop-up, select No project (unlocked).
6. Click Declassify.

Method two:

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the group to open the group overlay.
4. In the new window, click the Change project section in the left panel.
5. In the pop-up, select No project (unlocked).
6. Click Declassify.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Removed Project Tag from Group

Declassify Tag tagged-group-name total-time-to-declassify.

Download Group Content

bulk-action

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Group Directories section on the left panel.
3. Select the group file(s) or directory(ies) you wish to download.
4. Click Download in the top center panel.
5. In the prompt, preview the file and directory structure.
6. Select the destination of your download.
7. Click Download.

warning

Downloading a group's contents removes the group's encryption. It is your responsibility to secure the files.

note

• You may be asked to enter your password when changing the download destination.
• You can set a default download destination for groups by clicking Set as default after making your selection.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Downloaded Group Files Successfully

Download file total-download-time, Finished at downloaded-time.

Failed to Download Group Files

Failed to create directory /directory-name/in destination: failed to create directory: mkdir directory-path: Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

Add New Files to Group Directory or Select a New Download Path

There are two ways to resolve this error.

1. The group directory is empty. Add files to the group directory before attempting to download.
2. You already downloaded the same files in the same directory. Change the download path or access the files locally.

Compute Disk Usage of a Group

bulk-action

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Group Directories section on the left panel.
3. Select the group(s) for which you want to compute the disk usage.
4. Click the Open Full Menu button in the top center panel.
5. Select Compute Disk Usage in the top center panel.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Promoted Group Member to Manager

Scanning files and directories total-time-to-scan.

Delete a Group

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the group you want to delete.
4. Select Delete.
5. In the pop-up, click Yes to confirm.

info

You can only delete a group if you are the group owner. If you are a member, you can only leave the group.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Deleted Group Successfully

Deleted group-name.

Deleted Project-Tagged Group Successfully

Deleted Tag tagged-group-name.

Leave a Group

1. Go to the Vault icon in the top left panel.
2. Click the Groups card on the right panel.
3. Click the Open Full Menu button next to the group you want to leave.
4. Select Leave group.
5. In the pop-up, click Yes to confirm.

info

You can only leave a group if you are a group member. If you are the owner, you can only delete the group.

Confirmations, Errors & Solutions

Left Group Successfully

You left group-name.