--- title: Managing Users, Roles and Tools Just Got Easier | dotCMS description: Manage access in dotCMS with new dedicated Roles, Tools and Users screens. Create roles, grant tool groups, customize admin navigation, and manage users in a searchable table, all under Settings with a modern, unified admin experience. url: https://www.dotcms.com/blog/managing-users-roles-and-tools-just-got-easier api-catalog: https://new-dotcms-com.vercel.app/.well-known/api-catalog --- # Managing Users, Roles and Tools Just Got Easier | dotCMS [Product](/blog/product)[User Experience](/blog/user-experience)[New Features](/blog/new-features) # Managing Users, Roles and Tools Just Got Easier ![Managing Users, Roles and Tools Just Got Easier](/dA/06cc22b1b42eb00fb7e03a0e1029d20e/75q/1024maxw/95q?w=1024&language_id=1)**Published on** November 9, 2026**Last modified on** November 11, 2026[![Marc](/dA/86e59834ff998c740f11aa1cd93e8d30/75q/1024maxw/53q?w=1024&language_id=1) Marc Boutillette Outbound Product Manager](/authors/marc-boutillette) Topics Covered: roles user management Share this article on: Managing who can do what in dotCMS now has three new screens:**Roles**,**Tools** and**Users**. They are part of our wider effort to[rebuild every admin screen on one modern foundation](/blog/get-content-to-market-faster-with-our-new-ux), so they look, search and behave like the rest of the redesigned admin. ![Video thumbnail](https://img.youtube.com/vi_webp/WwB83zlopNo/sddefault.webp?w=1024&language_id=1) Roles and tools used to be grouped together in a single Roles & Tools screen, with users in a screen of their own. Now each job has its own home: - **Roles** decides who gets access. - **Tools** defines what is in the navigation. - **Users** manages the people. You will find all three under**Settings**. They are marked Beta today, and that label is coming off soon. The original screens stay available, and will be marked Legacy. --- ## Roles: who gets access The left panel shows your role hierarchy, with a user count on each role and a filter to find one fast. Select a role and its header shows how many users it has and how many tool groups it has been granted. ![roles-role-tools-tab](/dA/be40dfa7-cf48-4ef2-8b1a-0af2fd38e39b/1024maxw/46q?w=1024&language_id=1) - **Create a role** with**New**. Give it a name, choose where it sits in the hierarchy, and decide what can be managed for it. A role placed under a parent inherits that parent's users and tool groups. - **Grant tool groups** on the role's**Tools** tab. Every tool group is a row, with the tools inside it listed beside it. Check a row and the change is saved right away. - **See where access comes from.** The Granted From column shows whether a grant belongs to the role itself or is inherited from a parent role. - **Manage members** on the**Users** tab, where you can add a user to the role directly. ![roles-add-role-dialog](/dA/f230623523db16a8203548ddbb126df3/asset/roles-add-role-dialog.png/1024maxw/46q?w=1024&language_id=1) --- ## Tools: what is in the navigation Tools is where you shape the left-hand navigation itself. On the left are the sections that make up the menu, each with its icon. Select a section to see its tools; on the right is every available tool. - **Create a section** with**New Section**: name it and pick an icon. - **Add tools** by searching the list and checking what belongs. Each tool appears under the section right away. - **Set the order** by dragging, for whole sections and for the tools inside them. Remove a tool from a section with its small x. - **Create a custom content tool** with**New Tool**. - **Changes save as you make them**, so there is no Save button to forget. Tools defines the sections, and granting them stays in Roles. A new section shows up on every role's Tools tab, ready to check. ![tools-sections-and-tools](/dA/df0ab10629db0933fe18fea145d1f9ee/asset/tools-sections-and-tools.png/1024maxw/46q?w=1024&language_id=1) --- ## Users: the people Users is one searchable table showing each person's name, email, roles, access (administrator, back-end, front-end) and last login. Search by ID, name or email, filter the list, sort the columns, and select several people to act on them together, for example adding them to a bundle. ![users-list](/dA/21ae336ae50fcbb0b1c8f5cfef1fd21e/asset/users-list.png/1024maxw/46q?w=1024&language_id=1) Click**New** and everything about a user lives in one dialog, organized in tabs. Enter the name and email, let dotCMS generate a secure password, and use the Active switch to control whether the person can sign in. On the**Roles** tab, move roles from Available to Granted; dotCMS adds the Back-end User role automatically. Open that role in Roles and you will see the person on its Users tab. --- ![users-create-user-dialog](/dA/1aad0608b8f7cca96d57991b82e2af50/asset/users-create-user-dialog.png/1024maxw/46q?w=1024&language_id=1) That is the flow: Roles for who gets access, Tools for what is in the menu, and Users for the people, all with the same modern look and behavior as the rest of the redesigned admin. #### Get the latest dotDEV straight to your inbox Subscribe and never miss a new article Subscribe ##### Oops! There was an error submitting the form. Please try again or contact us. 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