Locking boards to prevent editing

Locking boards allows you to control who can save changes to the boards, whether it’s an insights, feature, roadmap, or customers board. Locking or unlocking the board lets you control which makers can save changes to shared boards. This feature helps to prevent accidental changes to boards by other makers with access to the board.

In this article:

• Locking and unlocking boards
• Understanding the locking restrictions
• Board ownership
• Boards ownership and locking of newly created boards

Locking and unlocking boards

A board can be locked by toggling the option in the footer of the sharing settings.

This option is available to the board's owner and all admin makers.

Understanding the locking restrictions

Board locked

Once the board is locked, only the owner or the admins can save changes to the board, update the sharing settings of a board or delete a board.

• Makers with access cannot save changes to the original board; they can only save it as a new board.
• Makers with access can board the sharing settings but cannot change them.
• Only the owner and Maker admins can save changes to the board and edit the sharing settings.
• Only the owner and Maker admins can unlock the board.

Board unlocked

When the board is unlocked, all makers can save changes, edit sharing settings and delete the board.

• All makers with access can edit the sharing settings or save changes on the board.
• The owner and Maker admins can lock the board.

Board ownership

All newly created or shared boards have owners, but some of the older boards or boards created by deactivated users might not have an owner assigned. A board must have an owner before it can be locked. 

To assign an owner to a board, follow these steps:

• Click Share in the header of a board. (If you don't see the Share button, click the Save button, and the Share button will appear).
• Click the Assign owner button and choose the board Owner. Alternatively, click the Options() button next to a name and click Make owner. 

Note:

• Only makers with admin access or the current owner of the board can assign owners.
• Only makers can be assigned ownership. 
• Admins can re-assign owners to all boards that are publicly shared.

Board ownership and locking of newly created boards

When you create a new board (either via + Create board, Save as new or Duplicate actions), the creator is automatically assigned as the board's owner.

The owner can then reassign a board to another maker. The previous owner transfers their board edit rights to the new owner.

All newly created boards are created as private and unlocked by default.

See also:

• How to manage permissions in Productboard
• Use boards to capture common Features board configurations
• Use insights boards to group related notes
• Using the Customer Board to see related customer context