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Permissions for snapshots

Snapshots maps onto two distinct permissions: viewing a snapshot and taking a new one.

Principle. Anyone with view access to a Confluence page sees the snapshot exactly as every other page viewer does — no Jira license required. Taking a new snapshot generates a new page version and therefore requires edit access to the page. An administrator can grant one optional override, which lets selected groups take snapshots without edit access. Snapshots taken through the override, or by automation, are created by the Snapshots app, which then needs edit access to the page itself.

This page covers the permission rules and the override.

Viewing a snapshot

A snapshot is rendered from data stored on the Confluence page. Anyone who can see the page can see the snapshot — same data, same formatting, same level structure. Their permissions in Jira don't matter.

This is the property that makes Snapshots useful for sharing Jira data with stakeholders who don't (and shouldn't) have access to Jira. See How snapshots work — Who can see a snapshot for more.

Taking a new snapshot

Taking a new snapshot creates a new version of the Confluence page, and Confluence requires page-edit access to create a new version. When you click Take snapshot, Snapshots creates that version as you, using your edit access. So the Take snapshot button is active when you can edit the page, and the new version is recorded under your name.

Page viewers without page-edit access see the snapshot but find the Take snapshot button disabled.

This default behavior is intentional. It lets the page owner control how often the snapshot is refreshed. When the snapshot is shared with stakeholders or external page viewers, they can read the current data without being able to refresh it themselves — refresh stays in the page owner's hands.

When the Snapshots app needs edit access

In two cases the Snapshots app creates the new page version itself, with its own permissions, and so needs edit access to the page:

  • Snapshots taken by automation.

  • Snapshots taken by members of groups granted the override (see below).

To give the app the access it needs:

  • A space administrator needs to make sure Snapshots has permission to edit pages in the space.

  • If the page has page-level restrictions, add Snapshots to the people who can edit the page.

From the move to Forge on 10 October 2026 until version 4.10.0 on 23 October 2026, the app also needed edit access for snapshots taken from the page. That is no longer the case. If you gave Snapshots edit access during that time, keep it on pages where you use automation or the override. See Moving to Forge.

Letting selected users take snapshots without edit access

There are scenarios where you want a stakeholder to be able to refresh the snapshot — for example, a customer reviewing a status report ad hoc — but you don't want them to edit the page itself (changing the macro configuration, adding text, restructuring the content).

A space administrator can grant a Confluence group the ability to take new snapshots without granting page-edit access.

To configure the override:

  1. As a space admin, open the space settings.

  2. Open App links → Snapshots → Permissions.

    snapshots-space-settings-permissions.png

  3. Tick Selected groups can take a new snapshot, even if they cannot edit the page.

  4. Add the Confluence groups that should have this permission.

  5. Save.

Members of the listed groups can now refresh snapshots on pages in this space, even on pages where their effective permission is view-only. Their ability to edit the page (change the macro configuration, add or modify content) is not affected — that still requires regular page-edit access.

Snapshots taken this way are created by the Snapshots app and recorded under its name, so the app needs edit access to the page; see When the Snapshots app needs edit access above.

Disabling the override site-wide

The override above is enabled by default for every space, available to space admins. A Confluence administrator can disable it across the whole site so that no space admin can grant take-snapshot to non-editors.

To turn the override off site-wide, see Configuring Snapshots permissions (admin) — the Snapshots Permissions tab in Snapshots Configuration.

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