How to Set Expiration Dates for Guest Access in Your Iris Studio
User Expiration lets you grant someone temporary access to your Studio. Set an expiration date and time on a user, and their access automatically ends at that moment — no need to remember to remove them later.
Any user with an expiration date is considered a guest. Guests appear in a dedicated "Guests" tab within the invite panel, making it easy to see who has temporary access and when it ends.
What You'll Need
Owner or Admin role — Viewers and Producers can't manage other users' settings.
A plan that supports collaborator permissions — If your plan doesn't include this feature, the expiration option won't appear. You may need to upgrade.
An existing user — The person must already be invited to (or a member of) your Studio.
Setting an Expiration
Open the invite panel (click the Share button in the top navigation bar).
Find the user in the Invite users tab.
Click the role dropdown next to their name (it shows their current role — Viewer, Producer, or Admin).
Select "Add Expiration."
A calendar and time picker appears:
Pick a date — you can't select a date in the past.
Pick a time — shown in 15-minute intervals (e.g., 2:00 PM, 2:15 PM, 2:30 PM). If you select today's date, only future times are available.
Click "Set Expiration" to confirm.
Once set, you'll see a line under the user's email that reads: "Access expires on [date] at [time]" (e.g., "Access expires on 3/25/2026 at 4:00pm").
Setting an expiration doesn't change the user's role. A user can be a Viewer, Producer, or Admin and also have an expiration. They're independent settings.
While Expiration Is Active
The user appears in both the Invite users tab (with their expiration shown) and the Guests tab (under the Active section).
Next to the expiration text, you'll see two links:
Edit — opens the calendar/time picker to change the expiration
Delete — removes the expiration entirely, converting the user back to a regular collaborator with no time limit
When Access Expires
Once the expiration passes:
The user's status changes to "Access expired"
They move to the Expired section of the Guests tab
They can no longer access the Studio
Any changes the guest made to the Studio (like source configurations) remain even after their access expires. Only their ability to access the Studio is affected.
Editing or Removing an Expiration
To edit: Click Edit next to the expiration text (or select "Edit Expiration" from the role dropdown). Choose a new date and time, then click "Set Expiration."
To remove: Click Delete next to the expiration text. This removes the expiration — the user becomes a regular collaborator with permanent access and no longer appears in the Guests tab.
Expiration on Pending Invites
You can set an expiration on a pending invite before the user has accepted. The expiration is saved and applies once they accept. If they accept after the expiration date has already passed, their access will already be expired — so time it accordingly.
Support Access and Expiration
When you enable Support Access for your Studio, the Iris support team is automatically invited as an Admin guest with a 24-hour expiration. Their access ends automatically — you don't need to remove them manually, though you can revoke it at any time.
Collaborator Limits
All users — including guests — count toward your plan's collaborator limit.
When you hit the limit, you'll see "Collaborator limit reached" with a prompt to upgrade. You can't invite new users (including guests) until you upgrade or remove existing collaborators.
What Happens If…
…the expiration passes while the user is active? Their status changes to "Access expired." They appear in the Expired section of the Guests tab. You can edit the expiration to extend access, or remove them.
…you remove the expiration? The user becomes a regular collaborator with no time limit. They leave the Guests tab.
…you set an expiration on a pending invite? It's saved and applies when they accept. If they accept after the expiration date, their access is already expired.
…an expired user tries to access via an old link? They see "Invitation Expired — You are using an expired invite."
…you don't have permission to set expiration? The option won't be visible. You need Owner or Admin role on a plan that supports collaborator permissions.
…you try to set an expiration on the Studio Owner? You can't. The role dropdown is disabled for the Owner account.
Troubleshooting
What's happening | Likely cause | What to do |
"Add Expiration" option missing | Plan doesn't support collaborator permissions | Upgrade from Billing settings |
Can't select a time after picking today's date | All remaining times have passed | Choose tomorrow or a future date |
User still shows "Active" after expiration time | User list may not have refreshed | Close and reopen the invite panel |
"Collaborator limit reached" | Max collaborators for your plan | Remove an existing user or upgrade |
Expired user seems to still have access | Expiration may not have been enforced on active session | Access should be restricted on their next connection attempt |
FAQs
What is a "guest" in Iris? Any user with an expiration date set on their access. They appear in the Guests tab.
Can I set an expiration when first inviting a user? Expiration is set after the initial invite. First invite the user, then add an expiration from the role dropdown.
Can I extend an expired user's access? Yes. Find them in the Guests tab under Expired, click Edit, and set a new future date and time. No need to re-invite.
Does setting an expiration change their role? No. Expiration and role are independent.
Do guests count toward my collaborator limit? Yes. All users, including guests, count.
Can I set an expiration on the Owner? No. The Owner's role dropdown is disabled.
What happens to a guest's work when access expires? Changes they made (source configurations, etc.) remain. Only their ability to access the Studio is affected.
Can I set expiration on link-invited users? Once they've accepted and appear in your user list, yes — treat them like any other user.
How does support access use expiration? Enabling support access invites the Iris team as an Admin guest with 24-hour auto-expiring access.
Use Cases
Event-based collaborators — Set expiration for the day after the event. Access ends automatically without manual cleanup.
Temporary team members — Grant freelancers or contractors access for a project's duration with a clear end date.
Client review sessions — Invite clients as Viewers with a short expiration so they can observe a session without lingering access.
Support troubleshooting — The built-in 24-hour support access uses expiration automatically.
Trial periods — Let potential collaborators try the Studio for a limited time before committing to a permanent invitation.