To assign or edit another employee's permissions in Toast Web, you must have the 8.2 User Permissions permission and all of that employee's existing permissions. If you are missing even one permission that the other employee has, Toast blocks the change. Use the Quick Fix table below to go directly to your issue.
Applies to: Toast Web. All user types who manage employee permissions — managers, admins, owners, and super admins. Not applicable to Toast Payroll or POS access code (PIN) issues.
Quick fix
What you're experiencing
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Can't assign or edit another employee's permissions
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Can assign some job codes but not others
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Seeing "Sorry, you can't edit permissions you don't have"
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Seeing a Forbidden error when saving
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Permissions work at one location but not others
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Seeing "Someone needs to unlock this for you"
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Need owner-level access for your account
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Added permissions but employee still doesn't have access
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Overview steps
If you're having trouble assigning or editing permissions, work through these steps in order. Most permission issues are resolved by step two.
Prerequisite: You must be logged in to Toast Web with an account that has the 8.2 User Permissions permission. You also need all of the permissions that the employee you're editing currently has.
Confirm you have 8.2 User Permissions. In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees. Open your employee profile and check the Jobs and Permissions tab. If 8.2 User Permissions is not enabled (either inherited or overridden), you cannot edit anyone else's permissions. Another admin or owner at your restaurant must enable it for you.
Compare your permissions to the other employee's permissions. Open your profile in one browser tab and the other employee's profile in a second tab. Check that you have every permission the other employee has. Any permission they have that you do not will block the edit.
Check your browser. If you're using Safari or Microsoft Edge, switch to Google Chrome and try again. Clear your browser cache and cookies if the issue persists.
Check your location scope (multilocation only). If your restaurant uses Multilocation Management (MLM), confirm you have the required permissions at the specific location you're editing, not just at another location. See the Permissions work at one location but not another section below.
If you're still blocked after completing these steps, find your specific error message or situation in the sections below.
Permissions overview
Permissions in Toast control what your employees can access on the POS and in Toast Web. Rather than assigning permissions to individuals, permissions are typically assigned to a Job (also called a job code or job role). When you assign an employee to a job, they inherit the permissions for that role. The person at a restaurant who has all permissions enabled is sometimes called a "super admin" or "super user."
Inherited vs. overridden permissions:
Inherited permissions come from the employee's assigned job. They appear as gray checkboxes in the permissions editor. Do not override an already-inherited permission — inherited permissions are automatically applied.
Overridden permissions are manually set at the individual employee level. They appear as blue checkboxes and differ from the employee's job-based defaults.
For the full list of available permissions, see Permissions Reference Guide.
I'm having difficulty assigning permissions to an employee
What this means: Toast requires that you have both the 8.2 User Permissions permission and every permission that the employee you're editing already has. If you can not see the permissions section for an employee profile, you do not have 8.2 User Permissions. If you are missing even one of their permissions, Toast blocks the change entirely — it does not tell you which specific permission is missing.
Step 1: Confirm you have the 8.2 User Permissions permission
Log in to Toast Web and navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees.
Open your employee profile by selecting the pencil icon to edit.
On the Jobs and Permissions tab, scroll down to the Permissions section and check the Default User Permissions section to confirm 8.2 User Permissions is enabled.
If it is not enabled or if you are unable to view any permissions on your profile, another employee with higher permissions (such as a GM or owner) must add it. Select Save after any changes.
The Jobs and Permissions tab shows which roles are assigned to you and the permissions attached to each role. If 8.2 User Permissions appears as a gray checkbox (inherited), it is already active and you do not need to override it.
Step 2: Confirm you have all of the other employee's permissions
You must have every permission that the employee you're editing has, plus 8.2 User Permissions. To compare:
In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees.
Open your profile and note your permissions.
Open a second browser tab, go back to the Employees page, and open the other employee's profile.
Compare your permissions side by side. Any permission the other employee has that you do not will block the edit.
Expected outcome: Once your permissions match or exceed the other employee's permissions (and you have 8.2 User Permissions), you can edit their profile and assign or change permissions.
Note: If you are using Safari or Microsoft Edge, switch to Google Chrome and try again before troubleshooting further.
I can assign some jobs but not others
What this means: To assign a specific job code to an employee, you must have every permission that the job includes — not just 8.2 User Permissions. Each job in Toast has its own set of permissions. If the Server job includes permissions you don't have but the Host job only includes permissions you do have, you can assign Host but not Server.
In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Jobs.
Open the job you are trying to assign and note which permissions it includes.
Open your own employee profile and check the Jobs and Permissions tab.
Compare your permissions against the job's permission set. Any permission the job has that you do not will block the assignment.
If you find a missing permission, ask an admin or owner at your restaurant to add the missing permission to your profile. Then try assigning the job again.
Expected outcome: Once your permissions include every permission in the job you are trying to assign, you can assign that job to employees.
Note: If you also need to create new jobs, you must have the 4.10 Employee Jobs & Wages permission in addition to 8.2 User Permissions.
Error: "Sorry, you can't edit permissions you don't have"
What this means: The account currently signed in to Toast Web does not have all the permissions of the employee being edited. To make a permission change, you must have that permission yourself.
This error also appears when a user has full permissions at more than one location and is trying to edit permissions for employees who have access to those same multiple locations. To proceed in that scenario, the editing user must have group-level permissions on top of the required permissions at each individual location.
Resolution:
If single location: Have a restaurant admin or manager with the required permissions make the update, or work with the restaurant owner to add the missing permissions to your profile first.
If multilocation: Confirm you have the required permissions at the group level, not just at individual locations. See Permissions work at one location but not another below, or see Get Help With MLM Employee Access & Permissions for detailed MLM troubleshooting.
Forbidden error when saving permission changes
What this means: A Forbidden error when saving permission changes means you are attempting to edit group-level permissions that you do not have yourself. This error is specific to restaurants using Multilocation Management (MLM).
Group-level permission changes cannot be made by Customer Care. Contact the owner, operator, or finance contact for your restaurant to resolve this.
If you are not part of a multilocation group and are seeing a Forbidden error, clear your browser cache and cookies, switch to Google Chrome, and try again. If the error persists, contact Customer Care.
Permissions work at one location but not another
What this means: In a Multilocation Management (MLM) setup, permissions are scoped to specific locations. You may have full permissions at Location A but limited permissions at Location B. Toast checks your permissions at the exact location you are currently editing.
Confirm which location you are logged into in Toast Web. Check the location selector in the top navigation bar.
Navigate to your employee profile and check your permissions at the specific location where the issue occurs.
If your permissions are different at that location, ask an admin with group-level access to update your permissions for the affected location.
After the update, log out and log back in to Toast Web to refresh your session.
Expected outcome: Once your permissions are updated at the affected location and you log back in, you should be able to manage permissions for employees at that location.
For detailed guidance on managing permissions across locations, see Get Help With MLM Employee Access & Permissions and Manage User Jobs & Permissions With MLM.
Employee sees "Someone needs to unlock this for you"
What this means: This message appears when an employee tries to log in to Toast Web but their account does not have the necessary permissions to access the page they are trying to reach.
Confirm the employee's permissions are correct in Toast Web. Open their employee profile and verify the Jobs and Permissions tab shows the expected permissions.
If permissions are correct, the employee may be experiencing a temporary browser issue. Have them clear their browser cache and cookies, or switch to Google Chrome. See Troubleshoot Web Browsers for Accessing Toast for steps.
Expected outcome: After verifying permissions or clearing the browser cache, the employee should be able to access Toast Web without the "unlock" message.
I need owner-level permissions for my account
To add owner-level permissions to your account, another user at your restaurant who already has owner permissions must log in to Toast Web and update your employee profile. This change cannot be made by Customer Care — it must come from an existing owner or admin at your restaurant.
If the only owner at your restaurant is no longer available (e.g., they have left the business), contact Customer Care for assistance with account recovery. Have your restaurant's business documentation ready.
Before you contact Customer Care
If you have worked through the steps above and still need help, have the following information ready before reaching out to Customer Care:
The exact error message you are seeing (screenshot if possible)
Your employee name and email address in Toast Web
The name of the employee whose permissions you are trying to edit (if applicable)
Which specific permission or job code you are trying to add or change
Whether your restaurant uses Multilocation Management (MLM)
The steps you have already tried from this article
Frequently asked questions
I've added permissions but the employee still doesn't have access
I added permissions to an employee's profile, but they still cannot access the feature on the POS or in Toast Web. Why?
Two common causes:
Duplicate profile: The employee may have two profiles in the system. In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees and search their name. If a second profile appears, add the permissions to the profile the employee actually uses. You can identify the correct profile by checking the email address for Toast Web access or the POS access code for POS device access.
Expired invitation: If you see a red Expired tag next to the employee's profile, select it and choose Resend invitation. The employee must accept the invitation before they can log in to Toast Web or clock in on the POS. Once their status is Active, remove the permissions, select Save, re-add them, and select Save again.
If the permissions were added for POS access, you may also need to resync the POS device. On the POS passcode screen, select the overflow menu (three dots) in the top-right corner and choose Resync Data.
Why am I having trouble accessing a specific restaurant location within a multilocation group?
Why can't I access a specific location within a multilocation group? I can access other locations but not this one.
Your location-specific permissions may not be correctly configured. In a multilocation setup, permissions are assigned per location. Contact your restaurant's administrator or owner to review and update your permissions for that specific location. See Get Help With MLM Employee Access & Permissions for more information.
What do I do if I don't have the permissions I need?
I need a specific permission but don't have it. How do I get it?
Contact a manager or admin at your restaurant who has the required permissions to update your employee account. Another user at your restaurant — not Customer Care — must make this change. If you do not know who the admin is, ask your general manager or restaurant owner.
How do I give employees permission to bump up prep time for online orders?
How do I give an employee the ability to increase prep time for online orders?
Bumping prep time for online orders requires the 3.29 Throttle Online Orders permission. To assign it, you must have 8.2 User Permissions and 3.29 Throttle Online Orders yourself. You can assign this at the job level (applies to all employees in that job) or the individual employee level.
To assign at the individual level:
In Toast Web, navigate to Employees > Employee management > Employees.
Open the employee's profile and select the pencil icon to edit.
On the Jobs and Permissions tab, locate 3.29 Throttle Online Orders and enable it.
Select Save.
Expected outcome: The employee can now adjust prep time for online orders on the POS.
Can I mirror another employee's access when making a new user account?
Can I copy or clone another employee's permissions to a new employee?
Toast does not support cloning or mirroring an employee profile automatically. To match another employee's access, assign the same jobs at the same locations. Using job-based permissions (rather than individual overrides) makes this consistent and easier to maintain. For instructions on assigning jobs, see Assign User Access Permissions.
What is the difference between inherited and overridden permissions?
What do the gray and blue checkboxes mean in the permissions editor?
Inherited permissions come from the employee's job role. They appear as gray checkboxes and are applied automatically — do not override an already-inherited permission, as it is already active. Overridden permissions are manually set at the employee level and appear as blue checkboxes. Override when an employee needs access beyond their job role's defaults, or when you need to restrict a specific permission for one employee.
I have all the necessary permissions, but it says I need administrator access. What do I do?
I have all the correct permissions but still see a message saying I need administrator access to make changes.
Clear your browser's cache and cookies, then log back in and try again. This is often a browser session issue rather than an actual permissions problem.
If the issue persists after clearing cache, contact Customer Care.
Why can't I create a new job even though I'm the owner?
I'm the owner or admin and I can't create a new job role in Toast Web. Why?
Creating new jobs in Toast Web requires the 4.10 Employee Jobs & Wages permission in addition to being an owner or admin. Check your employee profile to confirm this permission is enabled.
If your restaurant uses Toast Payroll, note that job management in Toast Payroll is separate from job creation in Toast Web. Jobs created in Toast Payroll sync to Toast Web, but if you need to create a new job directly in Toast Web, you must have the appropriate permissions in Toast Web. [Information missing: requires input on whether Toast Payroll job sync to Toast Web is automatic or requires manual action]
Do I need to reboot the POS after changing permissions?
I changed an employee's permissions in Toast Web but the POS still shows the old permissions. Do I need to restart the device?
Permission changes made in Toast Web may not immediately reflect on the POS device. To update the POS:
On the POS device, select Switch User to go to the passcode screen.
Select the overflow menu (three dots) in the top-right corner.
Select Device status.
Select the Queues tab.
Review the Credit Card Queue and Red Checks (Failed Model Queue) sections.
If either queue contains checks, see Resync All Data on Your Devices for more information.
If your queues are empty:
Select Switch User to go back to the passcode screen.
Select the overflow menu (three dots) in the top-right corner.
Select Resync Data from the dropdown.
If that does not work, restart the POS device.
I removed a permission from my own profile and now I can't add it back
I accidentally removed a permission from my own employee profile and now I don't have the authority to restore it. What do I do?
You cannot add permissions to yourself that you do not currently have. Another user at your restaurant who has the permission you removed (plus 8.2 User Permissions) must re-add it to your profile. Contact your restaurant's owner or another admin to make this change.
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