---
title: "Collaboration permissions for document management"
canonical_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/overview/"
md_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/overview.md"
last_updated: "2026-05-26T01:23:09.601Z"
description: "Discover how collaboration permissions provide secure control over document editing and sharing, enhancing teamwork and security in real time."
---

# Manage document collaboration permissions securely

Collaboration Permissions is a feature that gives you a fine-grained permission system for defining actions allowed by individual users when multiple users are working on the same document.

Collaboration permissions allow a user to:

- View an annotation, comment, or form field

- Edit an annotation, comment, or form field

- Delete an annotation, comment, or form field

- Fill out a form

- Reply to a comment thread

These permissions are based on the configuration present in the [JSON Web Token](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/document-engine/viewer/client-authentication.md) (JWT). Since these permissions can’t be modified on the client side, they’re more secure than the previously existing client-side restrictions.

Refer to the permissions syntax in the [set permissions](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/set-permissions.md) guide.

Collaboration Permissions doesn’t handle the creation of annotations, comments, or form fields. Such permissions are granted by specifying the `write` permission in the `permissions` array in the JWT.

Permissions are available for any Server installation with [Instant](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/instant-synchronization.md) enabled in the license.

If Collaboration Permissions is enabled, by default, the user isn’t allowed to perform any of the actions unless specified.

## Supported client platforms

Collaboration Permissions is available in the following Nutrient frontend SDKs:

- [Nutrient Web SDK](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/collaboration-permissions/introduction-to-collaboration-permissions.md)

- [Nutrient iOS SDK](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/ios/collaboration-permissions/introduction-to-collaboration-permissions.md)
---

## Related pages

- [Master collaboration permissions in Document Engine](/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/content-ownership.md)
- [Understanding collaboration permissions for documents](/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/example.md)
- [Manage user permissions for instant synchronization](/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/edit-permissions.md)
- [Setting user collaboration permissions effectively](/guides/document-engine/instant-synchronization/permissions/set-permissions.md)