Managing access to inboxes and conversations
The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.
Each inbox in tawk.to has an owner and a visibility setting. Together, these determine who can access the inbox and its conversations, who can read and reply to messages, and who can manage the inbox settings.
You can control access to personal inboxes and shared team inboxes, as well as individual conversations. These access controls currently apply to email inboxes only, with support for other channels planned for future releases.
You can control access to personal inboxes and shared team inboxes, as well as individual conversations. These access controls currently apply to email inboxes only, with support for other channels planned for future releases.
Understanding inbox ownership
Every inbox belongs either to an individual member or to the property.
Property admins cannot manage a member-owned inbox unless they own it. This restriction helps protect personal inboxes from unwanted access or changes.
Existing inboxes that were connected before these access controls were introduced are owned by the property and visible to all members. This means existing teams retain their access unless they change their settings.
- Member-owned inbox: The member who connects the inbox usually becomes its owner. The owner manages the inbox and controls its settings.
- Property-owned inbox: The inbox belongs to the property, and property admins can manage its settings.
Property admins cannot manage a member-owned inbox unless they own it. This restriction helps protect personal inboxes from unwanted access or changes.
Existing inboxes that were connected before these access controls were introduced are owned by the property and visible to all members. This means existing teams retain their access unless they change their settings.
Inbox visibility options
You can choose one of four visibility settings when connecting an inbox or update the setting later:
Note: Personal-looking addresses default to Private, while team addresses such as support@ typically default to All members.
- Private: Only the inbox owner can access the inbox and its conversations.
- All members: All members of the property can access the inbox and its conversations.
- Departments: Only members of the selected departments can access the inbox and its conversations.
- Selected members: Only the members you select can access the inbox and its conversations.
Note: Personal-looking addresses default to Private, while team addresses such as support@ typically default to All members.
Who can change inbox settings?
Inbox management permissions depend on ownership:
You can still open the settings of an inbox you don't own and view its configuration. If the inbox is shared with you, you can also read and reply to its conversations.
Options you don't have permission to use appear greyed out. Hover over an unavailable option to see a tooltip explaining who can make the change.
- Inbox owners can manage their own inboxes, including renaming them, changing visibility, transferring ownership, and disconnecting or reconnecting them.
- Property admins can manage inboxes owned by the property.
- Other members and admins cannot change an inbox's settings unless they own it or have the appropriate property-admin permissions for a property-owned inbox.
You can still open the settings of an inbox you don't own and view its configuration. If the inbox is shared with you, you can also read and reply to its conversations.
Options you don't have permission to use appear greyed out. Hover over an unavailable option to see a tooltip explaining who can make the change.
Changing inbox visibility
2. Click Administration on the left navigation bar.
3. Click Integrations in the left submenu.
4. Select the specific channel (for example, Email).
5. Find the inbox you want to update and click Edit.
6. Select the appropriate option under Who can see this inbox?.
7. Click Save.
Only the inbox owner can change the settings of a member-owned inbox. Property admins can change the settings of property-owned inboxes.
Managing access to individual conversations
By default, each conversation follows its inbox's visibility setting. The conversation displays Same as inbox to indicate this.
The inbox owner can give an individual conversation its own audience, making it accessible to more or fewer people than the inbox itself. For a property-owned inbox, a property admin can also change the conversation's visibility.
To change a conversation's visibility:
Important:
The inbox owner can give an individual conversation its own audience, making it accessible to more or fewer people than the inbox itself. For a property-owned inbox, a property admin can also change the conversation's visibility.
To change a conversation's visibility:
- Open the conversation.
- Click the sharing control in the conversation header, or use the Visibility column in the conversation list.
- Choose who should be able to access the conversation.
Important:
- Separate visibility settings
Changing an inbox's visibility does not override a conversation's separately configured visibility.
- Your own access
If you choose an audience that excludes you, you will lose access to that conversation.
- Member access
A member must have permission to read a conversation before you can assign it to them.
- Limited management permissions
Members included through Departments or Selected members can read and reply to conversations they can access, but they cannot change the inbox's or conversation's visibility.
Transferring inbox ownership
You can transfer an inbox to another property member or back to the property.
To transfer ownership:
Both the previous owner and the new owner receive a notification about the transfer.
Only the current owner can transfer a member-owned inbox. Property admins can manage ownership for property-owned inboxes.
To transfer ownership:
- Open the inbox's Edit screen.
- Under Transfer ownership, select another property member or choose Property.
- Click Save.
Both the previous owner and the new owner receive a notification about the transfer.
Only the current owner can transfer a member-owned inbox. Property admins can manage ownership for property-owned inboxes.
What happens when an inbox owner leaves?
When an inbox owner leaves the property, the inbox becomes property-owned, and the former owner is removed from its access lists.
The inbox's visibility setting remains unchanged. For example, an inbox shared with all members remains shared with all members.
The effect on the connection depends on the channel:
The inbox's visibility setting remains unchanged. For example, an inbox shared with all members remains shared with all members.
The effect on the connection depends on the channel:
- Email: The connection is disconnected because it uses the former owner's mailbox.
- Facebook Messenger and Instagram (upcoming): The planned behavior is to disconnect the connection because it relies on the former owner's access to the Page.
- SMS, Telegram, and WhatsApp (upcoming): The planned behavior is to keep the connection active because the credentials belong to the business rather than the individual.
Additional considerations
- These controls currently apply to email only
Support for SMS, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp is planned for future releases. Live chat and tickets retain their existing permissions. - Private means owner-only access
Property admins cannot automatically access a private inbox owned by another member. This is intentional, not a permissions error.
- Previously delivered notifications cannot be recalled
If you change access after a notification has been sent, the notification remains delivered.
Related guides
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