User roles and permissions determine what a person can see and do inside your MediaValet account. Each role grants a specific set of capabilities, from full administrative control to simple viewing access, so every user only interacts with what's relevant to their job.
Why It Matters
Think of user roles like keys to a building. A facilities manager needs a master key that opens every door, while a visitor might only need access to the lobby. MediaValet works the same way — not everyone on your team needs the same level of access to your assets.
A few practical examples:
- A Library Administrator can reorganize folders and manage metadata for an entire asset library, but shouldn't necessarily be adding or removing user accounts. Separating that from User Administrator keeps library structure and account management as distinct responsibilities.
- An Approver ensures quality control — new assets or download requests can be routed to a designated person before they go live or leave the system, adding a checkpoint without slowing down everyone else.
- A Contributor on your creative team might need to submit new photography and download renditions for a project, but doesn't need access to original, high-resolution source files meant for print production.
- A Guest role is useful for external partners or agencies who need to browse and reference approved assets, without any risk of them downloading or uploading files.
Understanding your own role also matters even if you're not an admin. Knowing whether you have Member, Contributor, or another level of access explains what buttons and options you'll see (or won't) when you log in, so there's no guesswork about why you can't download an original file or approve an asset.
Available Roles
MediaValet includes seven default roles, listed here from full account control down to view-only access:
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Full control of MediaValet account |
| User Administrator | Full control of user accounts (not asset libraries) |
| Library Administrator | Full control of asset libraries (not user accounts) |
| Approver | Approve new assets to a library and approve download requests |
| Contributor | View, submit, and download renditions (no original or source files) |
| Member | View and download renditions only (not original or source files) |
| Guest | View only — no download or upload capability |
Each role is scoped to specific permissions — some around user accounts, some around asset libraries, and others around viewing, downloading, submitting, or approving content.
Permissions Matrix
The table below breaks down exactly which actions each role can perform, organized by feature area.
| Permissions Matrix | |||||||
| Permission | Admin | User Admin | Library Admin | Approver | Contributor | Member | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asset Uploading | |||||||
| Upload Assets – Auto-Approved | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Upload Assets – Approval Required | ✓ | ||||||
| Asset Management | |||||||
| Edit Asset Metadata (Keywords, Attributes, Etc.) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Categorize Assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Check-In and Check-Out Assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Relate/Link Assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Delete Assets | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Submit Keywords for Approval | ✓ | ||||||
| Asset Sharing | |||||||
| Share Assets with Pre-Defined Renditions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Share Original Assets | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Asset Downloading | |||||||
| Download Assets with Pre-Defined Renditions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Download Original Assets | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Approval | |||||||
| View and Approve Submitted/Uploaded Assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| View, Approve, Reject and Replace Keywords | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| View and Approve Download Requests | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Metadata Management | |||||||
| Create, Edit and Delete Keywords | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Create, Edit and Delete Attributes | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Create New Categories | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Delete Categories | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Administrator Rights | |||||||
| Run and Generate Usage Reports | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Manage Assets & Library Structure (Full Rights) | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Create, Delete and Change User Accounts & Groups (Full Rights) | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
The table below covers viewing-related permissions in more detail, since visibility of assets and history works a little differently than editing or approval rights.
| Permissions Matrix | ||||||||
| Permission | Description | Admin | User Admin | Library Admin | Approver | Contributor | Member | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View | ||||||||
| List | Can list categories, whether it contains viewable assets or not | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View Approved | Can view approved assets in categories that are accessible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| View Own Assets | Can view their own uploaded assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View All | Can view all assets in categories that are accessible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View Versions | Can view versions of an asset | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| View Asset Comments | Can view and add comments associated to assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View History | Can view history of an asset | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
Access and Availability
Every user can view and reference this article to understand their own permissions. However, only users with Administrator access can assign or change roles within MediaValet's account settings. If you believe your role needs to be adjusted, reach out to your organization's MediaValet Administrator