YouTrack Standalone 2020.3 Help

Create a Group

In YouTrack, a group is used as a resource in a project. The group defines how a collection of users gains access to the project. The access rights are defined by assigning one or more roles to the group.

A new group must be linked to at least one project. Once created, an existing group can be linked to multiple projects.

Use groups to provide a uniform set of permissions to a collection of users who perform similar tasks and require a non-standard level of access. To provide users with a standard level of access, simply add them to the project team. For more information, see Manage the Project Team.

In addition to the default groups, you can create as many groups as you need for your YouTrack instance.

To create a new group:

  1. In the Access Management section of the Administration menu, select Groups.

  2. Click the New Group button in the toolbar.

  3. In the New Group dialog, enter a name and select the project to which the group will belong. To narrow down the list of projects, start typing the project name.

    New group
  4. Click the New Group button.

    • The group is created, however it does not have any members or role assignments. Select one of the following tabs to perform the corresponding operation:

      Tab

      Operation

      Members

      Add one or more users to the group. For more information, see Add and Remove Members.

      Settings

      Edit the basic settings for the group. For more information, see Edit Basic Group Settings.

      Roles

      Grant a role in one or more projects to every member of the group. For more information, see Manage Group Access.

Why Do I Add a Group to a Project?

When you create a group, you must choose a project. However, this association between the group and the project doesn't grant the members of the group access to the project. To grant access, you must assign the group a role in the project.

The link between the group and the project determines who can manage the group. The permissions that let you manage groups are all assigned on a per-project basis. This means that you must choose a project that uses this group as a resource in order to view and update the group itself.

For example, let's say we have Project A and Project B in YouTrack.

The user 'John Johnson' is granted the default Project Admin role in project A. This role grants John the following permissions in project A (among others):

  • Read Project Basic
  • Read Project Full
  • Update Project
  • Read Group
  • Create Group
  • Update Group

John does not have these permissions in project B. When John opens the Projects list, he only sees project A, and not project B.

John can create, read, and update the groups that he wants to use to assign roles in project A. However, because these permissions are granted on a per-project basis, he cannot see groups that are only linked to project B. If John wants to add a group to the list of assignees in project A, he only sees the groups that are linked to this project.

As an administrator, you have fewer limitations. By default the administrator account is assigned the System Admin role in the Global project. This gives you the ability to update groups that are linked to any project in YouTrack.

Last modified: 28 October 2020