How To Set WhatsApp Permissions In HighLevel

Disclosure: I am an independent entity from HighLevel, not an agent or employee. I earn a commission if you sign up through my links, at no extra cost to you.

You hired help so you could stop being the bottleneck.

Then you handed over the login and felt your stomach drop.

Because now someone who has been with you three weeks can delete an approved WhatsApp template, or buy a phone number on your card, and you will find out about it after.

It does not have to be all or nothing.

To set WhatsApp permissions in HighLevel, go to the sub-account, click Settings, select My Staff, edit the staff member, then open Roles and Permissions and scroll down to WhatsApp.From there you can switch WhatsApp off entirely for that person, or leave it on and pick exactly which six actions they are allowed to take.

Here is the whole setup, click by click.

What you need before you start

• Access at the sub-account level where your staff members live. If you do not have an account yet, you canstart a 30-day free trial here

• The staff member already added to that sub-account

• A quick decision about what each person actually needs to do their job

That last one is the real work. The clicking takes two minutes.

Open the staff member's permissions

Step 1: Go to the right sub-account

Head to the sub-account where you manage your staff members.

If you have several sub-accounts, permissions are set per sub-account. Setting them in one does not carry them to another.

Step 2: Click Settings

On the left-hand side, scroll down and selectSettings.

Step 3: Select My Staff

ClickMy Staff.

You will see the list of everyone in that sub-account.

Step 4: Edit the person you want to change

Click to edit the staff member. In this walkthrough, that is a sales manager.

Step 5: Open Roles and Permissions

From the list of options, selectRoles and Permissions.

Step 6: Scroll down to WhatsApp

Scroll all the way to the bottom.

It is the last thing on a long list, which is exactly why most people never find it and hand out full access instead.

Following along?Start your 30 days free hereand you can set this up as you read.

Choose what they can do

You have two choices at the WhatsApp section.

Disable it.That staff member has no access to anything WhatsApp related.

Enable it and set granular permissions.They get WhatsApp, but only the parts you switch on.

Step 7: Pick from the six permissions

Here is everything you can grant or withhold:

• Create and edit WhatsApp templates

• Delete WhatsApp templates

• Create and edit WhatsApp flows

• Delete WhatsApp flows

• Update WhatsApp business profiles

• Add and manage WhatsApp phone numbers

Notice that create and delete are separate for both templates and flows. That split is the whole point. Most of your team needs to build things. Almost nobody needs to destroy them.

Step 8: Deselect what they should not have

For the sales manager, say you want her to have everything except buying phone numbers.

Deselect that one option and leave the rest on.

She can build, edit, and manage. She cannot add a cost to your account.

Step 9: Save

ClickSavein the bottom right corner.

What your team sees afterward

Inside templates, a staff member with edit access can edit templates, clone them, and move them into folders. If you turned on create, they can build new ones too.

If they try to reach something they do not have permission for, they get a notification telling them they do not have the required permissions and to contact the admin for assistance.

That message matters more than it looks. Nobody sits there wondering if the platform is broken. They know it is a permission, and they know who to ask.

Tell your team this in advance. Otherwise the first person who hits that message assumes something is wrong and spends twenty minutes trying to fix it.

A real scenario for an agency managing a med spa

Say you run WhatsApp for a med spa client with three people touching the account.

The office manager, a front desk coordinator, and your own virtual assistant.

Here is how you set it:

1. Office manager.Everything except add and manage phone numbers. She runs the day to day and builds campaigns, but new numbers cost money and that decision stays with you

2. Front desk coordinator.Create and edit templates only. No delete on templates or flows, no business profile changes, no phone numbers. She can write a new appointment reminder without being able to remove the one that already works

3. Your VA.Create and edit templates and flows. No delete anything. She is building for you, not cleaning up

4. You keep delete and phone numbers to yourself

Now three people are working in the account and none of them can accidentally erase an approved template or add a charge.

WhatsApp templates go through an approval process. Deleting one is not a five-minute mistake, it is a wait. That is the specific thing you are protecting here.

If you manage client accounts and you want this level of control,start your 30 days free here.

The six permissions and who usually needs them

Use this as a starting point, then adjust to how your team actually works.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Setting permissions in the wrong sub-account.These are per sub-account. Confirm which one you are in first.

• Handing out full access because the setting was hard to find.It sits at the very bottom of Roles and Permissions. Scroll.

• Leaving delete switched on by default.Almost nobody on your team needs to delete an approved template.

• Leaving phone number access on.That one costs money, and it is the easiest to forget.

• Not telling your team.Explain the permission message before they see it, so nobody thinks the platform is broken.

Frequently asked questions

Where are WhatsApp permissions in HighLevel?

WhatsApp permissions live in a sub-account under Settings, then My Staff. Edit the staff member you want to change, select Roles and Permissions, and scroll all the way down to the WhatsApp section. From there you can disable WhatsApp for that person or enable it with specific permissions.

Can I block a staff member from WhatsApp completely?

Yes. In the WhatsApp section of Roles and Permissions, you can disable WhatsApp for that staff member entirely. They will have no access to anything WhatsApp related, including templates, flows, the business profile, and phone numbers, until you switch it back on.

What happens when someone tries an action they do not have permission for?

They see a notification telling them they do not have the required permissions and that they should contact the admin for assistance. Nothing breaks and nothing silently fails. The person knows it is a permission setting rather than a bug, and they know who to ask about it.

Which WhatsApp permissions should a virtual assistant have?

Most VAs need create and edit for templates and flows, and nothing else. Leave both delete permissions off and leave phone number access off. That lets them build and adjust what you ask for without being able to remove an approved template or add a cost to your account.

Do I need a paid plan to set WhatsApp permissions?

Staff permissions sit inside the Settings area of a HighLevel sub-account, so you need an active account to use them. You can add a staff member and test the whole permission setup during the30-day free trialbefore deciding anything.

Do permissions apply across all of my sub-accounts?

No. Staff permissions are set per sub-account, so a person can have different access in each one. If the same team member works across several client accounts, set their permissions separately in each. It takes a minute per account and it is worth doing properly.

Set this before your next hire logs in

If someone on your team has full WhatsApp access right now because it was easier than figuring out the settings, this takes about two minutes per person to fix.

HighLevel gives you 30 days free plus a live bootcamp where the team walks you through setup click by click.

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Starr Codd built a multi seven figure business and now spends her time coaching entrepreneurs on building agencies and recurring revenue. She uses HighLevel in her own businesses and teaches it to the women she works with.

Disclosure: I am an independent entity from HighLevel. I am not an agent or employee of HighLevel and have no authority to make binding contract or represent HighLevel. I receive referral payments from HighLevel. I earn a commission if you sign up through my link. These were my results based on my experience. Your results may be different. There is no guarantee you will make money.