What the client reports
A file is In review, but someone at the client cannot see Approve or Request changes, or the buttons are disabled.
Why it happens
For configured relationship access, Owner includes work approval. A Member needs Approver or Admin within the allowed Project and area. Member alone and Finance alone do not grant work approval. A Primary Contact pin does not grant approval.
For legacy company-membership access, any client Member can approve or request changes on a file review by default. The following settings apply to that legacy flow, not to Member access with separately configured grants:
- Only Owners approve reviews is on. This company-wide switch, set by the client’s Owner, restricts review decisions to Owners. It applies in every agency’s Portal.
- The person has the Read-Only role. Read-Only people see shared work but cannot respond.
If the buttons are missing entirely because the file is not in review, see Approvals and feedback instead.
Fix
For configured relationship access, check Settings → People → Edit permissions in Studio. Check Work approval and the person’s project scope. See Edit Member permissions. Existing Read-Only restrictions still apply.
Also check that the file is Shared, its Project allows Portal access, and the person still has access to that Project. Company Membership is not required for configured relationship access. Their approval permission on another client relationship does not apply to this file. Agency previews cannot approve or request changes.
For legacy company-membership access, follow these steps.
- Check the person’s role on the People page. See Client roles and the People page.
- If the person is Read-Only, that is a Portal access level your agency sets in Studio, not something the client’s Owner changes. Raise their access level if they should be able to respond. See Set a person’s Portal access level.
- If the company uses Only Owners approve reviews, either an Owner makes the decision, or the Owner turns the switch off so any Member can. The switch is on the People page and is company-wide.