---
title: "Add a new role"
slug: "add-a-new-role"
tags: ["Totara Platform", "How-to", "Site Administrator"]
updated: 2026-08-13T16:01:10Z
published: 2026-08-13T16:01:10Z
canonical: "totara.help/add-a-new-role"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a new role

[Roles](/totara-20/docs/what-are-roles) are the bundles of capabilities that allow users to perform certain sets of actions on your site. If the default roles do not fit your needs then you may wish to create a new role. It is recommended that you create a new role and edit that, rather than editing one of the [default roles](/totara-20/docs/default-roles).

## Create a role

To add a new role, follow these steps:

1. Go to *Quick-access menu* *> Permissions > Define roles*.
2. Click **Add a new role** (at the bottom of the page).
3. Configure the [settings](/totara-20/docs/role-settings) and set the required permissions.
4. Click **Add a new role** to save your new role.

## **Test the new role**

After creating a new role you should test it to ensure that the role functions as expected, and users with this role will only be able to perform the required actions.

To test a role, follow these steps:

1. Create a test user and assign the new role to them.
2. Either log out as the Site Administrator and then log in as the test user, or use a different browser to log in as the test user. Role changes only take effect when the user next logs in.

## Next steps

- [Edit a role](/totara-20/docs/edit-a-role)
- [Export role definition to file](/totara-20/docs/export-role-definition-to-file)
- [Import role definition from file](/totara-20/docs/import-role-definition-from-file)

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