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

# Edit a 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. You can make changes to an existing role so that it better fits your requirements.

It is recommended that you [add a new role](/totara-20/docs/add-a-new-role) and make changes to that, rather than directly editing one of the [default roles](/totara-20/docs/default-roles). 

1. Go to *Quick-access menu >* *Permissions > Define roles.*
2. Click the cog icon (![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/cog.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T12%3A53%3A51Z&se=2026-11-01T13%3A53%3A51Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=oaLAjBD4elZJffCA4FGXbf1VJsWk3JuY5ezOj4qRnZk%3D)) next to the role you wish to edit.
3. Make your desired changes.
4. Click **Save changes**.

Be careful what you allow a role to do when editing the role's permissions/capabilities. Consider the security vulnerabilities of giving that role an inappropriate permission, and only give the role permissions that are necessary or appropriate. To the right of many of the **Allow** checkboxes you can see coloured triangles that notify you of possible security warnings for each choice. Use those warnings to help you decide which permissions you will or won't give to the role.

![Viewing the available roles to edit on the Define roles page.](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1727349620059.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T12%3A53%3A51Z&se=2026-11-01T13%3A53%3A51Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=oaLAjBD4elZJffCA4FGXbf1VJsWk3JuY5ezOj4qRnZk%3D)

## Next steps

- [Add a new role](/totara-20/docs/add-a-new-role)