Managing SharePoint permissions can quickly become complicated, especially when your site contains multiple subsites and lists with broken inheritance.
A client recently asked me how to add a super user who could have access everywhere, even in lists that do not inherit permissions from the parent site.
Understanding Broken Inheritance in SharePoint Permissions
When a list or subsite breaks permission inheritance, it stops following the parent site’s permission settings.
Overusing this feature, is a common mistake in SharePoint architecture and can create challenges for administrators. Users added to site-level groups may not have access to all lists, which can cause confusion and extra work. You can read more about these issues in my article on Common SharePoint Architecture Mistakes.
Challenges of Managing Users with Broken Inheritance
In complex environments, manually granting permissions to each list is time-consuming and prone to errors. Some administrators attempt to add users to Site Collection Owners, but this does not guarantee access if specific lists exclude the group.
Adding a user with limited permissions (for example, View Only) can be even more complicated. Unlike site collection administrators, users with restricted rights must be added individually or to carefully configured groups for each list, which multiplies administrative work and increases the risk of mistakes.
As I already advised in this post, it does not make sense to remove the Site Collection Owner group from the list permissions, because this group is meant to have full visibility and control across the site. Removing it can create unexpected access issues.
Effective Solution
The simplest and most reliable method is to add the user to the Site Collection Administrators group. This ensures full control across all sites and lists, including those with broken inheritance. It also reduces administrative overhead and prevents future access issues.
Tips for Maintaining SharePoint Permissions
- Regularly review your site and list permissions to identify broken inheritance.
- Document which lists have unique permissions to avoid surprises.
- Consider using SharePoint groups strategically instead of individual user permissions.
- For environments with frequent changes, using Site Collection Administrators for key users ensures consistent access.
- Avoid removing the site collection owner group from the list permissions.
Conclusion
By understanding SharePoint permissions broken inheritance and using the right administrative groups, you can maintain secure, efficient and scalable access management across your SharePoint environment.
The situation can be more complex, for instance, when a user requires only view permissions rather than full access.
