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Workspace managementWorkspace owners and admins

Restoring a teammate's access

When a colleague can't open their keys on a new device, an owner can give back exactly what they had, after confirming a code with them directly.

3 MIN READPUBLISHED SEP 30, 2026
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When a colleague can't open their keys on a new device, and they've no password, recovery key, backup file or other signed-in device to fall back on, a workspace owner can restore their access. An owner can restore a colleague's access only after confirming a code with them directly; we can't do it for them.

That's the point of it. Your results are encrypted with keys we never hold, so the only people who can hand a key to someone are people who already have it.

What does a restore give back?

Exactly what the person had before, and nothing more. For an owner, that's the workspace key. For anyone else, it's the team folders they were already a member of. The owner's screen lists what the restore covers before they confirm.

It can't reach two things:

  • Personal folders and polls outside a folder. Only the person's own key ever opened those, so nobody else can give them back.
  • A workspace with one owner. If the person asking is the only owner, there's nobody to ask. They'll need their password, recovery key or a backup file (see Recovery, emergency kit, and device handoff).

How does someone ask?

  1. Sign in on the new device. When the keys won't open, the device approval screen offers Ask a workspace owner.
  2. Confirm your inbox. You'll get a code by email. This has to be recent, so a stale session can't file a request.
  3. Read your code to an owner. Your screen shows a code. Call an owner or tell them in person. Don't send it by email or chat: someone who'd taken over your account could do that too.
  4. Keep that browser open. The request stays open for 24 hours. When the owner restores access, you'll see "An owner restored your access here."

You can ask three times a day. Asking changes nothing on its own: your new key is only registered when an owner completes the restore.

How does an owner restore it?

  1. Open Approvals. Requests appear under Access requests from your team, with what each one restores.
  2. Call them or talk in person. Ask for the code on their screen. If a code arrives by email or chat, don't use it.
  3. Type the code and choose Restore access. Your browser checks the code against the exact key the request was made for before it opens anything. Three wrong codes close the request.

You'll need your own workspace key loaded on the device you're using. When the restore finishes, the person is signed out of their other devices, so an old session can't keep working in the background.

What does "Needs re-grant" mean on the Team page?

That person's access was set up for a key they no longer use, so the results they could see stay sealed until they ask and an owner restores it. Nothing is deleted while it waits.

What if nobody can restore it?

The person can Start fresh from the same device approval screen. They type "start fresh" to confirm, verify their inbox, and get a new key. Anything only their old key opened stays locked for good, unless they later find their password, recovery key or a backup file. If another owner holds the workspace key, they can then ask for a restore of the team access they had.

Starting fresh signs them out on their other devices. It never happens silently: a new key never replaces an existing one any other way.

Can an owner approve a teammate's new device instead?

No. Device approval is for your own devices only: you approve a new browser from one you're already signed in on. It moves your own keys, so it can't be used for someone else. A restore is how a colleague gets access back.