🔄 Fix Reversed Permissions Across Linked Email Addresses

🔍 Understanding the Issue

When setting up a Search Atlas account, you may be prompted to choose a role or permission level. If you accidentally selected the wrong option, your admin access may have been assigned to a secondary email address instead of your primary one. This is a common setup mistake and is fully reversible — no support ticket required.

The result is that your main login cannot access restricted areas like the Billing tab, while a linked email address holds full admin rights without you realising it.

✅ Before You Begin

To fix this, you will need access to both email addresses linked to your account. Make sure you can log in to each one, or at least access the inbox for password recovery if needed. If you only have access to one address, use the password reset flow on the login page to regain access to the other before proceeding.

🔎 Step 1: Identify Which Email Has Admin Access

1. Go to the Search Atlas login page and sign in with your primary email address (the one you normally use).
2. Once logged in, click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Team Members. This opens the /settings page.
3. Review the list of team members and their assigned roles. Look for your secondary email address in the list.
4. If your secondary email shows a role of Admin and your primary email shows the Viewer role, your permissions are reversed and you are in the right place to fix this.

🔐 Step 2: Log In via the Admin Email Address

1. Sign out of your current session.
2. Log back in using the secondary email address that holds admin access.
3. If you have forgotten the password for this address, use the Forgot Password link on the login page to reset it before continuing.

⚙️ Step 3: Update Permissions in Team Members

1. Once logged in with the admin email, click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Team Members.
2. Locate your primary email address in the team member list.
3. Click the role or permission option next to your primary email and change it to Admin.
4. Next, locate the secondary email address in the same list.
5. Change the role of the secondary email to Viewer, or remove it from the account entirely if it is no longer needed.
6. Save your changes.

✔️ Step 4: Verify the Fix

1. Sign out of the secondary email session.
2. Log back in with your primary email address.
3. Click your avatar and navigate to Team Members to confirm your primary email now shows the Admin role.
4. Navigate to the Billing tab to confirm access has been restored.

💡 Tips and Common Questions

• I do not see a second email in the Team Members list. This may mean the secondary email was set up as a separate standalone account rather than a linked team member. In this case, log in to each email address separately and check which one has Billing access. Once identified, follow Steps 2 and 3 using the account that has admin rights.
• I cannot remember which emails are linked. Check your inbox for Search Atlas welcome or invitation emails. Any address that received a team invitation is likely linked to the account.
• I only have one email address. If Billing is still inaccessible with a single email, your account role may have been set to a non-admin level during onboarding. Contact support using the instructions below so a teammate can review your account role directly.

💬 Need Further Help?

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.