What the Modify Users permission lets a manager do

Modify Users is the single permission that decides whether a manager can edit other people's VICIdial accounts. A VICIdial user is the named login an Agent or manager signs in with, and without Modify Users a manager can look but not change. It is one of the most useful permissions to delegate and one of the easiest to over-grant, so this post explains exactly what the checkbox gives someone, where it stops, and how it pairs with user level.

What it grants

When Modify Users is set to 1, the manager can open another user's record and change its settings, the same admin interface option they would use on their own profile. That covers the full user form: full name, phone login, the user's User group assignment, campaign access, agent screen options, and the other permission checkboxes themselves. It defaults to 0, off, so a new manager account starts unable to touch anyone else, and you switch it on only when the role genuinely calls for it. Because it also lets the manager edit permission checkboxes, granting Modify Users effectively lets that person reshape what other accounts can do, which is why it belongs to trusted staff.

What it does not grant

Modify Users is editing only. It does not let the manager remove anyone, since deletion lives behind the separate Delete Users option. It also respects user level: a manager generally works on accounts at or below their own level, so a level 8 user should not expect to reshape a level 9 administrator. Two related boxes are worth knowing about. Alter Agent Interface Options lets a manager change another user's agent screen layout specifically, even without full Modify Users. And Modify Same User Level governs whether a level 9 user can edit other level 9 accounts, which is its own special case at the top of the hierarchy.

• Edits user settings: yes.
• Deletes users: no, that needs Delete Users.
• Crosses above your own user level: no.

When to grant it

Grant Modify Users to team leads who genuinely manage people, such as a supervisor who resets passwords, moves agents between campaigns, or adjusts agent screen options day to day. Leave it off for report-only logins, single-campaign operators, and any account that exists only to run the agent screen. A good test is to ask whether the role ever needs to change someone else's settings. If the honest answer is no, the box stays unchecked, and account changes remain traceable to a short, predictable list of managers.

One more thing worth flagging: because Modify Users lets a manager edit the permission checkboxes on other accounts, it can be used to escalate someone else's access. A manager with Modify Users could, in principle, switch on options for another account that you never intended to grant. That is not a bug, it is the natural reach of an editing right, but it is a good reason to keep the holders of this permission to people you trust and to review the user list periodically. If you spot a permission that nobody remembers enabling, the audit usually starts with whoever holds Modify Users.

flowchart TD
  A[Manager wants to edit a user] --> B{Modify Users set to 1}
  B -- No --> C[Read only, cannot save]
  B -- Yes --> D{Target at or below manager level}
  D -- No --> C
  D -- Yes --> E[Open and edit the record]
  E --> F[Save changes]

Modify Users is one of several access gates in the users and groups guide. For the editing workflow itself, see how to modify a VICIdial user. Because every VICIfast box is Single tenant, the managers you grant this to only ever see your own accounts. Check our pricing page to get a managed dialer running in under a minute.