# Invite people to your account

Cataloguing is more fun, and more accurate, when the people who share the collection share the catalogue. This page shows you how to invite someone into your account, what they will experience, and the limits to know about before you send the invitation.

Only an **[owner](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/core-concepts/accounts-users-and-roles)** can invite people. If you do not see the option, ask an owner of your account.

## Decide the role first

Every invitation carries a [role](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/collaboration/roles-in-practice), chosen at the moment you invite:

- **Viewer** can browse everything but change nothing. This is the default.
- **Editor** can create and change catalogue content.
- **Owner** can do everything, including managing members and account settings.

Start people at the lowest role that fits. You can always [raise it later](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/collaboration/manage-members-and-roles), which is easier than walking back access someone should not have had.

Emma, for example, invites her partner Sam as an **editor** so Sam can add comics too, and her friend Leo as a **viewer** so Leo can browse the collection without being able to change it.

## Send an invitation

::::steps
:::step title="Open your account members"
Go to your account settings and open the members area. You will see the current members and any pending invitations.

::screenshot{label="Members screen with the invite form"}
:::

:::step title="Enter the email address and pick a role"
Type the person's **email address** and choose their **role**. If you leave the role alone, they will join as a viewer.

Curious what the invitation email looks like? Select **Preview email** to see it right on this page, before you enter an address or send anything. The preview is clearly marked as a preview, and its accept button cannot be clicked. Select **Hide preview** to close it again.
:::

:::step title="Send it"
Submit the form. KolleK emails the person a link to join your account, and the invitation appears in your pending list.
:::
::::

If you invite the same email again while an earlier invitation is still pending and unexpired, KolleK reuses the existing invitation rather than piling up duplicates.

## What the invitee experiences

The person receives an email with a link. Opening it shows them who invited them and to which account. To join, they fill in their **first name**, **last name**, and a **password**. The same password guardrails apply as at registration: at least eight characters, and nothing that has appeared in a known breach.

Once they submit, they are a member of your account at the role you chose, their email is already verified, and they are signed in. There is nothing else for you to do.

## The limits to know about

:::note
Invitations expire after seven days. If someone misses the window, just invite them again.
:::

One limit deserves special attention, because it is the most common reason an invitation fails:

- **A person belongs to exactly one account.** If the email you invite already has its own KolleK account, that person cannot accept your invitation. They would need to use a different email address, or [delete their existing user](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/data-safety/delete-your-user) first.
- **Only owners can invite.** Editors and viewers cannot bring new people in.

If an invitation email never arrives, the instance's mail delivery may not be set up yet. See [troubleshooting email delivery](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/troubleshooting/troubleshoot-email-delivery).

## Where to next

- Adjust access or remove someone in [Manage members and roles](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/collaboration/manage-members-and-roles).
- Check exactly what each role allows in [The three roles in practice](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/collaboration/roles-in-practice).
- Walk through a full setup in the tutorial [Invite your household or club](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/tutorials/invite-your-household).