> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.peakcommerce.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.peakcommerce.com/product/using-peakcommerce/users-and-user-roles/user-roles.md).

# User Roles

Every user has a **role** and a **profile**, and the two do different jobs. The **role** sets the broad kind of access a person has — which portal they sign in to and the overall experience they get. The **profile** fine-tunes the specific permissions *within* that role — what they can actually see and do. Understanding the split matters because the role alone never grants detailed permissions; the profile always does.

You set both when you create or edit a user (**Settings → Users → Add User**), and you manage permission profiles separately in **Settings → Profiles**.

## The four roles

| Role         | For                                                                                                                                                 |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Admin**    | Tenant administrators who configure the platform — catalog, content, journeys, integrations, users, profiles, and settings.                         |
| **CSR**      | Customer service reps who work their assigned customer accounts — search, view, assist with subscriptions and orders, and respond to support cases. |
| **Partner**  | Resellers and channel partners who manage their assigned customers from the partner portal.                                                         |
| **Customer** | End customers managing their own account and subscriptions in the customer portal.                                                                  |

The role list is fixed — these four are the only roles. (Customer and Partner users also get an **External Account** link to a billing account; Admin and CSR users do not.)

## How the profile fine-tunes the role

Roles are broad; **profiles** carry the detailed permissions. Each user is assigned exactly one profile, and you can create several profiles per role — for example a *CSR Senior* profile with refund permissions alongside a *CSR Junior* profile without them. When you change a user's role, you reselect their profile, since profiles belong to a specific role.

**Gotcha:** picking the role is only half the job. A user with the right role but a thin profile may still be missing the permissions they expect — check the profile, not just the role.

See [Profiles & Permissions](/product/using-peakcommerce/profiles-and-permissions.md) and [Portal action permissions](/product/using-peakcommerce/profiles-and-permissions/portal-action-permissions.md).


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