Blogger Permissions for Collaborators When configured correctly, Blogger permissions let you share the workload without giving anyone else your Google password. For most blogs, keep the blog owner as an administrator, assign Author to writers, grant Admin only to people who genuinely need to manage the entire blog, and use Reader for people who only need to view private content.
Blogger allows up to 100 members, including authors, administrators, and readers. People invited as authors or administrators need a Google Account to sign in and work on the blog (according to support.google.com). The process below is suitable for personal blogs, small-business blogs, and editorial teams of 2–10 people.
Understanding Blogger Admin, Author, and Reader Roles
Before sending an invitation, determine what the person needs to do. The higher the permission level, the greater the risk of accidentally changing settings, deleting content, or altering access.
| Role | What they can do | Who it suits | Main risk | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin | Add or remove Admins and Authors, change settings and the theme, and edit or delete any post | Blog owners, primary content managers, and the owner's designated replacement | Can change the structure, permissions, and content of the entire blog | Keep the number to a minimum; grant it only to people with long-term responsibility |
| Author | Add and edit their own posts | Contributors, editorial writers, and guest experts | May publish content that does not meet standards if no review process is in place | Use as the default choice for writers |
| Reader | Read the blog when viewing is restricted | Customers, partners, or groups testing private content | Cannot edit content but can still view content they have been authorized to access | Use when the blog is not set to Public |
An Admin on Blogger is not merely someone who “reviews posts.” According to the official documentation, an Admin can add or remove Admins and Authors, change settings or the theme, and edit or delete any post. Therefore, do not grant Blogger administrator permissions simply because a collaborator needs to publish posts.
If you want to establish a clearer author workflow, see how to create an author page for a blog to standardize each person's name, profile, and responsibilities.
How to Add Blogger Authors and Assign Permissions Safely
1. Prepare a Permissions List Before Sending Invitations
Create a simple table with four columns: user's name, Google Account email address, role to assign, and planned permission-review date. For example:
- Writer: Author.
- Person checking titles, labels, and formatting: assign Author only if they need to edit their own posts; if they need to edit other people's posts, consider an internal workflow instead of granting Admin access immediately.
- Person responsible for settings, the theme, and members: Admin.
- Person viewing drafts or unpublished content: Reader, after configuring appropriate reading permissions for the blog.
Do not share the blog owner's account. Each person should sign in with their own account so you can see who still has access and revoke access for individual users when necessary.
2. Send an Author Invitation
- Sign in to Blogger and select the correct blog in the upper-left corner.
- In the left-hand menu, open Settings.
- Under Permissions, select Invite more authors.
- Enter the contributor’s Google Account address and send the invitation.
- Ask the recipient to open the email and accept the invitation. They will not be listed as an Author until they accept it.
This is a safer way to add a Blogger author than sending a password or allowing someone else to use your signed-in session. Blogger’s documentation also clearly states that people invited as authors or Admins need a Google Account to manage the blog and publish posts (see Control access to your blog).
3. Grant Admin access only for a specific reason
After the user accepts the invitation, open the Blog admins and authorslist, find the correct account, and use the menu next to the name to select Admin. Before confirming, check the email address again to avoid granting access to an impersonating account or a personal account that is no longer in use.
Record the reason for granting Admin access, the scope of the work, and when it will be reviewed. A practical model is to have one blog owner and one trusted backup Admin, while the remaining contributors retain Author access. Blogger warns that if an Admin loses access, another Admin must restore the access; if you are the only Admin, recovery may be more difficult.
Content control and access-revocation workflow
Permissions are effective only when paired with a publishing workflow. Authors can create and edit their own posts, but the team should agree on the following steps before making a post public:
- Drafting: The author writes the post, adds labels, images, links, and source notes.
- Self-check: The author previews the post on desktop and mobile, checking the title, links, spelling, and sensitive information.
- Review: The designated editor checks accuracy, structure, and brand standards.
- Publishing: Only the person designated by the team publishes or schedules the post.
- Post-publication check: Check the page after publishing, especially the images, links, and mobile display.
If the blog receives many comments, separate post writing from comment moderation. You can consult the Blogger comment moderation settings to reduce the risk of spam or comments containing malicious links.
When a contributor leaves, changes responsibilities, or no longer needs access, revoke their permissions immediately:
- Go to Settings > Permissions > Blog admins and authors.
- Find the member you want to remove.
- Select Remove member or the equivalent option in the current interface.
- Check the list again to make sure the account has been removed.
Removing access does not delete the user’s previous posts; they may still appear on the blog, but the user can no longer edit them (see Google Blogger Help). Therefore, before removing the account, review any remaining drafts, posts that need to be handed over, and author information.
Protecting the Blogger account and checking access afterward
Blogger permissions are tied to a Google Account, so protecting the Google Account is the most important line of defense. The blog owner and every Admin should enable 2-Step Verification, use a unique password, and keep the recovery email address or phone number up to date. Google states that 2-Step Verification helps prevent unauthorized access even if the password is exposed; security keys or Google Prompts are generally safer than relying only on SMS codes (see Protecting your personal info with 2-Step Verification).
- Do not send the blog owner’s password by email, messaging, or project-management tools.
- Do not grant Admin access to address a need that requires only the ability to write posts.
- Review the lists of Admins, Authors, and Readers regularly—for example, every month or after each collaboration period.
- Check pending invitations and cancel any sent to the wrong person or no longer needed.
- If you suspect that an account has been compromised, change the password, check signed-in devices, and revoke unusual sessions or permissions before resuming publication.
Before handing over a blog or changing its ownership, make sure the new Admin has accepted the invitation and successfully signed in. Blogger does not adjudicate blog-ownership disputes, so maintaining at least one trusted administrator account and a recovery plan is the blog owner’s responsibility.
Quick checklist: The blog owner retains control; contributors who write posts use the Author role; Reader is reserved for people who need to view a private blog; Admin access is limited to what is necessary; all accounts have appropriate security enabled; the member list is reviewed regularly; and access is revoked as soon as collaboration ends.
Reference source
- Control access to your blog— Google Blogger Help.
- Manage your blog’s settings— Google Blogger Help.
- Protecting your personal info with 2-Step Verification— Google Account Help.
- Make your account more secure— Google Account Help.
