Checking who can see a document usually means opening it, clicking into its sharing settings, and repeating that for every file you own.
Lark’s Permission management page skips the file-by-file part: it lists every document you own with its security level, collaborator count, and sharing settings in one screen, filterable and editable in bulk.
Note: These steps work on the Lark desktop app and the web version. The page covers every document type: Docs, Sheets, Base, Slides, MindNotes, and uploaded files, not just one Base app.
What You Can Catch With It
A few examples of what the review is for:
- Security level mismatches: A confidential document sitting at a lower classification than it should be.
- Over-broad collaborator lists: A document that was automatically shared with an entire department when only a few people need it.
- Loose link sharing: A document meant for a handful of people that is actually set to “Anyone with the link can view.”
Note: Some filter tags only appear if your organisation has enabled the matching feature. If secure labels are not turned on for your organisation, the Security Level filter will not display.
Opening Permission Management
Click Docs in the left navigation bar, or go to the Docs homepage, then click the Permission management icon in the lower-left corner.
Filtering the Document List
Click any filter tag, or type keywords to search for a title. You can select one or more tags within each category: security level, collaborator count, permissions, and document type. Title keyword search accepts up to three keywords at a time.
The results list shows each document’s title, security level, number of collaborators and viewers, and its modification and creation time. Click the arrow icons beside a column header to reorder the list, or click a title to open that document directly.
Changing a Single Document’s Settings
Click the ··· icon to the right of a document to open its options.
- Set Security Level: Change the document’s classification. You can also click directly on the security level shown in the list.
- Share: Opens the full sharing panel for more detailed settings.
- Permission Settings: Opens the permissions panel for more detailed settings.
- Turn Off Link Sharing: Stops the document being accessed through a shared link.
- Remove Collaborators: Removes every collaborator from the document, excluding administrators inherited from a wiki space.
- Export to Base: Generates a Base file containing the document’s permission details and its view history.
Setting a security level shows the definition of each tier alongside the option, so you can check a document is classified correctly rather than guessing:
| Level | Definition |
|---|---|
| L1 – Public | Information that is publicly accessible, and information shared should be publicly acceptable. |
| L2 – Internal | Information that can be shared within the company, but with limited public disclosure, such as organisational standards, internal communications, and public product-related information. |
| L3 – Confidential | Information of important value to the company, accessed only by relevant personnel, such as product technical documents, organisational work plans, and meeting minutes. |
| L4 – Restricted | Information vital to the company, accessed only by a few relevant personnel, such as major strategic decisions, personal information, and confidential projects. |
Note: If Export to Base is used on a document with Show view history turned off in its Document Details, Privacy Settings, the exported file will not include that document’s view history.
Changing Multiple Documents at Once
Hover over each document you want to update and select the checkbox that appears on the left. A toolbar appears at the bottom of the page with the same core actions: Set Security Level, Turn Off Link Sharing, Remove Collaborators, and Export to Base, applied to every selected document at once.
Note: You can select up to 50 documents in a single batch.
Practical Use Cases for SMEs and Startups
- Quarterly access review: Filter by “Accessible on the internet” to find every document with public link sharing switched on and confirm each one should be.
- Offboarding cleanup: Filter by high collaborator counts to spot documents that may still list a former employee’s access inherited through department-wide sharing.
- Compliance spot checks: Filter by security level to confirm confidential and restricted documents are not sitting at a lower classification than they should be.
- Access audit reporting: Export a batch of documents to Base to produce a record of who has viewed sensitive files and when.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where do I find the Permission management page in Lark?
Go to the Docs homepage and click the Permission management icon in the lower-left corner.
Does Permission management cover Base and Sheets, or only Docs?
It covers every document type you own, including Docs, Sheets, Base, Slides, MindNotes, and uploaded files.
How many documents can I update in one batch?
Up to 50 documents at a time.
What does Export to Base actually give me?
A Base file containing each document’s title, security level, collaborator and viewer counts, and modification and creation time, plus a view history of who accessed it, when they first and last viewed it, and how they got access.
Why is the Security Level filter missing from my Permission management page?
Some filter tags only appear if your organisation has enabled the matching feature. If secure labels are not turned on, the Security Level filter will not display.
Will Export to Base always include view history?
No. If Show view history is turned off in a document’s Document Details, Privacy Settings, the exported Base file will not include that document’s view history.
Does Remove Collaborators remove administrators too?
No. It removes collaborators from the document but excludes administrators inherited from a wiki space.
Making Permissions Something You Check, Not Something You Assume
Most permission problems are not deliberate. A document gets shared broadly during a rush, a classification is set once and never revisited, a link stays open long after the reason for it has passed. Permission management turns that into a list you can actually review, instead of a risk you find out about later.
Ready to Power Your Business with Lark?
Lark Docs is just one part of an all-in-one platform that brings messaging, meetings, documents, approvals, and automations together for your entire team.
As the Platinum Partner for Lark in Malaysia, Exabytes offers tailored Lark plans, hands-on onboarding, and dedicated local support to help your team keep their documents shared with exactly the right people.
