User Impersonation in Marq - Support Users More Effectively

What You'll Learn About User Impersonation

In this article, you'll discover how to:

✅ Use impersonation to log in as another user in Marq
✅ Enable impersonation settings for your account
✅ Grant impersonation access to specific admins
✅ Troubleshoot when users don't appear in the impersonation list
✅ Understand best practices for using impersonation

What is User Impersonation in Marq?

User Impersonation lets authorized admins temporarily log in as another team member to:

See their exact view - View templates, projects, and folders exactly as that user sees them
Access their projects - Open and edit any projects in their "My Projects" section
Make updates on their behalf - Create new projects, update existing work, and share or download files
Troubleshoot issues - Identify permission problems, template access issues, or user-specific errors
Provide immediate support - Help users who are away from their desk or need urgent assistance

When you impersonate a user, a banner appears at the top of the screen showing who you're logged in as, making it clear you're in impersonation mode.

How to Use Impersonation

Logging In as Another User

Click on your user profile icon at the bottom left of the navigation bar
Select User Impersonation from the menu
You'll see a list of all team members you can impersonate (users in groups you're associated with)
Click on the user's name to log in as them

What You Can Do While Impersonating

Once logged in as another user, you'll see:

Banner notification - A banner at the top shows who you're impersonating
Their My Projects - Access all their personal projects and folders
Their template access - See which templates they can view and use
Full editing capabilities - Create, edit, share, and download projects on their behalf

Example use case: A user named Heidi needs a business card updated but is out of the office. You can impersonate Heidi, create or update her business card with her information, and share or download it for her.

Exiting Impersonation Mode

Click the banner at the top of the screen
Select Exit Impersonation or click your profile again
You'll return to your normal login view

Enabling Impersonation for Your Account

Before admins can use impersonation, it must be enabled in your account settings.

Enable Impersonation for All Admins (Recommended)

Navigate to Admin Settings (click your name → Admin)
Go to the Collaboration section
Scroll down to Impersonation Settings
Check the boxes to enable impersonation for:
- Team Admins - Give all team admins impersonation access
- Group Admins - Give all group admins impersonation access
- Template Admins - Give all template admins impersonation access
Save your changes

📋 Note: By default, admins can only impersonate regular users, not other admins. To allow admins to impersonate each other, check the additional option: "Allow admins to impersonate other admins"

Enable Impersonation for Specific Users Only

If you don't want all admins to have impersonation access, you can grant it individually:

Go to Admin Settings → Users
Find and click on the user you want to grant access to
Click Edit Roles (or click on their role/permissions)
In the Edit Roles modal, scroll to the bottom
Check User Impersonation Role
Save changes

This user will now see the User Impersonation option in their profile menu.

Who Can Be Impersonated?

The list of users you can impersonate is determined by group membership:

You can impersonate any user who belongs to a group you're also part of
If you're not in any shared groups with a user, they won't appear in your impersonation list
Account Owners typically see all users (as they usually belong to all groups)

Permission Levels for Impersonation

What admins can impersonate by default:

Team Admins can impersonate users in their groups
Group Admins can impersonate users in their groups
Template Admins can impersonate users in their groups

To impersonate other admins:

Must explicitly enable "Allow admins to impersonate other admins" in settings
Admins must still share group membership to appear in each other's lists

Troubleshooting Impersonation Issues

User Doesn't Appear in My Impersonation List

Problem: You have impersonation access but a specific user doesn't show up in your list.

Solution: Check group membership

Go to Admin Settings → Users
Find the missing user and click on their name
Check which groups they belong to
Go back and check your own group memberships
Verify if you have any shared groups

If you don't share any groups:

Add yourself to one of their groups, OR
Add them to one of your groups

Once you share at least one group, they'll appear in your impersonation list.

I Have Impersonation Role But Don't See the Option

Possible causes:

Impersonation settings aren't enabled in Admin Settings
You don't share groups with any other users
Your role assignment didn't save properly

Solution:

Verify impersonation is enabled in Admin Settings → Collaboration
Check that you belong to groups with other users
Have another admin verify your role includes "User Impersonation"

I'm Impersonating But Can't See Their Projects

Possible causes:

The user has no projects created yet
Projects are in folders you need to navigate to
There may be a loading delay

Solution:

Navigate to "My Projects" while impersonating
Check different folder views
Refresh the page if needed

Best Practices for Using Impersonation

When to Use Impersonation

✅ Good use cases:

Troubleshooting user-reported issues
Providing over-the-shoulder support remotely
Making urgent updates when a user is unavailable
Training and demonstrating features in a user's context
Verifying template and permission settings

❌ Avoid using impersonation for:

Regular administrative tasks that can be done in your own account
Accessing user projects without permission or necessity
Making changes without communicating with the user first

Communication is Key

Before impersonating:

Inform the user you'll be accessing their account (when possible)
Explain what you'll be doing and why
Get permission for non-urgent changes

After impersonating:

Let the user know what changes you made
Document any updates or fixes applied
Provide follow-up instructions if needed

Security Considerations

Only grant impersonation access to trusted admins who need it
Use impersonation only for legitimate support and administrative purposes
Remember that actions taken while impersonating appear as if the user did them
Keep impersonation sessions brief and exit when finished

Common Use Cases for Impersonation

Support and Troubleshooting

Scenario: A user reports they can't see a specific template.

Solution: Impersonate the user to verify what templates appear in their view. You can immediately identify if it's a permission issue, group assignment problem, or template status issue.

Urgent Updates

Scenario: A user is on vacation but needs their presentation updated for a meeting.

Solution: Impersonate the user, open their project, make the necessary updates, and share the updated file with the meeting organizer.

Training and Onboarding

Scenario: A new user needs help setting up their first project but you're working remotely.

Solution: Impersonate the user and walk them through the process while sharing your screen, showing them exactly what they'll see in their own account.

Permission Verification

Scenario: You need to verify that group assignments are working correctly.

Solution: Impersonate a user in the group to confirm they can access the correct templates and resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can users tell when I've impersonated them?
A: Marq does not currently notify users when they've been impersonated. It's best practice to communicate directly with users about access to their account.

Q: What appears in activity logs when I impersonate someone?
A: Actions taken while impersonating appear as if the impersonated user performed them. There is not currently a separate audit trail for impersonation sessions.

Q: Can I impersonate multiple users at once?
A: No. You can only impersonate one user at a time. You must exit impersonation mode before impersonating another user.

Q: Will impersonating a user log them out?
A: No. The user can remain logged in while you impersonate them. Both sessions can be active simultaneously.

Q: Can I access a user's personal account settings while impersonating?
A: You can access their projects and templates, but you cannot modify their account settings, change their password, or access sensitive account information.

Q: What's the difference between impersonation and "on behalf of" features?
A: Impersonation logs you in as the user to see their full view. "On behalf of" features let you create projects for them without fully impersonating their account. Both are useful for different scenarios.

Related Features

Creating Projects On Behalf Of Users

If you need to create projects for users without fully impersonating them, consider using the "On Behalf Of" feature which allows you to select a user's profile information and create projects assigned to them.

Next Steps

Ready to explore more admin features? Check out these related articles: