Working with outside vendors is a fact of life, but giving them access to your tools shouldn’t keep you up at night. If your team uses Monday to manage projects, you’ve probably seen the “guest” access option and wondered if it’s actually safe—or just a ticking time bomb.
This guide is for anyone who needs to let freelancers, agencies, or other outsiders into Monday boards without accidentally exposing all your company’s data. I’ll walk through the right way to use guest access, what works, what to skip, and some honest pitfalls to watch for.
Why Use Monday Guest Access for Vendors?
Before you start inviting people, it’s worth understanding why guest access exists and where it shines:
- Purpose-built for outsiders: Guest access is designed for people outside your organization—think contractors, clients, and vendors.
- Keeps your house locked: Guests only see what you specifically share with them, not your whole account.
- No extra paid seats (in most plans): Most Monday plans don’t charge for guests unless you go overboard.
But don’t get cocky. It’s not foolproof, and there are easy mistakes that could give guests a peek behind the curtain if you’re sloppy.
Step 1: Understand What Guests Can (and Can’t) Do
Before you add anyone, get clear on what guest access actually means:
What guests can do: - View and interact with specific boards they’re invited to (usually “Shareable” boards) - Add and edit items on those boards (if you give them permission) - Upload and download files, post updates, comment on tasks
What guests can’t do: - See private or main boards unless explicitly invited - Access your account settings, billing, or other users’ data - Join your workspace with a company email domain (guests must use a different domain)
Pro tip: Monday treats “guests” as anyone with an email outside your company’s domain. If your vendor has an @yourcompany.com email, they’ll be a full member, not a guest.
Step 2: Set Up Shareable Boards (Don’t Use Main Boards!)
Monday has three kinds of boards: Main, Private, and Shareable. If you want to safely collaborate with vendors, you need to use Shareable boards—period.
Why Shareable boards? - Only people added to these boards can see them - Perfect for cross-company projects or vendor workspaces - Keeps your internal stuff walled off
How to set one up: 1. Click the “+ Add” button in your Monday workspace. 2. Choose “New Board.” 3. Select “Shareable” (you’ll see Shareable, Main, Private). 4. Name your board something obvious—like “Vendor Collaboration – Q2 2024.”
Don’t: Add vendors to Main boards. That’s like giving them the keys to your office, not just the conference room.
Step 3: Invite Vendors as Guests (Not Members)
Now for the actual invitation:
- Open your Shareable board.
- Click the “Invite” button (top right).
- Enter your vendor’s email address—make sure it’s not your company domain.
- Select “Invite as guest.”
Things to check: - Double-check the email address. Typos can mean the wrong person gets access. - Remind vendors to use a personal or work email that’s not your company’s.
What if you mess up? - Accidentally add them as a member? Remove them, then re-invite as a guest. - If they get access to the wrong board, remove their access immediately—don’t just delete the board.
Step 4: Set Permissions and Limit Access
Here’s where a lot of teams get lazy. Don’t just add vendors and hope for the best.
Best practices: - Restrict what they can edit: Under board settings, set their permissions to “Can view” or “Can edit content” as needed. Only give them as much power as they truly need. - Hide sensitive columns: Use column permissions to hide columns that contain private info (budgets, internal notes, etc.). - Limit automations: Be careful with automations that send notifications or data outside the board; guests might see more than you want.
Pro tip: Test the guest experience yourself. Create a dummy Gmail account, add it as a guest, and see exactly what’s visible.
Step 5: Communicate Expectations with Vendors
Guest access is just a tool—the real safety comes from clear rules.
What to cover: - What vendors should (and shouldn’t) do in the board - Where to upload files, post updates, and ask questions - Who to contact if they see something they shouldn’t
Make it simple: - Pin a message or FAQ to the top of the board. - Have a single point of contact for vendor questions.
Don’t: Assume vendors magically know how to use Monday or your board structure. A 5-minute Loom video or quick call saves everyone time.
Step 6: Review Guest Access Regularly
Adding someone as a guest shouldn’t be “set and forget.” Vendors come and go, projects wrap up, and people forget who’s in what.
How to stay on top of it: - Monthly review: Set a calendar reminder to check who has guest access to each Shareable board. - Remove old vendors: As soon as a vendor’s project is done, remove their access. Don’t wait for them to ask. - Audit activity: Look at recent activity logs—if you see something weird, investigate.
Pro tip: Monday’s admin area lets you see all guests in your account. Use it. You’ll be surprised how many “zombie” guests are still floating around.
What Works Well (and What Doesn’t)
What works: - Shareable boards are genuinely siloed—if you set them up right, guests can’t wander into your company’s private corners. - Guest seats don’t usually cost extra (unless you invite tons of them—check your plan). - It’s easy to revoke access instantly if something goes wrong.
What doesn’t: - Monday’s permission options are pretty basic. You can’t get super granular (like hiding individual items or files). - If you have a lot of vendors, tracking who’s in where gets messy fast. - Guests with multiple client boards need a separate login for each Monday account—frustrating for agencies.
What to ignore: - Fluffy “collaboration” features you don’t need. Stick to boards, tasks, and updates. Don’t get distracted by bells and whistles unless it actually helps the job.
Security Pitfalls to Watch Out For
Even with guest access, there are a few ways things can go sideways:
- Over-sharing: Adding guests to the wrong board, or to a board that links to sensitive info via automations or integrations.
- Poor offboarding: Forgetting to remove guest access after a project ends. This is the #1 way data leaks happen.
- Accidental file exposure: If a file is uploaded in a guest-accessible board, guests can download it—even if it was meant for internal eyes only.
How to avoid pain: - Keep sensitive info off vendor boards, period. - Set reminders to clean up old guests. - Train your team to double-check before uploading files or linking boards.
Pro Tips for Smoother Vendor Collaboration
- Use templates: Build a standard Shareable board template for vendor projects, so you don’t reinvent the wheel each time.
- Limit integrations: Most third-party integrations won’t work for guests anyway, so don’t waste time troubleshooting them.
- Keep communication in Monday: The more you use board updates and comments, the less chance something gets lost in email.
- Document your process: Even a simple Google Doc outlining how you handle vendor access beats tribal knowledge.
Keep It Simple, Stay Secure
Inviting vendors into your project management system doesn’t have to be a security nightmare. Use Monday’s guest access the way it was intended: create Shareable boards, set tight permissions, and actually remove people when they’re done. Don’t overthink it, and don’t trust “set and forget.” Keep things simple, check in regularly, and tweak as you go. That’s really all it takes to keep your data safe and your projects moving.