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Client Portal Troubleshooting and FAQ - Common Fixes

Most Client Portal problems come down to sign-in, sharing settings or roles. Each answer below starts with the short version, then the steps. Some answers are for clients and some for the team that runs the portal, and each says who it is for.

Short answer: The link expired after 7 days, or a newer link replaced it.

Invitation links last 7 days, and sending a fresh one cancels the older ones.

  • Client: go to the portal sign-in page, enter your email address and select Send me a code. You do not need the old link.
  • Team: open Clients > Client Users, find the person and select Resend invitation. If the email cannot be sent, use Copy link in the Share the sign-in link window.

Why has my sign-in code not arrived?

Short answer: Check the address, wait a minute, then request a new code.

  1. Make sure you used the address your team added. Other addresses get the same confirmation but no code.
  2. Check spam and junk folders.
  3. Wait about 60 seconds, then select Send a new code.
  4. Codes expire after 10 minutes and are cancelled after 5 wrong tries. Request a new one rather than retrying the old one.
  5. If you see “Too many attempts”, wait a few minutes.

Still nothing? Ask your project contact to confirm your email on file.

Why do I see “Your access has been removed”?

Short answer: Your team deactivated you, removed you, or took the project away.

Access is checked on every action, so changes apply at once. Select Back to sign in. If you think this is a mistake, contact your project contact. Team: check the person’s status in Client Users. Reactivate user restores a deactivated person with their previous status.

Why can I not see a project?

Short answer: It is not shared with you, or the portal is off for it.

  • Client: Members and Viewers see only projects assigned to them. A Client Admin sees all of their organization’s projects. Ask your project contact to assign you.
  • Team: check the project has a client, the portal switch is on, and the person is assigned. See share projects with clients. Switching the portal off hides everything, even items marked Client Visible.

Why can I not see a file, task or milestone?

Short answer: Your team has not marked it Client Visible.

Everything starts as Internal Only. Team: switch the Client visible toggle on the item’s row in the project workspace. A task’s attachment is only visible if that file is also Client Visible. Switching back to Internal Only removes it from the client at once.

Why is there no Invoices tab?

Short answer: The team has not turned invoices on for the portal.

Team: in portal settings, turn on Show Invoices in the client portal. It is off by default and needs a Pro or Business plan. If a client opens an invoice link anyway, they see “This item isn’t available”. See quotes and invoices.

Why can I not upload a file?

Short answer: Your role, the project setting, or the file type is blocking it.

  • Viewers cannot upload. You see “Client Viewers can’t upload files.”
  • “Uploads are turned off for this project” means the team switched Allow client uploads off for that project.
  • Files over 250 MB are refused. Program and script files such as .exe, .bat and .sh are blocked. Client uploads also block web and markup files such as .html and .svg.
  • In discussions and change requests, the limit is 5 files and 100 MB each.

Why can I not approve an item?

Short answer: Only the named approver, if they are a Client Admin, can decide.

Members and Viewers see “As a [role] you can see approvals but not decide them.” A Client Admin who was not named sees “Only [name] was asked to decide this approval.” Team: edit the approval to add the right approver. See approvals.

What can Members and Viewers do?

Short answer: Members can comment, upload and submit change requests. Viewers can only read.

Neither can approve. Only Admins manage colleagues, and only if the team allows it. The table in the client guide has the full list.

Why does our team see only a preview on the Free plan?

Short answer: The Client Portal needs a Pro or Business plan.

On Free, the Clients item shows a crown, and the page opens as a blurred preview with Upgrade Now. See plans and permissions and upgrade your plan.

Why are no notification emails arriving?

Short answer: Email notifications are off by default, on both sides.

  • Team: turn on the events you want in the Notifications section of portal settings.
  • Client: in Settings > Notifications, tick Email for each event. Events your team has not enabled show Not offered. In-app notifications are always on.

A client gets an email only when both settings are on. See client account settings.