---
title: "Use nested groups"
slug: "using-nested-groups"
updated: 2026-04-27T19:45:34Z
published: 2026-04-27T19:45:34Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/using-nested-groups"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.quickbase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use nested groups

When you're using [groups](/v1/docs/what-is-a-group) to assign permissions to users, you may find that some permissions overlap between groups. In other words, you want multiple groups to share some of the same privileges.

For example, say that you've created three groups: **mycompany.marketing**, **mycompany.engineering** and **mycompany.support**. You've granted each group access to only those applications that are appropriate for each of those departments. But then you create a new application that contains the company holiday calendar, which you want members of all three groups to see. There are a few possible solutions: For one, you could share the application with all three groups. But you'll probably have additional applications that you want the whole company to see. So, why not create a new group called **mycompany.all** and add all your employees to it? This solution is better, but still not perfect because it increases your work. For instance, if an engineer resigns, you must remove her from both the **engineering** and **all** group.

The best solution would be to *nest* your three departmental groups within the new **all** group. This way, if you remove the engineer from the **engineering** group, the change automatically carries over to the **all** group. Nesting groups is a quick way to set up access permissions for a large number of users at once. It also helps you centralize some of your user management tasks.

Before nesting, [create the groups](/v1/docs/create-new-groups) involved. You must be a manager of a group to nest another group within it. You don't need to be a manager of groups that you nest within your group. ([Read more about group management.](/v1/docs/what-is-a-group#who-manages-groups))

To nest a group within another group:

1. Select the user dropdown on the global bar, then select **My preferences**.
2. Within the **Groups I'm In** box, select the name of the group in which you'd like to nest another group. The Group Properties page appears.
3. Choose **Add a Group to this Group** from the commands listed on the left side of the page.

Note: If you're not a manager of the group, this choice does not appear.
4. In the left pane of the **Groups** dialog box, select the name of the group you want to nest and select **Add** .
5. Select **Done**.

Quickbase adds the group.

To nest a group within another group (as a Billing Account Administrator):

A Billing Account Administrator can create a group from within the Manage Billing Account page.

1. [Access the Manage Billing Account page](/v1/docs/access-the-account-summary-page).
2. Select the **Groups** tab, then select the name of the group in which you'd like to nest another group.

Note: You can only modify groups that you manage unless you are the account admin.
3. Select **Add a Group to this Group**.
4. In the left pane of the **Select a group** dialog box, select the name of the group you want to nest and select **Add**.
5. Select **Done**.

Quickbase adds the group.

Note: Proceed with caution when setting up nested groups. Make sure that you're granting the appropriate access permissions to the appropriate users. Always remember that users have all the permissions that you give to any group they're in. So make sure that you don't open your application to more users than you want through group roles and nesting. For instance, say you've previously limited several individual users to a "view only" role. Then you later grant a "Participant" (view and modify) role to a larger group that contains them (like **mycompany.all** in the example above). These previously limited users are swept up in your nesting and, as a result of their membership in the larger group, can now modify records. In this way, nesting may inadvertently grant some users a higher level of access than you originally intended.