Troubleshooting

Why can't I edit my project? ("View only" or read-only)

September 15, 2026
Why can't I edit my project? ("View only" or read-only)

A TeleportHQ project opens read-only for one of a few reasons: your role only lets you view, the workspace's trial or subscription has ended, you opened someone's public or cloneable link, the editor lost its connection, or a teammate is editing the element you clicked. Find the message you see below: each one has its own fix.

"View only" at the top right of the editor

Cause: your role in this TeleportHQ project is Viewer or Limited Viewer, or you opened a project someone shared with a Can view link without being a member. Viewers can look and leave comments, but can't change anything.

Fix:

  1. At the top right of the editor, click View only. A box says "To edit this file, ask the owner for editing rights".
  2. Click Request editing rights. The message "Permission change request sent." appears, and the workspace owner gets an email.
  3. Wait for the owner, or an admin, to give you an editing role such as Designer. You can send one request every 24 hours: after a request, the box says "Request for editing rights sent."

See How to ask for editing rights on a view-only project. If the box says "To ask for edit rights for this file, please login or signup", sign in first.

If you own the workspace or are an admin: at the top right of the editor, click Share. The Collaborators window lists everyone with access. For someone invited to this project only, under Project collaborators, pick a new role next to their name. People under Workspace collaborators get their role in the workspace settings instead. See How to change a member's role.

The TeleportHQ Collaborators window opened from Share, with the list of people and their roles highlighted

"Subscription ended — resubscribe to edit" or "Read-only — subscription ended"

Cause: the TeleportHQ workspace's trial or paid subscription has ended. Every project in the workspace is read-only for everyone, the owner included. Its published sites are offline and its projects are archived.

Fix:

  • Owner: click Subscription ended — resubscribe to edit and choose a plan. Editing comes back once the workspace is subscribed.
  • Everyone else: you see Read-only — subscription ended, and the View only box says "This workspace's subscription has ended, so its projects are read-only. Resubscribing restores editing." Ask the workspace owner to subscribe. Requesting editing rights doesn't help here.

See What happens when my trial or subscription ends?.

"You are inside a cloneable project. Clone the project to make your own changes."

Cause: you opened someone else's TeleportHQ project through a Can clone link. You can look, but you can't change their original.

Fix: in the banner above the editor, click Clone to make your own copy, then edit the copy. For a template, the banner says "This is a view-only template. Click Use template to clone it and make it yours." Click Use template. See How to duplicate a project.

"Connection lost. Reconnecting automatically… Your edits are paused until it is back."

Cause: the TeleportHQ editor lost its live connection. While it's gone, the project is read-only. If your computer is offline, the banner says "You're offline. Editing resumes when your connection returns."

Fix: check your internet connection and wait. The editor reconnects by itself, and the banner disappears when you can edit again. See Why is the editor slow, or saying I'm offline?.

If the banner says "The server rejected one of your edits, so it was not saved. Reload the editor to continue safely.", click Reload editor, then make that change again.

I can edit some things but not others

Cause: your role is Editor. In TeleportHQ, Editors can change pages and content, but can't edit components, CSS classes, saved colors or Project settings, can't publish, and only see the pages they're given or create.

Fix: ask a workspace owner or admin to change your role to Designer if you need those features. See What can each role do?.

Typical messages: "Your current role does not have permission to create components." or "Your current role does not have enough permissions to publish this project".

I can't select one element, but others work

Cause: a teammate is working on that element right now. It's locked until they finish.

Fix: wait a moment and try again. See Why can't I select an element someone else is editing?.

"Editing needs a larger screen" or "The editor needs a mouse or trackpad"

Cause: you opened the TeleportHQ editor on a phone, or on a tablet without a mouse or trackpad.

Fix: on a phone, click Open preview to look at your pages, and edit on a computer. On a tablet, connect a mouse or trackpad, or click Continue anyway to edit with touch. See Which browsers and devices does TeleportHQ work on?.

"Access denied" or "New project role"

Cause: the owner removed your access, or changed your role, while you were in the project.

Fix: see Why did the editor say "Access denied", "New project role" or "You're offline"?.

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Related Articles

What can each role do? (Admin, Designer, Editor, Viewer)

TeleportHQ has six roles (Owner, Admin, Designer, Editor, Viewer and Limited Viewer); Owner, Admin, Designer and Editor can edit and use an editor seat, Viewers are free and read-only, and the Editor role can't publish, view code, edit components or see every page by default.

How to ask for editing rights on a view-only project

When a TeleportHQ project opens with a View only button in the top bar, click View only and then Request editing rights; the workspace Owner gets an email and has to change your role, and you can send one request per project every 24 hours.

What happens when my trial or subscription ends?

When a TeleportHQ trial or paid subscription ends, the workspace is locked, published sites and custom domains are removed, all projects are archived and private projects become public; after a trial, archived projects are deleted about 30 days later, a workspace whose paid subscription ended keeps them, and subscribing again restores them so you can republish.

Why can't I select an element someone else is editing?

In TeleportHQ, an element is locked for everyone else while a collaborator is actively changing it (typing, resizing, dragging, adjusting spacing, or while the AI Assistant, a translation or Tailor this project works on it); it shows a grey cover with their name, or Translating..., and unlocks by itself when they finish.

Why did the editor say "Access denied", "New project role" or "You're offline"?

These TeleportHQ editor messages mean something changed while you had the project open; "Access denied" means your access was removed, "New project role" means your role changed and the page reloads, and "You're offline" or "Connection lost" means your connection dropped and your edits are paused until it is back.

Why is the editor slow, or saying I'm offline?

When the TeleportHQ editor loses its live connection it shows "Connection lost. Reconnecting automatically… Your edits are paused until it is back." (or "You're offline…") and pauses editing until it reconnects by itself; other messages warn about a small window, an unsupported browser, a phone or touch screen, or too many people in the project, and reloading or using a Chromium-based browser fixes most cases.