You see the error “Member Cannot Be Promoted” when trying to change a member’s role in Notion. This error occurs because the member lacks a specific role capability that the workspace owner or admin must assign first. This article explains why this restriction exists and provides a step-by-step method to resolve it.
Key Takeaways: Resolving the Member Cannot Be Promoted Error
- Settings & Members > People > Role column: Change a member’s role from Member to Admin or Guest to grant full access.
- Settings & Members > People > Permissions > Member permissions: Adjust specific capabilities like “Can promote members” to allow role upgrades.
- Workspace owner account: Only the workspace owner can assign the “Can promote members” capability to other users.
Why Notion Blocks Member Promotion Without a Specific Capability
Notion uses a role-based permission system. Each role — Workspace Owner, Admin, Member, and Guest — has a fixed set of capabilities. The “Member” role cannot promote other members by default. This is by design to prevent unauthorized changes to workspace access. The specific capability needed to promote a member is “Can promote members.” This capability is not available to regular members. Only an Admin or Workspace Owner can grant this capability to a member. If you see the error, either the member is trying to promote themselves or another member without the required capability, or the workspace owner has not enabled this capability for that member.
Role Hierarchy and Capabilities
Notion’s workspace roles are hierarchical. The Workspace Owner has full control. Admins can manage most settings but cannot delete the workspace. Members can create and edit content but cannot change workspace settings. Guests have limited access to specific pages. The “Can promote members” capability is only available to the Workspace Owner and Admins. Members cannot see this option in their permissions. If a member tries to promote someone, the system checks their capabilities and rejects the action if the capability is missing.
Where the Error Appears
The error appears in two places. First, when a member tries to change another member’s role from the People page in Settings & Members. Second, when a member tries to change their own role. The exact error message reads: “Member Cannot Be Promoted. You don’t have the required role capability to perform this action.” This message indicates the user lacks the specific capability.
Steps to Grant the “Can Promote Members” Capability
To fix this error, the workspace owner or an admin must grant the “Can promote members” capability to the affected member. Follow these steps exactly.
- Open Settings & Members
Click on Settings & Members in the left sidebar. This opens the workspace settings panel. - Navigate to the People tab
Click the People tab at the top of the settings panel. You see a list of all workspace members. - Find the member who cannot be promoted
Scroll to the member who is stuck in the Member role. Click on their name to open their profile. - Click the Permissions tab
In the member’s profile, click the Permissions tab. This shows the current capabilities for that member. - Enable “Can promote members”
Under the Member permissions section, toggle the switch for “Can promote members” to the on position. The toggle turns blue when active. - Save the changes
Click the Save button at the bottom of the Permissions tab. The member now has the capability to promote other members. - Test the promotion
Ask the member to go to Settings & Members > People, find another member, and click the role dropdown. The option to promote to Admin should now be available.
Alternative: Promote the Member Directly as an Admin
If you are an admin or workspace owner, you can skip granting the capability and promote the member yourself. Follow these steps.
- Open Settings & Members
Click Settings & Members in the left sidebar. - Click the People tab
Click People at the top of the settings panel. - Locate the member
Find the member you want to promote in the list. - Change the role
Click the role dropdown next to their name. Select Admin from the list. Notion applies the change immediately. No confirmation dialog appears.
If Notion Still Shows the Error After Granting the Capability
Error persists after enabling “Can promote members”
If the member still sees the error, the capability may not have saved correctly. Go back to Settings & Members > People > member profile > Permissions. Verify the toggle is still on. If it is off, toggle it on again and click Save. Also check that the member is not trying to promote themselves to Admin. A member can only promote other members, not themselves. If the member is trying to promote themselves, the error is expected. Only an admin or workspace owner can change a member’s own role.
Member cannot see the “Can promote members” option
The “Can promote members” option is only visible to workspace owners and admins. If a regular member opens their own Permissions tab, they will not see this option. This is correct behavior. To resolve the error, the member must ask an admin or workspace owner to grant the capability. The member cannot grant it to themselves.
Workspace owner cannot find the capability toggle
If you are the workspace owner and cannot find the “Can promote members” toggle, you are likely looking at your own profile. Workspace owners have all capabilities by default and their Permissions tab shows no toggles. Click on another member’s profile to see the toggles. If you still do not see the toggle, check that you are on the correct workspace. Switch to the workspace where the member belongs by clicking the workspace name at the top left and selecting the correct workspace.
Notion Role Capabilities: Member vs Admin vs Guest
| Capability | Member | Admin | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can promote members | No (unless granted) | Yes | No |
| Can manage workspace settings | No | Yes | No |
| Can delete workspace | No | No | No |
| Can create and edit pages | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Can invite new members | No (unless granted) | Yes | No |
Use this table to understand what each role can do. If you need a member to promote others, grant the specific capability rather than promoting them to Admin. This keeps your workspace secure while giving the necessary power.
Conclusion
The “Member Cannot Be Promoted” error occurs because the member lacks the “Can promote members” capability. To fix it, the workspace owner or an admin must enable this capability in the member’s Permissions tab under Settings & Members > People. Alternatively, an admin can directly promote the member to Admin. Always verify the capability is saved before testing. If the error continues, check that the member is not trying to promote themselves. Use the role capabilities table to decide whether to grant a specific capability or change the role entirely.