Guest is a separate user tier that is counted independently from the standard Owner / Team Administrator / Group Administrator / Created user / View-only user. Guests are designed for information sharing only (view-only, not included in aggregations for Training (Courses), Development (skill map), Usage Report, etc.) and require a separate invitation.
In Dive, the following two user types are counted separately:

• Number of accounts: For standard operators (those who can create, edit, conduct Training (Courses), use Usage Report, etc.). The "Number of accounts" in your plan reflects this count.
• Guest: For external partners, vendors, or on-site contractors (view-only only) whom you do not want to mix with standard Dive operations

User permissions can be changed freely at any time. When you change a user's role, they are automatically recategorized between the two types (for example: changing a View-only user to Guest frees up one account slot and uses one guest slot). There is no restriction preventing you from converting a guest back to standard user status.

What guests can and cannot do

• SOPs - view only (cannot create or edit)
• Not included in Training (Courses) or Development (skill map)
• In the SOP list, guests see only the topmost folder they can access at the top level (typically the folder you gave them permission for). Folders higher in the hierarchy and those they cannot access are not displayed (this prevents your internal organization structure from being exposed). Subfolders and SOPs within the permitted folder are displayed when you open that folder
• Guest viewing is not included in aggregations for Usage Report and similar (guests themselves can use their own Viewing records and Favorites as usual)

External Sharing URLs vs. guest invitation—which should you use?

There are two ways to share SOPs with external parties: ① External Sharing (login-free viewing URL) and ② Guest invitation (this article). Here is a rough guide for when to use each:

• External Sharing: Generates a separate URL for each SOP. Best for one-off, pinpoint sharing—"I want to show only this one SOP to this one person." No setup needed on the recipient's side (they just open the URL).
• Guest invitation: Grants access to SOPs by folder. Better for long-term partners, on-site contractors, and others with whom you want to continuously share multiple SOPs. Use this when you need to enforce controls via Audit log, IP address restriction, or SSO.

For a detailed comparison and decision tree, see Sharing SOPs externally: A usage guide.

Available plans and user count

"Number of accounts" and "Guest" are counted separately, and each plan has the following limits. On plans where guest invitation is available, you receive 3 times the number of accounts as guest slots (for example, on the Core plan: 25 accounts / Guest 75 (3 times the account count)).

When you purchase one additional account, guest slots automatically increase by 3. When you change a user's role, they automatically move between the two counts (Number of accounts ↔ Guest).

Specify which folders guests can access

Guests can view only SOPs in folders where [Allow guest user access] is enabled.

1. Open the target folder and click [Folder settings]
2. In the Access Restriction Settings modal, turn on [Allow guest user access]
3. Once saved, the folder appears in the guest's SOP list, and they can view the SOPs within it

If you enable this setting on a parent folder, all subfolders (including those created later) are visible to guests. Enable this only on folders you want to expose. Also note: if you enable it on a folder with no filter applied (and its parent folders also have no filters), all guests on the team will see it. To show different folders to different vendors, set up a per-vendor group filter before enabling this setting.

For details, see Folder Access Restriction Settings.

Inviting guests or changing existing users

To invite a new guest, go to the user invitation screen and follow the standard email invitation process, but set the role to [Guest]. For invitation steps, see Adding users (email invitation / issue email-free account).

You can change an existing user to Guest (or convert a guest back to View-only user or higher) anytime from the User management screen without restriction. No need to re-invite or re-register them.

When guest invitation is not appropriate (Owner to View-only roles recommended)

Guest invitation is information sharing only, so we recommend using Owner to View-only roles in these cases:

• You want the other party to create or edit SOPs: Guest invitation does not permit creating, editing, or uploading. If collaborative editing is needed, issue a Created user or higher role.
• You want to assign Training (Courses) or track completion: Guest invitation is not eligible for course assignment. If training is needed, invite them as View-only user or higher.
• You want to assess and record competency in the Skill Map: Guest invitation is not eligible for Development (skill map). If you plan to track development, invite them as View-only user or higher.
• You want to monitor their viewing activity in the Usage Report: Guest viewing is not included in aggregations. For internal staff whose viewing you need to track, View-only user or higher is recommended.
• You want users to search for SOPs across your entire folder structure: Guests see only permitted folders; they cannot navigate above them. For internal staff searching across your full folder hierarchy, Owner to View-only roles (View-only user or higher) are more suitable.

Conversely, if any of the following applies, we strongly recommend using guest invitation:

• The other party is external (a partner, vendor, on-site contractor, etc.) and you do not want to expose your internal organization structure
• You do not want them to be part of training or skill management, but you do want to control them via Audit log, IP address restriction, or SSO
• You want their viewing to be excluded from internal management reports

Frequently asked questions

Q. When should I use External Sharing vs. Guest invitation?
A. Use Guest invitation for long-term, ongoing access; use External Sharing for one-off cases. The usage guide includes a decision tree for quick decisions.

Q. Can I convert a guest invitation user back to a standard user (View-only or higher) later?
A. Yes, anytime. Simply change their role in the User management screen, and their count type automatically switches from Guest to Number of accounts (the reverse is also possible). No re-invitation or re-registration needed.

Q. Do guests count toward my Number of accounts?
A. No. Guests use a separate guest slot and do not count toward your Number of accounts. On Core and higher plans, you receive 3 times your account count automatically as guest slots (Core = 75 / Pro = 150 / Enterprise = 300).

Q. For external users who don't need training or skill management, can I use View-only user instead?
A. For external parties, we recommend Guest invitation as a rule. View-only users see the same screen as internal staff, which means folder names and the organization of other departments remain visible (even if they cannot open those folders). With Guest, only permitted folders are shown, and inaccessible folders and those outside their scope do not appear—keeping your internal organization information private.
Conversely, if you have internal staff who should view-only, be trained, or have their activity tracked in reports, Owner to View-only roles (View-only user or higher) are more appropriate.

Q. Can guests create SOPs?
A. No. Guest invitation is information sharing only—guests cannot create, edit, or upload. If creation is needed, invite them as a Created user or higher.

Q. Can I apply IP address restriction or SSO to guests?
A. Yes. Guests are subject to the same team Security Settings as standard users, so IP address restriction, SSO controls, and Audit log tracking all apply.

Q. Can I invite internal staff as guests?
A. Yes, it is only possible. If you want internal staff to view-only, guest invitation works regardless of whether they are internal or external. However, they will not be eligible for Training (Courses) or Development (skill map).

Q. Can guests see the folder hierarchy in the SOP list?
A. Guests cannot see folders above the folders they are allowed to access. In the guest's view, only the topmost permitted folder is shown at the top level, and folders outside that scope or folders they cannot access do not appear (this design protects your internal organization structure). Within a permitted folder, they can navigate through accessible subfolders.
For internal staff who need to search across your complete folder structure, Owner to View-only roles (View-only user or higher) are more suitable.

Q. Can I see guest viewing records in the Usage Report?
A. No, guest viewing is not included in aggregations, so it does not appear. Guest viewing is excluded from Usage Report, SOP Viewing records (Work records, Stumble map), and similar aggregations (though guests themselves can view their own Viewing records and Favorites normally). If you need to track the viewing activity of external parties, use Owner to View-only roles (View-only user or higher).

Related pages

• Sharing SOPs externally: A usage guide (External Sharing / Guest invitation)
• How to use External Sharing
• Folder Access Restriction Settings
• Adding users (email invitation / Issue email-free account)
• User roles and Number of accounts
• Managing guest registration information as an administrator (screens visible by role)