# Why can't a teammate see a sequence or mailbox?

> A colleague is in the team but cannot see or edit something you can; the workspace they landed in, owner filters, role permissions, and who owns what.

**Check three things in order: which workspace they are in, whether a view is filtered to their own items, and what their role allows. The first two account for most cases and neither is a permission problem, so changing roles first usually wastes time.**

_Status: Reviewed – written against Reply's product documentation on 2026-09-21, not yet confirmed against the running product._

## Quick fix

1. Ask which **workspace** they are in. An organization can hold several, and each shows only its own sequences, mailboxes and contacts.
2. Ask them to set every **owner filter** they can see from **My** to **All members** – sequence lists, the inbox, contacts.
3. Check their **role** and what it permits. Viewing other members' sequences is a permission, not a default.
4. Check who **owns** the item. A mailbox or list belongs to one person, and ownership is separate from permission.
5. Confirm they can now see it, and note which of the four it was.

Didn't work? [Contact Reply support](https://support.reply.io/); the team can check your account directly.

## Symptom

A colleague is in the team and signed in, but a sequence, mailbox, contact list or inbox thread you can see is missing for them, or visible but not editable.

## Most likely causes

| Cause | How to recognize it |
| --- | --- |
| They are in a different workspace | They see *some* content, just not yours. Common right after joining |
| A view is filtered to their own items | They see none of anyone else's work anywhere, not just in one place |
| Their role does not include the permission | They see the item but cannot open or change it, or a button is missing |
| The item belongs to another person | Mailboxes, contact lists and sequences each have an owner, and ownership is not the same as access |
| The workspace is set to private | Members see only their own work by design |
| They are looking at the wrong account entirely | They signed in to a personal account – see [Why can't a team member accept an invitation?](/troubleshooting/team-member-cannot-accept-invitation/) |

## Diagnostic checklist

1. **Workspace first.** Have them read out the workspace name. If your organization has more than one and the names are similar, this is the answer more often than anything else.
2. **Then filters.** An owner filter left on **My** hides every colleague's work and looks exactly like a permission problem. It applies separately in different views, so clear it in each.
3. **Then the role.** Seeing other members' sequences is a granted permission. If the permission is missing, a team owner enables it for that role, or creates a role that has it.
4. **Then ownership.** A mailbox owned by another member cannot be taken over. The current owner has to release it before someone else can connect it.
5. **Only then suspect a fault.** The first four explain nearly everything.

## Resolution

### They are in the wrong workspace

Switch workspace from the account menu. If people keep landing in the wrong one, rename the workspaces so they are simple to tell apart; a default name next to a real one is a trap.

### A view is filtered to their own items

Set the owner filter to **All members**. Do it in each place separately: the sequence list, the inbox, and the contacts view each keep their own.

### Their role is missing the permission

A team owner changes it under the organization's roles and permissions. Grant the specific permission rather than promoting the person; a broader role is harder to unwind later.

### The item belongs to someone else

For a mailbox, the current owner removes it from their account and the new owner connects it. For a sequence, change its owner from the sequence list. Be aware that changing a sequence's owner can change which mailboxes that sequence can still use, so check sending afterwards.

### The workspace is private

That is the setting working as intended: members see only their own work. Change the workspace mode if you want shared visibility, and expect it to affect everyone.

## Verification

Have the colleague reload and confirm they can see and act on the item. Note which of the four it was; if it was the workspace or a filter, the same thing will happen to the next person who joins.

## Prevention

- Name workspaces distinctly. "Default" beside a real name causes this repeatedly.
- Tell new joiners which workspace they should be in, in the same message as the invitation.
- Set roles up once, deliberately, rather than granting permissions one at a time under pressure.
- Keep mailbox ownership with the person who actually uses the mailbox.

## FAQ

### Is this a permissions problem?

Usually not. The wrong workspace and an owner filter left on **My** account for most cases, and both look exactly like missing permissions.

### Can two people own the same mailbox?

No. A mailbox has one owner. To move it, the current owner removes it and the new owner connects it.

### Why did sending break after I changed a sequence's owner?

A sequence's access to mailboxes depends on ownership. After changing the owner, check the sequence still has usable sending accounts.

## Still stuck? Contact Reply support

If these steps didn't solve the problem, the Reply support team can look at your
account directly. Open the [Reply Help Center](https://support.reply.io/) and send
the team a message.

To get an answer faster, include:

- what the colleague can and cannot see, and where
- which workspace they are in, and which one the item is in
- their role, and who owns the item
- your organization name

Don't send passwords, API keys, or access tokens.

## Related

- [Why can't a team member accept an invitation?](/troubleshooting/team-member-cannot-accept-invitation/)
- [Configure account settings](/how-to/configure-account-settings/)
- [Why was an email not sent?](/troubleshooting/email-was-not-sent/) – if changing an owner broke sending

## Build with Reply

- REST API: [Account](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/introduction) – read workspace and membership
- MCP: [docs.reply.io/mcp](https://docs.reply.io/mcp/overview) – check roles and ownership from an assistant