# Transferring project ownership

{% hint style="warning" %}
Only the project owner can transfer ownership of a project (unless the project is created by a [managed account](https://docs.overleaf.com/accounts-and-security/understanding-managed-accounts)). Owner-only capabilities, such as the ability to add collaborators, turn link sharing on or off, and to delete the project are immediately disabled for the previous owner and enabled for the new owner.
{% endhint %}

With Overleaf you can easily transfer the ownership of a project to a collaborator.

## How can I transfer the ownership of a project?

1. As the owner, open the project you’d like to transfer, then click **Share** on the top bar.

<div align="center"><img src="https://3502988919-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVetOkhFZmAC8QCQK0Pi7%2Fuploads%2FOWsIJ2wYBPlcCZnXhm4z%2FScreenshot%202025-12-16%20124556.png?alt=media&#x26;token=0cdb19b7-a391-4c77-ba0e-1a75b533cf76" alt="transferprojectownership"></div>

2. This will open the **Share Project** modal, which will list any collaborators on the project. If none show, you will have to [invite them first.](https://docs.overleaf.com/collaborating/sharing-a-project)

<div align="center"><img src="https://3502988919-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVetOkhFZmAC8QCQK0Pi7%2Fuploads%2FIUAqNDmWHfT1O0rb8Vn3%2FShareProjectLinkUpdateOne.png?alt=media&#x26;token=59c1c58b-5777-4acc-96c2-451ffaa95d50" alt="Image showing Overleaf&#x27;s Share Project modal"></div>

3. Click on the share permissions with the contributor you want to transfer project ownership to and choose **Make owner**.

<div align="center"><img src="https://3502988919-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVetOkhFZmAC8QCQK0Pi7%2Fuploads%2FLQxxigrKAHR9RFbgxPyx%2FShareProjectLinkUpdateTwo.png?alt=media&#x26;token=383609a7-1a9f-4c00-b6b5-e30fd337a64a" alt="Image showing how to transfer ownership of an Overleaf project"></div>

4. You will then be prompted to change or cancel the ownership. If you’re sure you wish to continue with the transfer ownership, select **Change owner**.

<div align="center"><img src="https://3502988919-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVetOkhFZmAC8QCQK0Pi7%2Fuploads%2FTaPVsFJtFh7IPNZYTos1%2FShareProjectLinkUpdateThree.png?alt=media&#x26;token=65dac376-a804-427f-95d4-66393f626222" alt="Image showing message to confirm change of ownership"></div>

{% hint style="warning" %}
The ownership change is immediate. Owner-only capabilities, such as the ability to add collaborators and turn link sharing on/off, are immediately disabled for the previous owner and enabled for the new owner.
{% endhint %}

5. After you’ve selected **Change owner**, you will get an email at your designated email address informing you of the change.

<div align="center"><img src="https://3502988919-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVetOkhFZmAC8QCQK0Pi7%2Fuploads%2FbOAZI1mSkuxhWZuR2wn1%2FEmailtoJDoe.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a7a2e5cc-12b1-479e-966d-619823d2383f" alt="Email to previous Overleaf project owner confirming change of ownership."></div>

6. The new owner will also receive an email informing them of the change and will be able to click through and open the project on Overleaf.

<div align="center"><img src="https://3502988919-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVetOkhFZmAC8QCQK0Pi7%2Fuploads%2F6qlQqIuFXmYlEyl18n9Z%2FEmailtoKDoe.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a5d9ffb2-9b38-48c5-85b9-06ca0c5ba363" alt="Email to new project owner telling them about transfer of ownership"></div>

***

## Will transferring project ownership affect collaborator access?

This depends on which Overleaf plan(s) the previous and new project owners have. The table below explains possible scenarios:

| Previous owner’s subscription                                                | New owner’s subscription                                                     | Changes for collaborators                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Free                                                                         | Free                                                                         | No change—one edit access collaborator and unlimited view-only collaborators are allowed.                                                                                                       |
| Standard or Group Standard                                                   | Free                                                                         | The number of edit-access collaborators will decrease from 10 to 1. All collaborators will be made view-only and the new owner will be able to give only one collaborator edit access.          |
| Professional, Group Professional, or Overleaf Commons (institutional access) | Free                                                                         | The number of edit-access collaborators will decrease from unlimited to one. All collaborators will be made view-only and the new owner will be able to give only one collaborator edit access. |
| Free                                                                         | Standard or Group Standard                                                   | The number of edit-access collaborators will increase from 1 to 10. The new owner will be able to invite up to 10 collaborators with edit access.                                               |
| Free                                                                         | Professional, Group Professional, or Overleaf Commons (institutional access) | The number of edit-access collaborators will increase from one to unlimited. The new owner will be able to add as many collaborators with edit access as they want.                             |