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Administrator Project Tools

Administrator Project Tools

Article ID RC-CC-22 — Admin: Administrator Project Tools (View as User, Project Switcher)
Domain Control Center (Admin)
Applies To REDCap administrators only
Prerequisite RC-CC-21 — Control Center: Overview & Navigation
Version 1.0
Last Updated 2026-04-25
Author See KB-SOURCE-ATTESTATION.md
Related Topics RC-CC-07 — Control Center: Users & Access Management; RC-CC-24 — Control Center: Edit Project Settings; RC-USER-01 — User Rights: Overview & Three-Tier Access; RC-NAV-UI-02 — Project Menu Reference

1. Overview

REDCap provides administrators with two project-level tools that are invisible to regular users: the View Project as User feature and the Project Switcher. Both appear within a project at the top-left of the page, just below the "Contact REDCap Administrator" link.

View Project as User allows an administrator to temporarily browse any project as a specific project member, with that user's rights applied. This is primarily a troubleshooting and support tool — it helps admins reproduce what a user is seeing without needing the user's login credentials.

Project Switcher is a quick-navigation text input that accepts a Project ID (PID) and jumps directly to that project. It saves administrators from navigating through the full project list when they know the PID they want to reach.

2. View Project as User

2.1 What It Does

When an administrator activates this feature, REDCap reloads the current project with the selected user's project privileges applied. The admin sees exactly what that user sees — including which instruments, menu items, and data are visible — based on that user's assigned rights.

2.2 Accessing the Feature

The View Project as User dropdown appears at the top-left of any project page, just below the "Contact REDCap Administrator" link. It is only visible to administrators — regular project users do not see it.

When expanded, the dropdown lists all users currently assigned to the project.

2.3 Starting a Session

  1. Open the project.
  2. Expand the View Project as User dropdown.
  3. Select the desired user from the list.

REDCap confirms the change before reloading:

SUCCESS! You are now viewing this project as the user "[username]". This user's project user privileges will be applied to you within this project. The page will now reload to reflect this change.

After the reload, the interface reflects only what that user is permitted to see and do.

2.4 Identifying an Active Session

While a view-as-user session is active, a green banner appears at the top of every project page:

You are currently viewing this project as the user "[username]", and their user privileges will be applied to you for the duration of this session.

If you are unsure whether your current view is a normal admin view or an impersonated one, check for this banner.

2.5 Ending the Session

  1. Expand the View Project as User dropdown.
  2. Select [Stop viewing as user].

REDCap confirms before reloading:

SUCCESS! You are no longer viewing this project as another user. The page will now reload to reflect this change.

The administrator's full access is restored after the reload.

3. Project Switcher

3.1 What It Does

The Project Switcher is a text input field that accepts a Project ID (PID). Pressing Enter navigates directly to that project, bypassing the main project list. It is an admin-only tool — regular users do not see it.

3.2 Locations

The Project Switcher appears in two places:

Within a project: Located at the top-left of the page, just below the View Project as User dropdown.

Outside a project (main menu): Located between the REDCap logo at the top-left and the "Home" navigation tab. This allows an administrator to jump to any project directly from the home page or any other non-project page.

3.3 Using the Switcher

Type the PID of the target project into the input field and press Enter. REDCap navigates immediately to that project's home page.

Tip: The Project Switcher also supports shortcuts for common admin destinations. For example, entering a PID followed by eps (e.g., 1234 eps) jumps directly to the Edit Project Settings page for that project in the Control Center. See RC-CC-24 — Control Center: Edit Project Settings for details.

4. Common Questions

Q: Can I make changes while viewing the project as another user? Yes — you retain the ability to act within the project, but only within the bounds of the impersonated user's rights. Actions that require rights the user does not have will behave as they would for that user (e.g., buttons may be hidden or disabled).

Important caveat: In rare cases, certain features may display differently than they would for the actual user because underlying administrator privileges are not fully suppressed. The Data Export module is a known example: some export options that are restricted by user rights may remain visible or accessible to an administrator even while in an impersonated session. When diagnosing an issue involving a feature like data export, be aware that the view-as-user simulation may not be a perfect replica of the real user's experience.

Q: Are actions I take during a view-as-user session logged under my account or the impersonated user's account? All actions remain attributed to the administrator's account in the audit log. Nothing is logged under the impersonated user. The view-as-user session does not transfer identity — it only applies the user's rights as a filter.

Q: Does the view-as-user session persist if I navigate to a different project? No. The session is scoped to the current project. Navigating away from the project ends the impersonation.

Q: Do I need to know a user's password to use View Project as User? No. The feature works entirely through the REDCap interface and does not require any credentials from the user being impersonated.

Q: Can I use the Project Switcher to navigate to a project I am not assigned to? Yes. Administrators have access to all projects on the instance regardless of project membership. The Project Switcher will navigate to any valid PID.

Q: Can I see which PID a project has? The PID appears in the URL when you are inside a project (e.g., ...redcap.php?pid=1234). It is also listed in the Control Center's project list.

5. Common Mistakes & Gotchas

Forgetting an active view-as-user session. If you open a different browser tab or return to the project later in the same browser session, you may still be in view-as-user mode. Always check for the green banner at the top of the page if a project behaves unexpectedly.

Trusting the impersonated view for data export troubleshooting. Administrator privileges can bleed through in certain areas even during a view-as-user session. The Data Export module is the most documented example — some export options restricted by user rights may still appear. If a user reports they cannot export data, corroborate with the user directly rather than relying solely on the impersonated view.

Entering an invalid PID in the Project Switcher. If the PID does not correspond to an existing project, the switcher will either produce an error or land on an unexpected page. Double-check the PID before navigating, especially if entering it from memory.

Using the Project Switcher shortcut syntax unintentionally. Appending certain suffixes (like eps) to a PID in the Project Switcher triggers a redirect to a specific admin page rather than the project home. If you find yourself unexpectedly in the Control Center, you may have used a shortcut unintentionally.