Preview the portal as a specific member

This guide shows you how to see the member portal exactly as a specific member sees it, so you can troubleshoot questions like “why can’t I see my history?” or “why doesn’t my profile look right?”

Who can do this: Admins whose role includes the preview-as-member permission. The Preview as member button is absent if your role doesn’t include this permission.

Before you start

Preview mode is read-only. You can navigate the portal but you can’t make changes on the member’s behalf.
The preview session lasts 30 minutes. You can extend it if you need more time.

Steps

Start a preview session

Open the member’s detail page. See View a member record in detail.
Select Preview as member.
A dialog confirms the member’s name. Select Start preview.
The portal opens as that member would see it. A yellow “Previewing as {name} — read-only” banner stays at the top of the screen the whole time you’re in preview mode.

What you can and can’t do in preview

In preview mode, you can:

Navigate between all portal tabs the member has access to (Profile, Membership, Activity, Household, and others).
See exactly which fields the member can see — admin-only fields are hidden from the preview view, matching what the member actually sees.
See the suspension message if the member’s account is currently suspended.

You cannot:

Edit any of the member’s information.
Submit payments, renewals, or RSVPs on their behalf.
Access admin routes while previewing.

End a preview session

Select Exit preview in the banner at the top of the screen. You’ll return to that member’s admin detail page.

The session also ends automatically after 30 minutes. If you’re still previewing with 5 minutes left, a countdown appears in the banner. Select Extend to get another 30 minutes.

Verify

You’ll know the preview started when the yellow banner appears at the top of the screen and the portal shows the member’s name. You’ll know it ended when the banner disappears and you’re back on the member’s admin detail page.

If something goes wrong

“Preview as member” button isn’t visible — your admin role may not include the preview-as-member permission. Contact your org owner.
“Could not start preview” — a temporary error occurred on the member’s detail page. Try again.
“Preview session has ended” — the 30-minute session expired. Select Return to member record in the dialog that appears. Start a new preview from the member’s detail page if needed.