Grant an agency Edit access to a Google Tag Manager container

Let an agency prepare tag changes in one Google Tag Manager (GTM) container. The agency can edit the working draft; your publisher keeps control of saving versions and making changes live.

• Outcome: Tracking & measurement
• Tools: Google Tag Manager
• Responsible: Anyone with Administrator access to a GTM account who needs an agency to prepare changes in one web container.
• Estimated time: 15 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• One agency person’s existing Google Account, newly granted account User permission and Edit access to one web container
• Saved account and container permissions, recipient activation and access checks

This does not cover:

• Administrator, Approve or Publish grants
• Changing existing or inherited access
• Editing tags, creating versions or publishing changes

Requirements

• Your Google Account has Administrator access to the GTM account; you have its account name, container name and container ID beginning GTM-.
• The agency person’s exact Google Account email address, with no existing direct or inherited access to this GTM account or its containers. The person is available to accept and check access.

Related SOPs

• SOP 011: Create a Google Tag Manager account and web container
• SOP 012: Install GA4 through Google Tag Manager
• SOP 013: Grant an agency Editor access to a GA4 property

01. Open the correct account and container

1. Open Google Tag Manager using your Administrator Google Account. Open the account and web container from your prerequisites. Confirm the container ID beginning GTM- matches your target ID.

2. Open Admin. In the Account column, choose User Management and search for the agency person’s exact Google Account email address. Continue only if there is no existing access or pending invitation for that person. If access is inherited through a group or organization, have the account owner review it before using this new-access procedure.

02. Give access to one container

1. In Account User Management, click + > Add users. Enter the agency person’s Google Account email address. Set Account Permissions to User, with Administrator unselected. In Container permissions, open the target container’s permission editor and select Edit, including Read if shown separately. Clear Approve and Publish, then click Done. Check any other containers show None (no access).

2. Review the recipient’s email address, account User permission and the container table: only the target container has Edit; any other containers show None (no access). Click Invite.

3. Ask the agency person to open Google Tag Manager using the exact Google Account you invited. If an Invitations card appears on the Accounts screen, open it, expand the invitation, confirm the account name matches your target account, and click Accept. The account may appear directly when the person has accepted access before. Have them confirm your target account is now listed.

03. Check the saved permissions and access

1. Return to Admin > Account > User Management and reopen the agency person’s entry. Check these items in order:

   1. Confirm Has access appears. Confirm the account permission is User and Administrator is off.

   2. Click View all containers to open the full list.

   3. Confirm the target container shows Edit in the full list.

   4. If any other container rows are listed, confirm each permission is None.

   5. Close the full list, then open the target container’s row.

   6. Confirm Read and Edit are on and Approve and Publish are off. If inherited permissions or another saved grant give broader access, stop and have the account owner review it.

2. Ask the agency person to open the container and confirm its GTM- ID matches your target ID. Have them open Tags > New to confirm the tag editor is available, then close the empty editor without saving.