Granting access to a Canvas app is a straightforward process primarily managed within the Power Apps maker portal, allowing you to share your application with specific users or groups within your organization.
Steps to Share Your Canvas App
To enable others to use your Canvas app, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Power Apps: Open the Power Apps maker portal (make.powerapps.com).
- Select Your App: From the left navigation pane, select Apps. Find the Canvas app you wish to share from your list.
- Initiate Sharing:
- On the command bar, select Share.
- Alternatively, select the Commands menu (usually represented by "...") next to your app name, and then choose Share.
- Add Users or Groups:
- In the Share dialog box that appears, type the names or aliases of the individual users or security groups you wish to give access to. These users and groups must exist in your organization's Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory).
- As you type, suggestions will appear, making it easy to select the correct entities.
- Choose Permissions:
- Select the down arrow next to each added user or group to choose the desired permissions for the app. The primary permission levels for Canvas apps are:
- User: Allows the user to run the app. This is the most common permission for end-users.
- Co-owner: Grants the user full permissions to run, edit, share, and delete the app. This permission is typically given to developers or administrators collaborating on the app.
- Select the down arrow next to each added user or group to choose the desired permissions for the app. The primary permission levels for Canvas apps are:
- Confirm Sharing: Once you've added all necessary users/groups and set their permissions, select Share.
Users will then be able to find and launch the app from their Power Apps mobile app, the Power Apps desktop app, or the Power Apps portal.
Understanding Permission Levels
It's crucial to distinguish between the two primary permission levels when sharing your Canvas app:
| Permission Level | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| User | Can run (use) the app. Cannot edit, share, or delete the app. | End-users who need to interact with the app for their work. |
| Co-owner | Can run, edit, share, and delete the app. Can also change other co-owners' permissions. | Developers, administrators, or team leads collaborating on the app's development and management. |
Best Practices for App Access Management
- Utilize Security Groups: For larger organizations or apps with many users, sharing with Microsoft Entra security groups is highly recommended. This simplifies management; instead of adding or removing individual users, you just manage group membership.
- Licensing: Ensure that all users who need to access and use the Canvas app have the appropriate Power Apps licenses. Without a valid license, they will not be able to run the app, even if shared. You can learn more about Power Apps licensing.
- Data Source Permissions: If your Canvas app connects to external data sources (e.g., SharePoint lists, Dataverse tables, SQL Server databases), users must also have appropriate permissions to those underlying data sources to interact with the app successfully. Sharing the app does not automatically grant access to its data sources.
- Environment Security Roles: While not directly tied to app sharing, users might also need specific environment security roles if the app interacts with Dataverse or other environment-specific resources.
By following these steps and best practices, you can effectively manage who has access to your Canvas apps, ensuring a smooth and secure user experience.
