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83 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
83 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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sidebar_position: 5
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title: "Understanding Settings"
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---
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# Understanding Settings
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When you first start using Open WebUI, you'll notice there are **two separate settings areas** — not one. This trips up almost everyone at first, so let's clear it up.
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## Why Two Settings?
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Open WebUI is designed to be **multi-user from day one**. Even if you're the only person using it right now, the architecture assumes there could be many users on the same instance — a team, a classroom, an entire organization.
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That creates a fundamental problem: **an admin needs to control what's available on the instance** (which APIs are connected, which features are turned on, what the security policies are), while **each user needs to control their own experience** (which model they prefer, what their interface looks like, their personal defaults). A single settings page can't serve both purposes — what an admin configures for everyone is fundamentally different from what you configure for yourself.
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So Open WebUI splits them:
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## The Two Settings Areas
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### ⚙️ Admin Settings (Global)
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- **Where**: Click your profile avatar → **Admin Settings**, or **Admin Panel > Settings**
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- **Who can access**: Only **Administrators**
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- **What it controls**: Everything about the Open WebUI **instance itself** — the features available to all users, API connections, security policies, and default behaviors
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Think of this as the **control panel for the building**. It determines what's installed and available for everyone.
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### 🛠️ User Settings (Personal)
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- **Where**: Click your profile avatar → **Settings**
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- **Who can access**: **Every user** (including admins)
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- **What it controls**: Your **personal preferences** — your default model, interface theme, language, notification preferences, and personal overrides for features the admin has enabled
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Think of this as the **thermostat in your own room**. You can adjust things for yourself, but only within what the building provides.
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## How They Work Together
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Many features in Open WebUI follow a **two-layer pattern**:
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1. **The admin decides if a feature is available** (Admin Settings)
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2. **Each user decides if they personally want to use it** (User Settings)
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For example, consider **Autocomplete** (AI-powered typing suggestions):
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| Layer | Setting Location | Effect |
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|-------|-----------------|--------|
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| Admin enables it | Admin Settings > Interface | Makes autocomplete **available** on the instance |
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| User enables it | Settings > Interface | Turns autocomplete **on for you personally** |
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:::important Key Rule
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If an admin **disables** a feature globally, users **cannot** enable it for themselves. The admin setting is always the ceiling.
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:::
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This pattern repeats across many features — web search, image generation, direct connections, code interpreter, and more. The admin controls the **what's possible**, and users control the **what I want**.
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## Quick Reference
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| | Admin Settings | User Settings |
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|---|---|---|
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| **Icon** | ⚙️ Admin Settings | 🛠️ Settings |
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| **Scope** | Entire instance (all users) | Just you |
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| **Access** | Admins only | Everyone |
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| **Controls** | API connections, feature toggles, security, defaults | Theme, default model, personal preferences |
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| **Overrides** | Cannot be overridden by users | Can customize within admin-allowed features |
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## Common Scenarios
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**"I enabled a feature in my settings but it's not working."**
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→ Check if the admin has enabled it globally first. Your personal setting only works if the admin has made the feature available.
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**"I'm the admin. Where do I configure connections to OpenAI/Ollama?"**
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→ Admin Settings > Connections. These are instance-wide and shared by all users.
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**"I want to use my own API key without sharing it with the server."**
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→ If the admin has enabled **Direct Connections**, you can add personal API keys in your User Settings > Connections. See [Direct Connections](/features/chat-conversations/direct-connections).
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**"I set a system prompt but my admin's model settings override it."**
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→ Model-level settings (configured by admins in the Workspace) take precedence over your personal settings. See [Chat Parameters](/features/chat-conversations/chat-features/chat-params) for the full hierarchy.
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:::tip First-Time Admin?
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If you just installed Open WebUI, start with **Admin Settings > Connections** to connect your model providers (Ollama, OpenAI, etc.), then explore **Admin Settings > Interface** to enable or disable features for your users.
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:::
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