Field Locking for Digital Business Cards: Share Access Without Losing Control

When companies create digital business cards for teams, employees may need access to update their own information. But not every field should be editable by every cardholder.

Details such as the company name, business website, logo, branding, and other approved information often need to remain under admin control.

QRCodeChimp’s field locking feature makes this possible. It lets account owners decide whether each eligible field should be editable, read-only, or hidden from users with edit access.

Field locking is available on the Pro plan and above.

How field locking works

Field locking controls what users can view and modify after card editing access is shared through Share Access.

For bulk-created digital business cards, turn on Enable field locking under Share Access Controls in the bulk upload flow.

For Active Directory and SSO-based cards, field locking controls appear during template design after the integration is configured. Fields mapped from Active Directory or SSO are already read-only in QRCodeChimp and are excluded from these controls. Field locking applies only to the remaining editable fields.

Enable field locking

Once field locking is enabled, lock icons appear beside eligible sections and fields. Select a lock icon to configure how the section or its fields should appear to users with edit access.

Choose section-level or field-level locking

Admins can choose one of two ways to configure permissions for a section.

Section-level locking applies the same setting across all eligible fields in that section. For example, every eligible field in the Heading + Text section can be made read-only or hidden.

Individual field-level locking provides more precise control. Admins can configure each eligible field separately, such as keeping the brand logo read-only while allowing employees to update their profile photo.

Admins choose either section-level locking or individual field-level locking for a section, depending on the level of control they need.

Read-only and hidden fields

Every field is editable by default. You can lock a field and set it to one of two states:

• Read-only: The user can view the field in edit mode but cannot change it.
• Hidden: The field does not appear to the user in edit mode.

For example, an organization can make the business website read-only, or hide it from employee edit mode, while continuing to display the approved website on every published card.

Hiding a field affects only edit mode. It does not remove the field from the digital business card landing page. If the field is configured to display on the card, visitors can still see it.

Users with edit access already cannot add, remove, or rearrange card components. Field locking adds more granular control over the information inside those components.

Who field locking applies to

Field locking applies only to users who receive card editing access through Share Access.

The main account and authorized sub-accounts can continue updating locked or hidden fields. In other words, field locking controls what users with shared edit access can view and modify. It does not restrict admins from managing those fields.

For Active Directory and SSO-based cards, mapped fields remain controlled by the connected identity provider. When mapped information is updated in Active Directory or SSO and syncs with QRCodeChimp, the corresponding card information is updated.

To know how field locking works with Azure Directory and SSO integration, check this.

Why teams need field locking

Field locking helps organizations share editing access without giving up control over company-managed information.

It allows teams to:

• Protect approved company and brand information
• Reduce accidental or unauthorized changes
• Keep employee cards accurate and consistent
• Give employees access only to the fields they need
• Simplify card governance across large teams

For example, a company can allow employees to update their profile photo while keeping the company logo and business website under admin control.

Important points to know

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

✅ Permissions can be changed later

Field locking settings are not fixed at creation. Admins can change an eligible field’s permission to editable, read-only, or hidden whenever required.

✅ New fields start unlocked

New sections and fields are not locked automatically. Admins must configure their permissions after adding them.

✅ Admins can update locked values

For bulk-created cards, the main account or an authorized sub-account can update locked values directly or through a spreadsheet upload.

When a bulk template contains locked fields, QRCodeChimp displays a confirmation prompt before re-uploading data. This helps prevent accidental changes to protected information.

✅ Some fields are not eligible

Certain fields cannot be locked because of how they function, including some fields designed to collect or process user input. Only eligible sections and fields display field-locking controls.

Better governance without limiting employees

Field locking gives organizations a practical way to share card editing access while keeping important information under admin control.

Employees can update permitted fields, while admins can make company-managed details read-only or remove them from edit mode. This helps protect branding, reduce cleanup, and maintain consistency across digital business cards created through bulk upload, Active Directory integration, and SSO integration.

Frequently asked questions