# Users

Administrators manage file and folder access for both individual users and groups to control what each user can see and do within a site.

For directory-backed authentication and provisioning, see [Active Directory And LDAP](/using-exavault/users/active-directory-and-ldap.md).

## User Home Directories

Each user is assigned a Home Directory, which acts as their virtual root on the system. Users can only interact with files and folders located within their home directory. Access cannot be granted to files or folders outside a user's home directory.

## Managing Access

Access is assigned at both the user and group levels. The precedence rules:

* User-level access always overrides group-level access. If a user has specific access to a folder, that access remains in effect even when their group has different access settings for the same folder.
* When a user belongs to multiple groups with conflicting access to a folder, the system applies the access from the most recently assigned group.

Apply the multi-group rule carefully when managing complex group structures.

## Standard File Operations Matrix

In order to perform standard file operations, the user must have specific rights, either from their user permissions or through access.

| Action                  | Required Rights                 |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| See items in a folder   | List Contents                   |
| Download                | List Contents, Download         |
| Create a new folder     | Upload                          |
| Upload a file           | Upload                          |
| Overwrite a file        | Upload                          |
| Rename an item          | Upload, Delete                  |
| Move or Copy            | List Contents, Download, Upload |
| Delete a file or folder | Delete                          |


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