The Admin Console is the administrative layer for your organization, where you carry out organization-wide tasks: managing users and their settings, creating groups and folder membership at scale, as well as accessing, sharing, locking, and inspecting files in users’ accounts. You can review usage, storage, and deployment in **Insights**, run organization-wide **Reports**, and set **Enterprise Settings** so global rules apply to every user. You can also control which applications managed users may use, manage enterprise development sandboxes, and control access to additional Box features. Follow this guide to learn the basics of Box admin tools and understand how you can control your organization's settings. ## Accessing the Admin Console The Admin Console is available on Business Starter plans and above. (Free developer accounts include a limited subset of Admin Console features.) 1. Go to [app.box.com/login](https://app.box.com/login). 2. Enter your email or username and password or use [Single Sign-On (SSO)](/en/box-fundamentals/for-users/user-login-and-settings/logging-in-with-single-sign-on-sso) if enabled for your account. 3. After you sign in, in the Box navigation bar, click **Admin Console** . What you can open in the Admin Console depends on your plan, optional products (such as Shield or Governance), and which [co-admin permissions](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/managed-users/granting-and-modifying-co-admin-permissions) you have been granted. See the [Box Pricing page](https://www.box.com/pricing) for features by plan. Organization-wide SSO is configured under **Enterprise Settings**; see [Setting Up Single Sign-On (SSO) for Your Organization](/en/box-admin-tools/box-security/setting-up-single-sign-on-sso-for-your-organization). End users and admins still authenticate through Box login or your company IdP according to how SSO is implemented. ## Navigating the Admin Console The Admin Console’s main navigation lists the areas you can configure. Which options you see depends on your plan, add-ons, and co-admin permissions. In most cases, choosing an item opens a page with tabs across the top where related settings are grouped. To learn what settings you can access in each area, review the following table. | Destination | Usage | Common tasks | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Insights** | Review organization-wide Box usage, storage, and deployment statistics. | [View storage and bandwidth](/en/box-admin-tools/how-to-guides-for-admins/viewing-organization-storage-and-bandwidth-usage) | | **Users and Groups** | Add or remove users, manage their settings, convert unmanaged users to managed users, and create groups and manage membership (including folder membership for departments or teams). |

[Add users](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/managed-users/adding-managed-users)
[Configure users](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/managed-users/configuring-and-editing-users)
[Create groups](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/groups/creating-and-managing-groups)

| | **Content** | Access, share, lock, and get details about files in each user’s Box account. |

[Search files](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-content/content-manager/searching-for-files-and-folders)
[Manage file requests](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-content/file-requests/managing-file-requests)
[Recover content](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-content/content-recovery/recovering-content)

| | **Reports** | Run account-wide reports such as usage logs, file and user statistics, and security audits. | [Run user details report](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/understanding-user-management/running-the-user-details-report) | | **Classification** | Create, modify, and delete security classification labels for your organization’s deployment. |

[Define labels](/en/box-shield/shield-classification-labels-and-policies/classification-labels)
[Automate classification](/en/box-shield/shield-classification-labels-and-policies/classification-policies-automated-classification)
[Adjust settings](/en/box-shield/shield-classification-labels-and-policies/classification-settings)

| | **Shield** | Create detection rules and access policies based on classification labels. |

[Explore Shield](/en/box-shield/using-box-shield/introducing-box-shield)
[Manage detection rules](/en/box-shield/shield-threat-detection-rules/create-edit-and-delete-a-threat-detection-rule)
[Configure Smart Access](/en/box-shield/shield-smart-access-policies/about-smart-access)

| | **Governance** | Create and configure policies, holds, and related controls to keep organizational content secure. |

[Set retention](/en/box-governance/retention/about-retention-and-retention-policies)
[Set legal holds](/en/box-governance/legal-holds/about-legal-hold-policies)
[Manage governance](/en/box-admin-tools/box-admin-reference/governance-settings)

| | **Relay** | Create and configure workflow automations centered on content. |

[Enable Relay](/en/box-relay/administering-and-configuring-relay/enabling-box-relay-for-your-organization)
[Build workflows](/en/box-relay/building-basic-workflows/creating-a-new-workflow-in-relay)
[Track usage](/en/box-relay/administering-and-configuring-relay/reporting-on-relay-usage-in-your-organization)

| | **GxP** | Monitor validation of Box functionality for use with regulated content. |

[Review validation](/en/box-compliance/gxp/gxp-validation)
[Control releases](/en/box-compliance/gxp/gxp-sandbox-and-controlled-feature-releases)

| | **Platform** | Manage your enterprise’s development sandboxes. |

[Manage sandboxes](/en/box-platform/box-platform-for-administrators/managing-developer-sandboxes-for-box-admins)
[Authorize apps](/en/box-platform/box-platform-for-administrators/authorizing-platform-applications-in-sandbox-and-production-environments)

| | **Integrations** | Control which applications managed users are permitted to use. |

[Set app policies](/en/box-admin-tools/how-to-guides-for-admins/application-settings-for-your-enterprise)
[Restrict apps](/en/box-admin-tools/how-to-guides-for-admins/restricting-applications-from-the-admin-console)
[Handle app requests](/en/box-admin-tools/how-to-guides-for-admins/understanding-requests-to-authorize-or-allow-applications)

| | **Account & Billing** | Modify your Box account and reach the Box sales team. |

[Manage billing](/en/box-fundamentals/for-users/user-login-and-settings/manage-account-settings)
[Reduce seats](https://support.box.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044193073)

| | **Enterprise Settings** | Manage global settings; rules here apply to each user in the enterprise (including security, sign-in, content and sharing, notifications, mobile, Sign, Box clients, and more). |

[Set up SSO](/en/box-admin-tools/box-security/setting-up-single-sign-on-sso-for-your-organization)
[Configure MFA](/en/box-admin-tools/box-security/configuring-multi-factor-authentication)

| For a full walkthrough of the console, see the [Admin Console Guide](/en/box-admin-tools/how-to-guides-for-admins/admin-console-guide). ## Searching the Admin Console Use the Admin Console search to open users, groups, enterprise settings, and help topics. It does not search inside users’ file contents. 1. At the top of the Admin Console, click in the **search** field to open the search panel. 2. Type your keyword (at least three characters in English, or two in Japanese). Results appear by category as you type. 3. Click a result to go to that user, group, setting, or topic. To limit the search to one area, use **SEARCH IN** in the panel to pick a category first. For scope, permissions, and recent searches, see [Searching the Admin Console](/en/box-admin-tools/how-to-guides-for-admins/searching-the-admin-console). ## Searching content across users Content Manager search finds files and folders owned by or accessible to your **managed users** (Business Plus and above for Content Manager). This is separate from the Admin Console search bar above, which does not return file body content. 1. Go to **Admin Console** > **Content**. 2. Open the **Content Manager** tab. 3. Enter keywords in the Content Manager search bar and run the search. Optionally click **Filters** to narrow results. For syntax (for example `name:` and `contents:`), shared links, and file IDs, see [Searching for files and folders](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-content/content-manager/searching-for-files-and-folders). For what Content Manager can do, see [About Content Manager](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-content/content-manager/about-content-manager). ## Adding managed users Managed users are Box accounts your company creates and controls through the Admin Console (unlike external collaborators or personal sign-ups you later claim). When you add someone this way, you are provisioning them into the enterprise: Box sends the invitation or creates the account, their usage counts against your plan and storage, and you can enforce login rules, apps, and other defaults on that person. You must be an admin, a co-admin with **Manage users** permissions, or a group admin. See [Adding managed users](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/managed-users/adding-managed-users) for CSV import and advanced options. 1. Go to **Admin Console** > **Users and Groups**. 2. Open the **Managed Users** tab. 3. Click **Add Users**, then **Add Users Manually**. 4. Enter each person’s name and email. Optionally assign groups or folders. 5. Click **Save**. After users exist, you can [configure their accounts](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/managed-users/configuring-and-editing-users) in more detail. ## Running an organization report Generate exports and logs about your whole Box deployment: who did what, how storage and bandwidth are used, collaborations, security events, and similar. When you run a report, Box compiles that data for a chosen report type, time range, and other filters, and then delivers a file into your **Reports** folder for download, sharing, or audit. Reports require a Business plan or above. Co-admins need [report permissions](/en/box-admin-tools/reporting-and-insights/co-admin-permissions-required-to-run-reports). 1. Go to **Admin Console** > **Reports**. 2. Click **Create Report**. 3. Select a report type, then click **Next**. 4. Set options and the date range (if the report offers them). 5. Click **Run**. Completed reports are saved in your Box **Reports** folder. For scheduling, saving layouts, and subscribers, see [Running reports](/en/box-admin-tools/reporting-and-insights/running-reports). ## Next steps When you are comfortable with these basics, go deeper with the following topics: *** ## Related Information [IT & Admin Console](https://www.box.com/en-gb/security/it-admin-controls) [Troubleshooting & FAQs](https://support.box.com/hc/en-us/sections/21356685098899-Box-Admin-Tools)