Free template
Free access control matrix template (Excel)
An access control matrix is how you write down the intent — which role is supposed to have which access, before you check who actually does. It’s the reference you compare an access review against, and the thing auditors ask for when they want to see that access is designed, not accidental. This Excel template lays out roles down the side and systems across the top, ready to fill in. Free .xlsx — no email, no sign-up.
Download the Excel template
Free · .xlsx · no email required
What’s in the template
An instructions tab plus a matrix tab set up as a grid, with a legend for the access levels so the cells stay consistent:
- Roles down the first column (e.g. Engineer, Sales Rep, Finance, Admin) — one row per role or job function.
- Systems and permissions across the top row (e.g. AWS, GitHub, Salesforce, NetSuite) — one column each.
- Cells filled with an access level from a dropdown — None / Read / Write / Admin — so every intersection is deliberate.
- A frozen header row and first column so the grid stays readable as it grows.
- A legend on the instructions tab defining each access level and how to use “None” explicitly.
How to use it
List your roles down the rows and your in-scope systems across the columns, then fill each cell with the access that role is intended to have — using None explicitly rather than leaving blanks, so a gap is a decision and not an oversight. Review the matrix with system owners so the design is agreed, then use it as the baseline: when you run an access review, compare what people actually have against what this matrix says they should, and investigate anything that doesn’t line up.
Where a spreadsheet falls short
A matrix describes what access should look like — it can’t see what access actually exists. It goes stale the moment a role changes or a new system is added, and comparing it to reality is a manual, error-prone cross-check every quarter. It also can’t enforce anything: nothing stops a grant that violates the matrix. Useboards keeps the intended access model and the actual grants in one place — access flows through approvals tied to roles and systems, and reviews compare live access against the design instead of you diffing two spreadsheets by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is this access control matrix template really free?
Yes — download the Excel file with no email or sign-up. It’s made by Useboards; if keeping the matrix in sync with reality gets painful, that’s the problem our product solves.
What is an access control matrix?
It’s a grid that maps roles (or users) against systems and permissions, with each cell showing the access that role is intended to have. It documents the design of your access model — the baseline you compare actual access against during a review, and evidence that access is deliberate rather than ad hoc.
How is the matrix different from an access review?
The matrix is the intended state — who should have what. The access review checks the actual state — who does have what — and confirms it’s still appropriate. You use the matrix as the reference for the review; the two together show both that access is designed and that it’s operating as designed.
Related
Keep the matrix and reality in sync
Model intended access once, then let approvals and reviews hold the line automatically.