Ever wished you could see the Client Portal exactly the way a specific client sees it? With View as Client, you can. Launch a read-only preview of any contact's portal directly from their client profile, verify what they see, and exit right back to where you were. No client login, no test accounts, no guesswork.
This is especially useful before you introduce a client to the portal, when a client says they cannot find a document or task, or when you want to double-check what is visible after changing sharing settings.
Launch a View as Client session
Open the client's profile and find the Contacts card.
Click the eye icon next to the contact you want to preview the portal for. Hovering over it shows View client portal as this contact.
The portal opens in a new browser tab as a read-only session showing the contact's portal within your access permissions, starting on the portal home.
ℹ️Heads up! A contact needs a valid email address to use the preview. If the eye icon is disabled, add or correct the contact's email address first. The preview is scoped to your own firm-side permissions: you will only see portal content you are already allowed to access in Financial Cents.
Launch a session from a project
Open the project you want to preview.
In the project header, click View as Client. Hovering over it shows Preview this project as one of its contacts.
What happens next depends on how many contacts have something shared on this project:
If exactly 1 contact has something shared, the portal opens directly for that contact, scoped to this project.
If 2 or more contacts have something shared, or none do, a list opens titled Select contact to view as, showing every contact on the client. The client's default contact carries a Default badge. Contacts with nothing shared on this project yet are grayed out and marked Nothing shared.
If the client has no contacts, the list reads Nothing is shared with any contact on this project yet. If contacts exist but nothing has been shared with them, they remain listed with Nothing shared and cannot be selected.
Select a contact to open the portal in a new tab as a read-only session, landing directly inside this project instead of the portal home.
ℹ️Heads up! The list shows the client's contacts. You can select contacts whose client tasks have been shared on this project. A valid email address is also required. If no contact is available, share the client tasks with the intended contact first.
What you can do in the read-only session
A banner across the top of the portal confirms whose view you are in: Viewing the client [Client] as [Contact], with a Read only label. From there you can browse what the contact sees across the portal sections:
Requests: open and completed client tasks assigned to them
Documents: files and folders shared with them
Transactions: client transaction records, if the client has any (visible only if your account has the Manage Transactions permission)
Billing: invoices and payment pages visible to them (visible only if your account has the Manage Billing and Invoicing permission)
Settings: their portal settings
The sections available depend on the contact's content and your own firm-side permissions.
Chat is not available during a View as Client session. The Chat section appears in the sidebar but is disabled, and no messages are accessible.
Because the session is read-only, you cannot complete tasks, upload files, or submit anything on the client's behalf. Think of it as a window, not a login.
If you launched the session from a project, the portal opens directly inside that project instead of the portal home, so you land on exactly what you came to check.
Exit the session
When you are done, click Exit View in the banner at the top of the portal. The preview tab returns to the client's profile. Your original Financial Cents tab remains open.
When to use View as Client
Before the portal introduction. Verify the portal looks right before you send a client their first invite. For tips on rolling out the portal, see How to introduce your clients to the Financial Cents Client Portal.
Troubleshooting access questions. When a client says they cannot see a task or file, preview their portal first. It is faster than a screen share, and you will know immediately whether it is a sharing issue. For deeper issues, see Troubleshoot Client Portal Issues.
After changing sharing settings. Confirm a newly shared folder or task actually shows up for the right contact.
After sharing project tasks. Check which contacts can see the client tasks you shared.
ℹ️Heads up! You need the View as Clients permission and access to the client. Ask your admin to check your permissions if the preview is unavailable.
Need more help? Click the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of your screen to connect with our support team.