Craft CMS 5.1: Team Edition Improvements and Better User Management

Craft CMS 5.1 arrived this week with focused improvements to team collaboration and user management. If you’re running a Craft site with multiple content editors or a team managing content, this update makes life easier.

Team Edition Gets More Flexible

The standout change in Craft 5.1 is that Team edition users no longer need to be administrators. Previously, anyone on a Team edition license had full admin access, which created security concerns for organisations that wanted to give limited access to certain team members.

Now you can add people to your Team edition who have restricted permissions. This is particularly useful for scenarios like:

• Client access: Give your client permission to manage content without exposing system settings
• Content editors: Let writers create and edit posts without accessing user management or system configuration
• Department managers: Allow different teams to manage their own sections without seeing unrelated areas

The new “User Permissions” settings page lets you configure exactly what non-admin team members can access. This granular control means you can tailor the CMS to match your organisation’s structure and security requirements.

Better Mobile Experience

Content management doesn’t always happen at a desk. Craft 5.1 includes improved styling for element editor pages on mobile devices, making it more practical to review content, make quick edits, or approve submissions from a phone or tablet.

While you probably wouldn’t want to create complex page layouts on a phone, being able to review and approve content, update publishing dates, or make minor text corrections whilst away from your computer is genuinely useful.

Refined Interface Elements

The update includes several small improvements to the control panel interface that make daily work smoother. Sort options are now alphabetically organised and custom fields are grouped together, making it faster to find what you’re looking for when working with large content libraries.

Element tooltips now appear with a slight delay rather than immediately on hover, reducing visual noise when you’re scanning through content. These small touches add up to a more refined experience over time.

What This Means for Your Organisation

If you’re on Craft’s Team edition, version 5.1 gives you more control over who can access what. You can now bring more people into the CMS without worrying about giving them too much access. This makes Craft more practical for larger teams or organisations with clear content governance requirements.

The permission system is straightforward to configure. You define what each user can do, and the system enforces those boundaries. No complex role hierarchies or permission inheritance to figure out - just clear, direct control.

Keeping Current With Regular Updates

Craft 5.1 is exactly the kind of incremental improvement that makes regular updates worthwhile. You’re not getting flashy new features, but you are getting practical enhancements that make the platform work better for your specific situation.

Through our website maintenance support packages, we keep client sites updated monthly with releases like this. You get the improvements without needing to track release schedules, test updates, or manage the deployment process. We handle it, you benefit from it.

If you have a Craft site and need help keeping it current, or if you’re interested in upgrading to take advantage of the Team edition’s new capabilities, email us at hello@mutual.agency.

Software maintenance isn’t exciting, but it keeps your content management system working well and getting better over time. Craft 5.1 is a good example of steady, practical improvement - the kind that makes your day-to-day work a bit easier.