Revit worksets split a shared model into named groups of elements, so a team can work in one file without editing the same things. This guide explains what a workset is, how to create a new workset, how to add one later, and how to check out, open, close and manage worksets without slowing the team down.
Quick answer
To create a new workset in Revit, open your local copy of the central model and go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets. Click New, type a name, choose whether it is Visible in all views, and click OK. Then synchronize with central.
If the Worksets button asks you to turn on worksharing first, that is normal: a workset only works in a workshared project. See the next steps below.
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What Is a Workset in Revit?
A workset in Revit is a named collection of elements in a workshared project, such as walls, doors, floors or linked files. Every element belongs to one and only one workset. You can have one workset or many.
Worksets matter when more than one person works in the same project. The team uses a central model and each person works in a local copy. You edit locally, then synchronize with central to send your changes and receive the changes of others. Worksets give the team three things:
- Ownership: a clear place to see who is editing which part of the model.
- Performance: you can close the worksets you do not need, so the model loads faster.
- Control: a simple way to protect levels, grids and linked models from accidental edits.
For example, an architectural model might use worksets for Shared Levels and Grids, Exterior Shell, Interiors, Site and Revit Links. An MEP model might use HVAC, plumbing, electrical and coordination worksets.
Worksets vs Filters, Phases, Design Options and Links
Worksets are often mixed up with other tools. They do different jobs:
- Worksets organize elements for worksharing, ownership, opening and closing, and broad visibility.
- View filters control graphics in a view, based on categories and parameters.
- Design options compare alternate design solutions.
- Phases manage time, such as existing, demolished and new construction.
- Linked models keep whole models separate, usually by discipline or consultant.
When Do You Need Worksets?
Use worksets when several people edit one RVT model, when the model is large enough that opening everything is slow, or when a BIM manager needs to protect levels, grids or links. You usually do not need them for a solo project or a small study model. Extra worksets add management work when there is no real collaboration.
| Situation | Use worksets? |
|---|---|
| One person editing a small model | Usually no |
| Several people editing one central model | Yes |
| Separate consultants with separate deliverables | Use linked models, then worksets inside each model if needed |
| Heavy parts of the model slow down opening | Yes, if those parts are logically separate |
How to Turn On Worksets in Revit (Worksharing)
You cannot create a workset until worksharing is on. Turning it on makes the file a central model. Do this once, at the start of the project.
- Open the RVT project that will become the shared model.
- Go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets.
- In the Worksharing dialog, keep or rename the two default worksets.
- Click OK.
- Save the file as the central model, in a shared folder or on a server.
- Ask each team member to open the central model and create their own local copy. Nobody works directly in the central file.
Revit creates the default worksets Shared Levels and Grids and Workset1, plus internal worksets for loaded families, project standards and views. Rename Workset1 early, so it does not become a dumping ground.
Good to know: worksets are not stored in a normal project template. If your office has a standard list, write down the names and create them when a project becomes workshared.
How to Create a New Workset in Revit
Once worksharing is on, creating a new workset takes less than a minute.
- Open your local copy of the central model.
- Go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets.
- In the Worksets dialog, click New.
- In the New Workset dialog, type a short, clear name. The name must be unique.
- Keep Visible in all views checked to show the workset in every view. Clear it if you want the workset visible only in the views where you turn it on.
- Click OK. If you added only one workset, Revit may ask whether to make it the active workset. Choose Yes only if you are about to model on it.
- Click OK again to close the Worksets dialog, then Synchronize with Central so the team gets the new workset.
The new workset appears in the list. It is editable and shows your user name as the owner, because you just created it. When you synchronize, other users receive it and it becomes available to them.
How to Add a Workset to an Existing Project
You can add a workset at any time, not only at the start. The steps are the same as above. Open your local copy, open the Worksets dialog, click New and synchronize. Everyone else sees the new workset the next time they synchronize.
Adding a workset does not move any elements. New elements go to the active workset. To move existing elements, select them and change the Workset parameter (see the section on assigning elements).
How to Rename or Delete a Workset
In the Worksets dialog, select a workset you created and click Rename or Delete. When you delete a workset that contains elements, Revit asks what to do with them: move them to another workset or delete them. Move them. Do this when the team is synchronized and out of the model, because it changes the structure for everybody.
How to Name Worksets
A short list that everyone understands beats a long list that people avoid. Three rules work on most teams:
- Name by what it is, not who owns it. “Interiors” works for years. “John’s walls” does not.
- Use a prefix to sort the list. Many offices start link worksets with Z, so they sit at the bottom, away from the worksets you model on.
- Write the list down. Put it in your BIM standard so new team members do not create a second “Walls” workset.
Recommended Revit Workset Structure
No single structure fits every project. A small house, a hospital and a campus need different levels of separation. Start from the reason for each workset: performance, ownership, coordination or link control. This table is a good start for an architectural model.
| Workset | Typical contents | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Levels and Grids | Levels, grids, reference planes, scope boxes | Protects the datums from accidental movement |
| Exterior Shell | Facade, exterior walls, roof | Clear ownership of the envelope |
| Interiors | Partitions, doors, ceilings, built-ins | Keeps interior work apart from shell work |
| Site | Topography, roads, landscape, context | Can be closed when the building team does not need it |
| Links – Revit | Structural, MEP or consultant RVT links | Controls loading and visibility of linked models |
| Links – CAD | DWG, survey and detail links | Lets you close or audit CAD files quickly |
Many teams give each Revit link its own workset. This lets you turn one consultant model off without touching the others. Keep the structure shallow. Revit has no sub-worksets, and one workset per category becomes hard to manage. For graphics by category, parameter, phase or discipline, use view templates, filters and Visibility/Graphics instead.
The Worksets Dialog Explained
The Worksets dialog is where you create, rename, open, close and review worksets. It opens from the Collaborate tab. You can also reach the active workset from the status bar, when the Worksets control is turned on there.
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Active Workset | The workset new elements are placed on. |
| Name | The workset name. Worksets you created can be renamed. |
| Editable | Whether the whole workset is checked out by a user. |
| Owner | The user who owns the editable workset. |
| Borrowers | Users who are borrowing single elements from that workset. |
| Opened | Whether the workset is loaded in your session. |
| Visible in all views | The default visibility of the workset in every view. |
The active workset is easy to forget. If the wrong one is active, new walls, floors and links land in the wrong place. Check it before you model.
How to Assign Elements to a Workset
To put new elements on the right workset, set the active workset before you model. To move existing elements, use the Workset parameter:
- Select the elements in a view.
- In the Properties palette, find Workset under Identity Data.
- Pick the correct workset from the drop-down list.
View-specific elements work differently. Text notes, dimensions, detail items and other annotations belong to the workset of their view, so you cannot move them like model elements.
Check Out a Workset or Borrow Elements?
There are two ways to get the right to edit. Borrowing takes single elements, and Revit does it for you when you edit an available element. Checking out a workset takes the whole workset, and nobody else can edit anything in it until you give it back.
Borrow for daily work. Check out a whole workset only for a short, controlled job, such as a BIM manager adjusting levels and grids, or a lead cleaning up links.
How to Check Out a Workset
- Open your local copy and go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets.
- Select the workset.
- Change Editable from No to Yes.
- Click OK. When you finish, set Editable back to No, or relinquish all your elements when you synchronize.
Common mistake: do not make every workset editable at the start of the day. It feels organized, but it locks large parts of the model and creates editing requests for the whole team.
How to Open and Close Worksets for Performance
One of the best uses of worksets is speed. In a big model you can open only the worksets you need. Closed worksets are not loaded on your computer, so the model opens faster and uses less memory.
- Go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets.
- Select a workset and click Open or Close, or change the value under Opened.
- Click OK.
You can also choose worksets while opening the file. In the Revit Open dialog, the worksets options are All, Editable, Last Viewed and Specify. On a large project, Specify lets you skip heavy links, CAD files, site context and furniture.
Good workset candidates are linked RVT and DWG files, furniture and equipment, site context, big facade systems and separate wings or towers. Weak candidates are tiny categories, one-off elements, and anything that users will not assign the same way every time.
Workset Visibility vs View Templates
Worksets can hide things in a view, but they should not be your only visibility system. If someone hides a workset in a view, everyone who opens that view is affected. Use worksets for broad model organization and view templates for drawing standards.
| Use workset visibility for | Use view templates and filters for |
|---|---|
| Turning linked models on or off | Discipline graphics |
| Closing large areas for speed | Drawing standards |
| Separating heavy site or equipment content | Halftone, lineweight, colour and pattern rules |
| Keeping datum and link worksets predictable | Category visibility and sheet-ready views |
To set workset visibility in a view, open Visibility/Graphics (shortcut VG), go to the Worksets tab and set each workset. To keep views consistent, store those settings in a view template.
Worksharing Display: See Who Owns What
Worksharing Display is on the View Control Bar of a workshared model. It colours elements so you can see what is going on:
- Checkout Status: elements you own, elements others own, and elements nobody owns.
- Owners: elements coloured by the user who owns them.
- Model Updates: elements changed or deleted since your last synchronize.
- Worksets: elements coloured by their workset. This is the quickest way to find elements on the wrong workset.
To change colours, open Worksharing Display Settings from the View Control Bar, pick the mode tab, tick Show and choose colours that are easy to read.
Worksharing Monitor
Worksharing Monitor is a separate tool for file-based workshared projects. It shows who is working in the project, whether your local copy is up to date and whether a synchronize is still running. Look for it on the Collaborate tab, and on the Add-Ins tab if it is not there. Use it before you send repeated editing requests during a busy session.
Revit Workset Best Practices
Checklist before you publish your workset standard:
- Keep the list short enough that users pick the right workset.
- Rename Workset1 so it does not become a dumping ground.
- Keep levels, grids, reference planes and scope boxes on a controlled datum workset.
- Give each Revit link and CAD link a predictable workset.
- Borrow elements for normal work. Do not check out whole worksets.
- Synchronize often, in small steps, and relinquish what you borrowed when you finish.
- Close worksets you do not need in the current session.
- Use view templates for graphics, not random workset hiding in single views.
- Write the naming rules down for new team members.
Combine worksets with other tools and do not force one tool to do everything. Use worksets for the big model containers, Copy/Monitor for key references, and scope boxes for view extents.
Revit Workset Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| I cannot create a workset, or the Worksets button asks me to enable worksharing | Worksharing is not on yet | Turn on worksharing in full Revit and save a central model |
| Elements are on the wrong workset | The wrong workset was active while modeling | Select the elements and change the Workset parameter in Properties |
| Users cannot edit elements | Another user owns the element or the workset | Request ownership, ask the owner to synchronize and relinquish, or check Worksharing Display |
| Elements are missing from a view | Workset closed, hidden globally, hidden in the view, or set by a view template | Check the Worksets dialog, Visibility/Graphics and the view template |
| The model opens slowly | Too many heavy worksets open | Open with Specify and close links, site and heavy content you do not need |
Revit Worksets FAQs
What is a workset in Revit?
A workset is a named collection of elements in a workshared project, such as walls, doors or linked files. Each element belongs to one workset. Worksets let a team control who edits what, and let each person open only the parts of the model they need.
How do I create a new workset in Revit?
Open your local copy of the central model and go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets. Click New, type a name, choose whether it is visible in all views, and click OK. Then synchronize with central so other users receive it.
How do I add a workset in Revit?
Adding a workset uses the same steps as creating one. Open the Worksets dialog, click New, name it and click OK. You can add worksets at any time. New elements go to the active workset, so move existing elements with the Workset parameter in Properties.
How do I make a new workset in Revit?
Turn on worksharing first (Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets, then OK). After that, open the Worksets dialog, click New, name the workset and click OK.
Where is the Worksets dialog in Revit?
Go to Collaborate > Manage Collaboration > Worksets. In a workshared model you can also use the active workset control on the status bar, if the Worksets item is turned on there.
How do I check out a workset in Revit?
Open the Worksets dialog, select the workset and change Editable from No to Yes. This gives you the whole workset, so other users cannot edit its elements until you give it back. Use it with care.
Should I check out a workset or borrow elements?
Borrow elements for daily modeling. Check out a whole workset only for a clear reason, such as protecting levels and grids, managing links or doing a short cleanup.
Can worksets be included in a Revit template?
No. Worksets belong to a workshared project, not to a normal project template. Keep your office standard as a written list and create the worksets after worksharing is on.
How many worksets should a Revit project have?
As few as the team can use correctly. Start with levels and grids, a few areas of the building, site and links. Add a workset only when it solves a real problem: ownership, loading speed or link control.
Does Revit LT support worksets?
No. Revit LT does not support worksharing, so you cannot turn on worksharing or create worksets in it. You need the full version of Revit.
Final Thoughts
Revit worksets work best when they make teamwork simpler: clear ownership, controlled links, faster opening and fewer editing conflicts. Start with a short list, keep the active workset correct, borrow elements for normal edits, and check out a whole workset only when you really need to.
Review your worksets now and then. If one becomes a dumping ground, clean it up early. If people keep hiding worksets by hand in views, move that job into view templates.
Mohamed Fakhry has helped thousands of architects and designers find their next project with step-by-step guidance on his blog, mashyo.com. About Mohamed
His journey began during his university years when he recognized the need for information-rich 3D models to accelerate learning and improve production processes. Now, Mohamed shares his expertise through Revit tutorials that are accessible to all.
