Short answers to common questions. Each answer links to the article with the full story.
Accounts and workspaces#
Is MDB Builder free?#
Signing up is free: no credit card and no contract. Your first MDB is on us. After that, new chapters, exports and AI features are paid with credits, and the cost is always shown before you confirm. See Credits and plans.
Why can't I sign in with my Gmail address?#
MDB Builder only accepts business accounts. Personal addresses such as Gmail, Outlook.com or Yahoo are refused. See Sign-in problems.
I can't see my colleagues' projects. Why not?#
You are probably working in your private workspace. Projects there are only yours; projects in a company workspace are shared with its members. Switch to your company, or ask a colleague to invite you. See How MDB Builder is organised.
Can I add someone from another company as a member?#
No. All members of a company use the same email domain. You work with customers and suppliers through partnerships and shares instead. See Partners, customers and suppliers.
Can I rename my company?#
Yes, on the Company tab of the company settings. After a rename, the name is locked for a while; the field shows the date of the next possible change. See Manage members and departments.
A colleague has left. What do I do?#
Open the company settings, go to Members, click the colleague and choose Remove member. Projects where they were the only QC manager get a replacement first. See Remove a member who leaves.
Why is a member marked "Inactive"?#
An inactive member keeps their account but has no access to the company, and doesn't count towards the member limit. An admin deactivated them, or they joined while the plan's member limit was reached. An admin can Activate them from their details.
Credits and the Pro plan#
I don't see the credits badge in the top bar.#
In a company on the Pro plan, the credit balance is for admins only. Ask an admin if you need credits. See Credits, budget and history.
Do credits expire?#
Purchased credits never expire. Credits in a company without Pro don't expire either. On the Pro plan, credits expire a set number of months after they are deposited; the Credits window states the period.
Who can upgrade to Pro, and who can change the plan later?#
Any member of a company without Pro can take out the subscription and appoint the admins. After that, only admins can change or cancel the plan. See Pro plan and billing.
Are the prices including VAT?#
No. All prices in MDB Builder are excluding VAT. VAT is added at payment, based on your billing address, and EU businesses with a valid VAT number are reverse-charged. Invoices are on the Billing tab.
What happens when we cancel Pro?#
The plan keeps running until the end of the paid period, and you can undo the cancellation until then. After that, admins become regular members, roles and permissions no longer apply, and the free member limit applies again. See Cancel the subscription.
Uploads#
Can I upload Word or Excel files?#
Chapters only take PDF files: save the document as PDF first. The exception is the ITP for Generate with AI, which also accepts .xlsx and .docx. See Upload problems.
Does MDB Builder change our digitally signed PDFs?#
No. MDB Builder never edits document contents. For a protected PDF it makes an unlocked working copy to compile the pages, and stores the file you uploaded unchanged, digital signature included. See Upload problems.
Still have a question?#
Open Help & feedback in Personal settings, or email support@mdbbuilder.com.