Asset Pro FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about Asset Pro.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
Asset Pro Overview.
Setup
Do I need to create categories before I can add assets?
Yes. Every asset you add by hand requires a category — that is not configurable. Devices synced from Lansweeper, Intune or Jamf need one too: a device whose category cannot be worked out is skipped, not created. (The Require a category on imported devices setting only decides whether a device-discovery provider that creates assets must name a Default Category before it can be saved.) If your organization has no categories yet, Asset Pro auto-creates twelve defaults the first time you open the Categories tab — eight hardware categories (Laptops, Monitors, Mobile Phones, Tablets, Keyboards & Mice, Headsets, Printers, Network Equipment) and four software categories (SaaS Subscriptions, Desktop Applications, Development Tools, Security Software). You can rename, add, or deactivate them at any time.
Who can see what after I enable the app?
By default, all four organizational roles — Member, Manager, Admin, and Super Admin — can view assets. Managers and above can access Reports. Only Admins and Super Admins see Vendors, Contracts, Categories, Facility Layouts, and Settings. You can customize which roles appear in each tier from Settings. App Admins (users granted the Asset Pro app-admin role) always have full access regardless of the role-tier settings.
Permissions and access
Why can’t one of my managers see the Reports tab?
Reports are governed by their own setting, Settings → Who can open Reports? By default it admits managers and above. If it was narrowed (to admins, or to a group), anyone outside it loses the tab. Pick Managers there, or add the person to the chosen group.
Why is the Scanner tab missing?
The Scanner tab only appears when the Barcode Scanning toggle is turned on in Settings. It is on by default, but if someone disabled it, the tab disappears for everyone. Turn it back on and the tab returns immediately.
Day-to-day
How does depreciation work, and can I change the rate?
Asset Pro uses straight-line depreciation. When auto-depreciation is enabled (it is by default), each asset’s current value is recalculated from its purchase price, the annual depreciation rate, and the category’s useful life. The default annual rate is 20%, and the salvage-value floor defaults to $0.00. You can change the rate in Settings → Default Depreciation Rate. Accelerated or double-declining methods are not supported.
What happens when an employee checks out an asset?
When an asset manager assigns a device and assignment approvals are off (the default), the asset moves to Assigned status immediately, the employee appears as the current assignee, and — if assignment notifications are enabled — they receive an email and an in-app notification. If approvals are on, the asset shows Pending Approval and the employee’s direct manager is notified to approve or deny. An employee who asks the Asset Pro assistant in Ask AI for a device always files a request for their manager to approve, whatever the approvals setting. Once approved, the assignment date is set and the asset status changes to Assigned.
What are the assignment types, and does the app enforce return dates?
Three types exist: Permanent, Temporary, and Loaner. By default the maximum assignment duration is unlimited. You can set a cap in Settings → Maximum Assignment Duration (Days) — it applies to Temporary and Loaner assignments only; when a value greater than zero is saved, those assignments automatically receive an expected-return date calculated from that cap. Assignments past their expected-return date appear in the Overdue Returns count on the dashboard.
How do software license seats get tracked?
Each software asset can record a license type — Per-Seat, Per-Device, Site-Wide, Concurrent, Subscription, or Perpetual — along with a total seat count. Seats are allocated to individual users or hardware devices. When all seats are allocated, the asset’s compliance status changes to At Capacity. If an allocation would exceed the total, Asset Pro blocks it. Site-wide and perpetual licenses with no seat count are always considered compliant.
I assigned an asset — why does the employee say they never received it?
Every new assignment starts with an acknowledgement status of Pending. The employee must confirm receipt in their My Assets view. If they report a problem — wrong item, damaged, or never arrived — they can dispute it, which notifies the person who assigned the asset and the employee’s own manager (plus anyone in the custody group your admin picked who can manage assets). Check the assignment’s acknowledgement status on the Assignments tab.
Notifications and alerts
Who gets warranty expiration alerts?
Per-asset warranty alerts go only to the asset’s current assignee, starting 60 days before the warranty end date (configurable in Settings). A separate weekly warranty digest covering all expiring and expired warranties goes to the admin-configured warranty recipients, or to app admins if none are configured. Unassigned assets produce no individual alert — they surface only in the weekly digest.
Who receives maintenance reminders?
Per-asset maintenance reminders go to the asset’s current assignee and the person who requested the maintenance, plus any admin-configured notification group. If a maintenance record has no stakeholders, it skips the individual email and appears only in the weekly maintenance digest, which goes to the configured notification group or to app admins.
When do software subscription alerts fire?
Subscription expiry alerts are emailed only once Send software lifecycle emails is switched on in Settings — it is off by default. When it is on, they go to the asset’s current assignee and its creator (or the group picked under Who gets software license alerts). The default alert window is 30 days before the subscription end date. You can change this in Settings → Subscription Alert Days.
When something looks wrong
My employee says they can’t see Asset Pro at all
Three things to check. First, the app must be enabled for your organization — if it is not, everyone is redirected away. Second, the app may be restricted to specific user groups; someone outside the allowed audience sees “Access denied. The Asset Pro app is open only to certain people in your organization.” Verify both in the app’s marketplace settings. Third, Settings → View Access decides which roles can open the asset register; someone outside it can still open My Assets for the equipment they hold.
I created an asset but there is no asset number on it
Asset numbers are auto-generated on creation. Hardware assets get the prefix AST (producing numbers like AST-00001), and software assets get SWL (SWL-00001). If you configured a custom prefix in your app settings, the prefix changes accordingly — software assets then get your prefix with a -SW suffix. If the number is missing, the asset was likely imported without one; editing and saving it will generate one.
An asset is stuck in “Pending Approval” but nobody has a pending approval
A device shows Pending Approval while a request for it waits for a decision. Requests wait when Settings → Require Assignment Approvals is on, and an employee’s request made through Ask AI always waits, whatever that setting says. Three things usually keep one waiting:
- Nobody has decided it yet. The request goes to the employee’s manager, and any Asset Pro admin can decide it too. Open Assignments → Pending Approval to approve or deny it.
- Nobody is able to approve it. No one can approve their own request, so when the person who asked is the only Asset Pro admin and has no manager here, nobody was asked. They can withdraw the request from its page, or an admin can turn off Require Assignment Approvals.
- Another request is waiting on the same device. Deciding one request leaves the device in Pending Approval while another still waits, so decide each one.
Approving moves the device to Assigned. Denying (or withdrawing) a request puts the device back to Available — or to Assigned when someone still holds it — unless another request is still waiting on it, in which case it stays Pending Approval for that one.
Why didn’t the end-of-life date auto-calculate for my software asset?
End-of-life dates auto-calculate only for hardware assets, using the deployment date (or purchase date) plus the category’s useful-life months. Software assets are skipped because their EOL dates are set by the vendor, not derived from a purchase date. Enter the EOL date manually on the software asset’s detail page.
Reports and exports
What reports are available, and who can run them?
Six reports: Inventory, Assignments, Depreciation, Maintenance, Device Refresh, and EOL Timeline. Each can be exported to CSV, PDF, or Excel. Who can open them is set by Settings → Who can open Reports? — by default managers and above.
What does the Device Refresh report measure?
It lists active hardware whose purchase date is older than a configurable threshold (default 36 months); software licenses are not devices and are left out. Each device receives a replacement priority — Low, Medium, or High — scored from its age, warranty status, and condition grade. Use it to plan your next hardware-refresh budget cycle.
Licensing and limits
Does Asset Pro require a licence?
Yes. Asset Pro requires a MangoApps Workforce licence. An admin enables it from Admin → Apps → All Apps, and no employees see it until that is done.
Are there limits I should know about?
- Custom fields per asset: 10 maximum, with types Text, Number, and Date.
- Depreciation method: straight-line only; no accelerated or double-declining.
- Barcode symbology: auto-detected from the value you enter — EAN-13 (13 digits), UPC-A (12 digits), QR (8+ alphanumeric characters), or Code 128 (everything else).
- Facility layouts: pallet racking is the only shipped layout type.
- Contract renewal notice: defaults to 30 days before the contract end date.
- Inspection frequencies: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually per category.
More help
- Asset Pro Overview
- Ask AI — the assistant answers Asset Pro questions from these articles.