How do I edit an asset?

Requires Basic

Quick answer

Open the asset, click “Edit”, change the fields you want, and save. Except for Type and Name, all fields are optional and can be changed at any time. Via the API, a PUT with only the changed fields is enough — everything else stays unchanged.

Prerequisites

Required role Administrator or Asset Manager

— more precisely: a logged-in user with write access to assets. Programmatically, the API token needs the write scope.

The Assets module is part of the core product and available on all plans. Editing is not subject to the asset limit — that only applies when creating new assets.

Instructions

GUI (web interface)

1. Open the asset. Select Assets in the left-hand navigation and click the row you want. You land on the detail view. The “Edit” button is in the top right.

   Screenshot pending assets-bearbeiten-01 Detail view of an asset with the 'Edit' button highlighted in the top right

   The detail view of an asset with the 'Edit' button.

2. Change the fields. The pre-filled form opens. Adjust the fields — e.g. Status, Location, Department, Assigned To, or the details under Financials & Lifecycle.

   Screenshot pending assets-bearbeiten-02 Pre-filled asset form in edit mode

   The asset form opens pre-filled — only changed fields are applied.

3. Save. Click “Save”. The changes are applied and you return to the detail view.

API (curl)

The same action via the REST API: a PUT to /api/v1/assets/{id} with a bearer token (scope write). Send only the fields that should change — all fields are optional.

Update asset (partial update)

curl -X PUT https://demo.notory.io/api/v1/assets/a2f1c9e4-7b3d-4a11-9c2e-8f6b1d0a7e55 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer inv_dein_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "status": "maintenance",
    "location": "Büro München / Raum 2.14",
    "department": "IT"
  }'

On success, the API responds with HTTP 200 OK and the full, updated asset (truncated):

Response (200 OK, truncated)

{
  "id": "a2f1c9e4-7b3d-4a11-9c2e-8f6b1d0a7e55",
  "name": "ThinkPad T14 – Vertrieb",
  "status": "maintenance",
  "location": "Büro München / Raum 2.14",
  "department": "IT",
  "updated_by": "b7c3…",
  "updated_at": "2026-07-08T10:02:11Z"
}

Possible errors: 401 (missing or invalid token), 404 (the asset doesn’t belong to your tenant or doesn’t exist), 422 (validation error — e.g. an empty name, an unknown status/asset_type, or an invalid custom field value).

What happens behind the scenes?

• Partial update: Only the fields you pass are written; everything else is preserved (AssetUpdate, all fields optional).
• Audit trail: You’re recorded as the last editor (updated_by, updated_at); the original creator stays unchanged. The History tab in the detail view lists the activity on the asset.
• Tenant isolation: You can only edit assets belonging to your own tenant; an asset from another tenant results in 404.
• Custom field validation: If you pass custom_fields, they’re validated against the custom fields defined for the tenant (entity_type = asset) — see Define custom fields.
• Book value: If you change depreciation fields (cost, salvage value, method, useful life), the current book value (current_book_value) is recalculated.
• No limit check: The license’s asset limit is not checked when editing (only when creating).

Related topics

• Create an asset
• Status & lifecycle
• Assign to a user or location
• Define custom fields — additional fields for assets
• API Getting Started — authentication, base URL, error codes