> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.common.xyz/commonwealth/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.common.xyz/commonwealth/community-overview/capabilities/topics/private-topic-faq.md).

# Private Topic FAQ

## **What are Private Topics?**

Private Topics are discussion spaces only visible to specific community groups. If you're not a member of the group or if your access has been explicitly revoked, the topic (and its contents) will be completely hidden.

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## **Who can access a Private Topic?**

* **Approved Members:** Only members who are added to the group gating the private topic can access it.
* **Admins/Mods:** Automatically have access by default.
* **Rejected or Non-Members:** Cannot view, search, or interact with threads in the topic.

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## **What can approved members do in a Private Topic?**

**Participate**

* View threads
* Create new threads
* Create new comments
* Upvote threads and comments

**Search & View**

* Search for private content
* See private topic threads & comments on their own profile
* Be mentioned in private threads
* See private topic threads & comments in other members’ profiles
* See private topic threads in general forum views

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## **What happens if a non-member tries to interact with a Private Topic?**

They’ll:

* See topics grayed out in the topic selector
* Be blocked from creating or viewing threads
* Not see private content in search results or profiles
* Receive error messages with clear feedback when attempting to view private topic

Non-members also will not be able to see private topic content in global, general forum views, and in the profiles of private topic members.

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## **Will private content appear in search or profiles?**

Only **if you're a member** of the group gating that topic.

* Private threads show up in search and profiles *only* for approved members.
* Non-members won’t see any trace of private discussions.

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## **What happens to existing threads if a topic becomes private later?**

Threads posted **before** the topic was made private will:

* Remain visible in the member’s profile
* Non-members will not be able to view or interact with the full thread

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## **How can I wwitch a topic from private to public?**

As a community admin, click edit on the group that is gating the private topic and then remove the topic from the **gated topic section**.

Considerations:

* Even though a success message will appear after saving, a private topic cannot be made public again via the topics page
* Once a private topic becomes public, all of the existing content will become publicly viewable as well

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## **Pro Tip for Admins**

Private topics are managed through the **Topics Page**. When making a topic private:

* You'll be prompted to select a group to gate the topic with
* You cannot assign a topic to multiple groups