Channel permissions
Choose who can see and use each channel and group.
Every channel and channel group has its own permissions that decide who can see it and what they can do inside. New channels are visible to everyone by default. You change that by controlling who has access and, where you need to, adjusting specific permissions for a role or member. Channel permissions build on your community's roles and permissions, but apply to one channel or group.
Common setups
The setups you'll reach for most. Each one is built from who can see the channel and a few permission changes.
| Goal | How to do it |
|---|---|
| Announcements channel | Keep EVERYONE in Channel Visibility, but set Send Messages to Deny. Only roles where Send Messages is set to Allow can post. |
| Channel for moderators only | Remove EVERYONE from Channel Visibility. Add your moderator role. |
| Private channel group | Remove EVERYONE from the group's Channel Visibility. Add the roles or members who should see the group and all its channels. |
| Archive no one can post in | Keep EVERYONE in Channel Visibility, with Send Messages set to Deny. Everyone can read, no one can post. |
| Voice channel for one role | Remove EVERYONE from Channel Visibility. Add the role that should have voice access. |
| Members choose to post | Set it up like an announcements channel, then make the posting role self assignable. Members add the role to start posting. Useful for a channel with posting rules, like sharing communities or art. |
| Stop one member posting | Add the member to the channel and set Send Messages to Deny. They can still read the channel, and they can't post even if one of their roles allows it. |
| Let mods manage one channel | Add your moderator role to the channel and set Channel Full Control to Allow. Mods can then edit that channel's permissions, for example to stop one member posting. It doesn't give them control of any other channel. |
Channel permissions only apply to that channel, so you can open up or lock down a single channel without changing anyone's roles. If the channel follows its group's permissions, turn off permission syncing for it first.
Change a channel's permissions
Three controls shape what a channel allows. Each has its own page with full steps.
- Who has access: give specific roles or members access, or remove EVERYONE from Channel Visibility to make a channel private. See Manage channel visibility.
- What they can do: set a specific permission to Allow or Deny for one channel. See All permissions for everything you can set.
- Whether it follows its group: a channel uses its group's permissions unless you turn off syncing. See Permission syncing.