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A global mute stops a user from contributing content across the network while preserving their access to sign in and read content they already have permission to see. They keep their account and memberships, but cannot create, edit or delete content while muted. For spam or repeated disruptive posting, this gives moderators a temporary way to stop further contributions without cutting off the user’s access to read. Removing an individual post addresses only that content; a global ban blocks the user’s access to the network. A global mute sits between those actions and can be set to expire.
Global mute is applied by admins and moderators from the Admin Console. There is no self-service mute, and a muted user is never told who muted them.

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Mute, ban, and channel mute

Global mute and channel mute are independent. A user exempt from channel mute is still subject to a global mute, and lifting one does not lift the other.

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What a mute blocks

A mute blocks content changes — creating, editing and deleting content in the areas below. It does not remove the user’s existing read access or prevent the listed non-content actions.
Two of these deserve a moderator’s attention:
  • Deleting is blocked too. A muted user cannot delete their own past posts, comments or messages. If content needs to come down, a moderator removes it.
  • Reporting always works. A mute never stops someone reporting abuse, and it never stops them leaving a community. Those are deliberately outside what a mute can reach.
Voting in a poll and RSVPing to an event stay open because they respond to something another member created — they are not the muted user publishing anything of their own.

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Muting a user

1

Find the user

Go to Admin Console → Users → Manage users, and search for the account. You can also open the user’s Social History and act from there.
2

Open the actions menu

From the row’s actions menu, choose Mute globally. On the Social History page the same action sits in the actions menu at the top of the profile.
3

Choose how long

Pick a duration under Mute for — 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or Until I unmute them. The default is 24 hours, and the dialog shows the exact end date as you change the selection.
4

Record why (optional)

Add a moderator note — “Why is this user being muted?”. The note is kept with the record for your own audit and is never shown to the muted user.
5

Confirm

Select Mute user. The Console confirms with “<name> has been muted”.
The dialog states the scope as you apply it: “A mute blocks new content — no posts, comments, reactions or messages. Reading, joining, following, voting and reporting still work.” A mute takes effect immediately. The user’s next attempt to write is refused, even if they are already signed in with the app open. Choose a duration according to your organization’s moderation policy and the case at hand. A timed mute lifts itself the moment it expires; nobody has to come back and clear it. An indefinite mute stays until a moderator removes it.

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Unmuting

Open the same actions menu and choose Unmute globally, then confirm with Unmute. The Console confirms with “<name> is no longer muted”, and the user can post, comment, react and send messages again straight away. You do not need to unmute before a timed mute expires. To change the length of a mute that is already in force, unmute the user and apply a new one — the Console offers Unmute globally for a muted account, not a second mute.

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Where a mute is visible

A muted account carries a mute icon in the users list, labelled Muted on hover. The row’s actions menu shows Unmute globally in place of Mute globally.
A Muted badge appears with the user’s other moderation badges at the top of the profile. Hovering it says either Muted until <date> or Muted indefinitely.
Every mute is recorded on the user’s Moderation History timeline as Globally muted, alongside global bans, community bans and removals. Each entry shows who applied it, when, whether it was timed or indefinite, and the moderator note if one was left.The timeline is the durable record — the badge only tells you about the mute in force right now.Unmuting is not recorded. Lifting a mute removes the badge but adds no timeline entry, so the history shows every mute that was applied and not when any of them were lifted. If when a mute ended matters to your records, note it in the moderator note of whatever action you take next.

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What the muted user experiences

There is no mute notification or system message. The user can continue reading content they have access to, but an attempt to contribute content is refused. What they see when that happens depends on how the client app handles the refusal.

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Rules and limits

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Troubleshooting

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Next steps

User Social History

Review the full picture before deciding how far to escalate

Roles and Privileges

Control which admins can apply moderation actions

Moderation Overview

See where mute fits in the wider moderation workflow

Channel Management

Mute a single channel, or a user within one channel