Set group capabilities and category permissions

Where: Admin → Members → Accounts → Groups & permissions

Before you start

Group grants are additive: a member’s best grant across their groups wins. Putting someone in a restricted group does not override a grant they still receive from another group.

Step by step

1. Create a group with Name, description, colour, icon and banner label. Set auto-join/moderation flags deliberately.
2. Add the intended members; choose a primary display group if appropriate.
3. Set site-wide Start topics, Reply, React, Comment and Chat permissions. Save permissions.
4. Under Category access choose a category, assign each relevant group its level, and Save.
5. Use Apply to every category only if the same access is intended everywhere. Test with non-staff accounts.

Settings and behaviour

Group grants are additive: a member’s best grant across their groups wins. Putting someone in a restricted group does not override a grant they still receive from another group.

With no category-level group rules, the category’s own Public/Private role setting applies. Once any group has a level, only listed groups receive category access. Staff bypass member restrictions. Site-wide capabilities must also permit the action.

Example: readable beta forum, testers can post. Give Registered Can view, Beta Testers Full access, and leave Guests ungranted. Add approved testers to Beta Testers without removing their other memberships. Check ordinary members can read but cannot submit topics or replies.

Check the result

Test guest, ordinary member and tester reading/reply/topic actions. Use actual non-staff accounts; an admin test will bypass restrictions.

Common questions and troubleshooting

Restricted member can still post: inspect every group for an additive grant. Public category vanished: explicit category rules replaced its fallback access. Can read but cannot reply: compare category level, site-wide capability, suspension and trust gates.