How to Disable Forums but Display Them for Logged-out Users

Introduction

If you want to lock down most of your site—requiring login for pages—yet still allow guests (logged-out users) to view your forums (without posting), you can use BuddyBoss’s Private Network feature combined with forum settings. This guide explains how to:

• Restrict site-wide access to logged-in members
• Expose only the forums to guests
• Prevent guests from posting or replying
  

Enable Private Website with Public Forum Access

1. In WordPress admin, go to BuddyBoss Dashboard > Settings > General > Privacy.
   
2. Check Private Website and click Save Settings.
3. When the page refreshes, locate Public Website Content, and add your forum’s URL (e.g. https://example.com/forums/).

4. Click Save Settings again.
   

Guests will now see only the pages you list under Public Website Content—your forum will be publicly viewable, while all other parts of the site remain behind the login wall.

Disable Anonymous Posting

1. Go to BuddyBoss Dashboard > Settings > Forums.
   
2. Under Forum Settings, uncheck Allow Anonymous Posting.
   
3. Click Save Settings.
   

This ensures that while guests can browse forum threads, they cannot create topics or post replies until they register and log in.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Q: Guests still see other pages besides the forum—why?
A:

• Double-check Public Website Content entries; only URLs listed there are exposed.
• Clear any caching plugins or CDN caches after changing settings.
  

Q: Logged-in users can still post anonymously—what did I miss?
A: The Allow Anonymous Posting setting applies to all non-logged-in users. Ensure you saved changes and that your theme’s forum templates use the updated setting.

Q: I want to allow guests to view only specific forums—can I?
A: Yes. Instead of the general /forums/ URL, list individual forum slugs under Public Website Content (e.g., /forums/general/, /forums/help/).

Q: Will this setting affect the BuddyBoss mobile app?
A: The Private Website restriction applies equally to the app—guests will see only the public forum section, and posting will be disabled for them.

Q: How can I test as a guest?
A: Log out or use a private/incognito browser window to verify that only the forums load and that the “Post” buttons are hidden or disabled.