Set org-level privacy defaults and lock fields

This guide shows you how to set the visibility members start from for each member profile field, lock fields so members can’t change them, and apply your defaults to members who have already set up their directory settings.

Who can do this: Admins with the directory:configure-privacy-defaults permission. Applying defaults to existing members also needs the bulk member actions permission (members:bulk-write), and a role that covers every member.

Before you start

How your defaults reach members:

Members start from your defaults when they first save their directory settings. Until a member saves their directory settings for the first time, they aren’t listed in any directory, and their privacy settings show your current defaults. Their first save starts from those defaults, with any change they make on top.
Changing a default doesn’t change members who have already saved their settings. To update them, use Apply these defaults to existing members now (below). It only changes fields a member hasn’t set themselves.
Members who haven’t saved their privacy settings yet will start from your current defaults when they do — so changing a default also changes what those members will start from, without applying anything.
A lock applies to every member straight away. When you lock a field, every member’s directory entry shows the locked visibility for that field, whatever they had chosen, and members see the field read-only in their privacy settings with the note “Your admin has set this — contact them to change it.” If you unlock the field later, each member’s own choice comes back.

(v1.6, 2026-10-17: this section said the defaults were saved but applied to no member, that the lock wasn’t enforced, and that the update to existing members wasn’t carried out. All three are now built.) [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: added the bullet on members who haven’t saved yet — a default change reaches them without any apply.]

Steps

Set the default visibility for each field

In the admin sidebar, select Directory, then select Privacy defaults.
For each field in the Field visibility defaults section, choose a default:
- Public — show this field to everyone, including visitors who aren’t signed in (on public directories).
- Members only — show this field to signed-in members only.
- Hidden — don’t show this field in the directory.
To stop members changing a field’s visibility, check that field’s lock box. The lock boxes are listed below the field visibility defaults, one per field, each labelled Lock followed by the field name (for example, Lock Email). The visibility you chose for it applies to every member as soon as you save.
Select Save. You’ll see “Defaults saved”.

(v1.6, 2026-10-17: step 2 said the options “don’t change any member’s profile”, and step 3 that the lock wasn’t enforced yet.)

Apply your defaults to existing members

Use this when you want members who have already saved their directory settings to pick up your defaults. For each of those members, every field they haven’t set themselves is changed to your default. Fields they set themselves keep their setting.

Check Apply these defaults to existing members now. (Below the checkbox: “Leaving this unchecked only saves your defaults. Members who have saved their settings keep them, except for fields you lock.”)
A Reason for retroactive apply field appears. Select a reason. The choices are:
- Compliance investigation
- Member request via support
- Bulk default apply
- Org policy change
- Other
This list is fixed: it isn’t read from your organization’s reason codes, so rewording, reordering or adding a reason code elsewhere doesn’t change it. The reason you pick is recorded with the update. [amended pre-merge 2026-10-20, c21 BD r3: this listed six reasons, including “Legal or regulatory request”, and said the list came from your organization’s own reason codes; the screen shows a fixed list of five (pre-existing on master).] See Privacy override reason codes reference for when to use each one.
Select Save. A dialog asks “Apply to existing members?” and explains: “This will overwrite individual member preferences for fields they haven’t customized. Members who have already set a preference for a field keep their setting. You can undo it from the message that appears when it finishes.” [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: the dialog said “You can undo it within 48 hours.”]
Select Apply to confirm, or Cancel to go back.
Your defaults are saved and applied in one step. You’ll see “Privacy defaults applied to {N} members”, where {N} is the number of members whose settings changed. If no member’s settings needed changing, you’ll see “Defaults saved — no member’s settings needed changing” instead. [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: the nothing-changed message added.]

(v1.6, 2026-10-17: this section said the update to existing members isn’t carried out in the current version and that you’d see “Defaults saved — existing members may still be updating”.)

Verify

After a plain save you’ll see “Defaults saved”. Open Privacy defaults again to check the saved values and which fields are locked.
After applying to existing members you’ll see “Privacy defaults applied to {N} members” with the note “Undo is available here until you leave this page.” Select View audit log to open your organization’s audit log (Admin › Security › Audit log), which records the update. Each member it changed also gets an admin-override entry on their Privacy audit tab.
If no member has saved their directory settings yet, you’ll see “Defaults saved” with the note “No member has saved directory settings yet, so no one needed updating. Members start from these defaults when they first save theirs.”
If every member who has saved their settings already had your values, or set those fields themselves, you’ll see “Defaults saved — no member’s settings needed changing” with “Every member who has saved directory settings already had these values or set those fields themselves.” Nothing changed, so there is no Undo and no audit-log link.

(v1.6, 2026-10-17: Verify said no member’s privacy settings change, and that “Privacy defaults applied to N members” doesn’t appear in the current version.) [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: the success note said “You can undo this within 48 hours.”; the nothing-changed message added.]

Undo an update to existing members

Select Undo in the “Privacy defaults applied to {N} members” message that appears right after you apply your defaults. The Undo appears only on that message, and it is gone once you leave the page — no other screen can undo the update, so if you might want to undo it, decide before you navigate away. You’ll see “This change was rolled back”: each field the update changed goes back to what the member had before, unless the member has changed that field since — then their newer choice is kept. Your saved defaults and locks stay as they are.

[amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: this section said you can undo an update for 48 hours after you apply it. No screen offers the Undo once you leave the page.]

If something goes wrong

The Save button stays greyed out — if you’ve checked Apply these defaults to existing members now, you must also select a reason before the button becomes active.
[amended pre-merge 2026-10-20, c21 BD r3 tail: a bullet here read “The reason list is empty — nothing can be selected, so you can’t finish applying to existing members. This affects organizations created before the default reasons shipped. Contact support rather than working around it.” The list is the fixed five above, so it is never empty.]
“Applying defaults to existing members also needs the bulk member actions permission. Save without applying, or ask an administrator who has it.” — your role can set defaults but not run bulk member updates. Nothing was saved. Uncheck Apply these defaults to existing members now and save, or ask an administrator with that permission.
“Your role is limited to some members, and this change affects every member — applying defaults to existing members, or locking, unlocking or changing a locked field. Ask an administrator whose role covers all members to make it.” — your role only covers some members, and your change would affect every member: applying defaults to existing members, or locking a field, unlocking it, or changing a locked field’s visibility. Nothing was saved, and saving without applying won’t help if you changed a lock. [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: this message read “…and this applies to every member. Save without applying, or ask an administrator whose role covers all members.” — wrong when the change was to a lock.]
“More than 10,000 members have directory settings, which is more than one update can change. Nothing was saved.” — one update to existing members can change at most 10,000 members, and your organization has more members with saved directory settings than that, so nothing was saved and no member was changed. Uncheck Apply these defaults to existing members now and save: your defaults and locks are saved, and a lock binds every member at once. Members who have already saved their settings keep their own choices for fields you don’t lock.
“Defaults saved and applied to existing members” with “We couldn’t load how many members were updated. The audit log lists the change.” — the update ran; this page just couldn’t show the count. Check the audit log. (v1.6, 2026-10-17: this message used to read “Defaults saved — existing members may still be updating”, and this bullet said no member was changed.)
“Could not undo — try again” with “Try again before you leave this page — no other screen can undo it.” — the undo didn’t go through. Select Undo again before you leave the page. [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: the note read “The undo is available for 48 hours after the change.” and this bullet said the update can be undone for 48 hours.]
“Some members could not be updated” — some members weren’t changed. If a Download report link appears, use it to see which members were affected; the link appears only when a report is available. The message says “You can undo the change below.” — select Undo this change to roll back the whole update, before you leave the page. [amended pre-merge 2026-10-17, c21 BD r2: this said “a rollback option is available for 48 hours”.] (In the current version an update to existing members doesn’t end this way.) (v1.4: this bullet read “Some members could not be updated — download error report — download the report to see which members were affected”, as if a report were always offered.)
“This change was rolled back” — the update was undone. Existing members keep their earlier privacy settings. There is nothing to undo.
“Existing members were not changed” — that run was a preview only. To update existing members, save again with Apply these defaults to existing members now checked — you don’t need to change anything else. (In the current version an update to existing members doesn’t end this way.)
“Could not save — try again” — the changes didn’t save. Select Save again or refresh the page and re-enter your changes.
“This change involves a field in a category your role can’t see. Ask an administrator who can see every category to make it.” — a default you added or changed is for a field in a category your role can’t see. Saving again won’t help: an administrator whose role includes every category has to make that change. Your other changes can be saved without it.
“You don’t have permission to make this change.” — your role doesn’t include configuring privacy defaults. Ask an administrator who manages roles.
“Another admin updated privacy defaults” — select Reload. The form then shows the latest saved settings (yours are discarded), so make your changes again and save. (r5-minors-2: previously “reload the page to see the latest settings, then re-apply your changes”.) This message only appears when two admins save at almost the same moment. If someone else saved while your page was open and you save later, your save replaces theirs without a warning — so if other admins also manage these defaults, reload the page before you start. (r5-minors-3.)