# Make your help center public

_Category: Getting started_

New help centers start private, so you can set yours up before anyone sees it. When you're ready for customers, make it public: anyone can then find and read your published articles.

**Who can do this:** Owners and Admins · **Plans:** All plans

## Before you start

Two things come first, both on the account owner's side:

- **A verified email address.** Until it's verified, the **Public** option reads "Available once your email is confirmed" and Settings shows a **Confirm your email address** notice. Open the verification email we sent when you signed up and click its link, or get a new one from **Account Settings** with **Resend**.
- **An activated plan.** Public is available once the owner activates a subscription. Until then, the **Public** option reads "Available once your plan is activated" and Settings shows **Go public when you activate your plan**, with an **Activate your plan** button. You can activate during the free trial without losing the days you have left, so nothing is charged before the trial ends. See [Choose a plan and start your subscription](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/activate-your-subscription).

Until then, you can keep building and preview every page while signed in with **Preview your help center**, and **Private** and **Password** work as usual. If you're an Admin, the option reads "Available once the owner activates a plan": ask the owner to activate it.

## Make it public

1. In the left menu, click the gear icon, then **Settings**.
2. In the **General** card, go to **Access & visibility**.
3. Choose **Public**.
4. Click **Save changes**.

![Screen recording. New help centers start Private. Choose Public to open it to everyone. Click Save changes. Your help center is live.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/oJhh2MOADfefvEKol158NQ295wKBedWqKN17J176.gif)
Save changes appears as soon as you change a setting.

You see "Help center settings successfully updated." and your help center is live.

## What changes when you go public

- Anyone can open your help center and read your published articles without signing in.
- Drafts, private articles and private categories stay hidden from readers.
- Search engines can list your help center, because **Search engine indexing** is on by default. It's in the same card. See [Hide your help center from search engines](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/hide-from-search-engines).
- Readers can connect your help center to their own AI assistant through its public MCP server, which is on by default. See [Let readers use your help center in their AI assistant](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/public-mcp-server).

## Other ways to share it

| Option | Who can read it | Good for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Public** | Anyone on the internet. | Help for your customers. |
| **Private** | People you invite to your team, in any role. They sign in with HelpCenter.io. | Internal knowledge bases, and help centers that aren't ready yet. |
| **Password** | Anyone who has the password you set under **Access password**. | A small group who don't have HelpCenter.io accounts. |

See [Control who can see your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/who-can-see-your-help-center) for every option, including single sign-on and IP restrictions.

## Troubleshooting

**You can't choose Public.** The option is locked until the owner's email is verified and their plan is activated. The text under **Public** says which one is missing. See **Before you start** above.

**"Please set a password before switching the help center to password-protected visibility."** Enter a password under **Access password**, then save.

**Visitors are still asked to sign in.** Check that you clicked **Save changes**, then reload the page.

## Related articles

- [Control who can see your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/who-can-see-your-help-center)
- [Use your own domain](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain)
- [Set up your help center: a first-hour checklist](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/set-up-your-help-center)