# Make a category private

_Category: Organize and publish_

Choose who can see a whole category and every article in it. Keep internal guides for your team, or share early documentation with a few people, while the rest of your help center stays open.

**Who can do this:** Owners, Admins and Editors

## Choose who can see a category

1. Click **Articles** in the left menu and select the category in the **Categories** panel.
2. Click **Edit category**.
3. Under **Share with**, choose who can see it.
4. Click **Update category**.

![Screen recording. Select a category and click Edit category. Under Share with, choose who can see it. Click Update category. Readers no longer see it.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/lunroJ64KK05ifC1oPN54zbMKjyJ5J5bYZ0TXNsd.gif)
Readers who aren't included no longer see the category.

If you choose **Me and selected team members**, pick each person under **Choose a team member…** and click **Add** before you save. Under **Category is shared with:** you see everyone who has access. Private categories are always shared with whoever created them.

## The Share with options

| Option | Who can see the category and its articles |
| --- | --- |
| **Everybody** | Everyone who can read your help center. This is the default. |
| **Everybody with a link (hidden from navigation)** | Anyone who has a link to the category or its articles. The category is left out of your help center's navigation, and its articles don't show in search results or article lists. |
| **Team members only** | Everyone on your team, whatever their role, while they're signed in to HelpCenter.io. |
| **Me and selected team members** | You and the teammates you add. Nobody else on your team can see it on your help center, and it's hidden from them in the dashboard too, except a subcategory: its name still shows in the **Categories** panel for the whole team. |

In the **Categories** panel, a lock marks categories shared with selected team members, and a people icon marks categories for team members only.

## What readers without access see

- The category disappears from your home page and navigation.
- Its articles drop out of search results, article lists, the widget and AI Answers.
- A link to the category or to one of its articles shows a not-found page.

## Good to know

- **Articles in several categories** stay visible through any category the reader can see. To hide such an article, remove it from its other categories, or set the article's own access to **Private**. See [Choose who can read an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-access).
- **Subcategories follow their parent.** Readers who can't see a category can't see anything inside it either: its subcategories and their articles are hidden from them too, whatever their own **Share with** says. A subcategory's own setting can only narrow who sees it. Under a category shared with **Everybody with a link**, subcategories leave the navigation too, but a direct link still opens them.
- **Readers who sign in with single sign-on** aren't on your team, so they don't see categories set to **Team members only** or **Me and selected team members**.
- **To hide your whole help center**, make it private or password-protected instead. See [Control who can see your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/who-can-see-your-help-center).

## Troubleshooting

**A teammate can't see the category.** If it's set to **Me and selected team members**, add them in the category's settings. They also need to be signed in to HelpCenter.io. See [Someone can't see an article or the help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/cant-see-an-article).

**Readers can still find one of its articles.** The article is probably in another category too. Open it and check the categories under its title.

## Related articles

- [Choose who can read an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-access)
- [Control who can see your help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/who-can-see-your-help-center)
- [Someone can't see an article or the help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/cant-see-an-article)