# Customize chat space settings

https://help.circle.so/p/chat/chat-spaces/customize-chat-space-settings

Category: [Chat](https://help.circle.so/p/chat) › [Chat spaces](https://help.circle.so/p/chat/chat-spaces)

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_Last updated: July 30, 2025_

This article will guide you through the options for effectively managing chat space configurations.

To access the space settings, navigate to the space from the sidebar. Click the **Space settings (three dots)** icon in the top-right corner of the space and select an option from the menu.

## **Customize**

You can use the customize tab to make changes to general information and space access.

### **Update general information**

You can update the [**space icon**](https://help.circle.so/c/space-groups-spaces/how-do-i-set-up-a-space-icon), name, and space group location for the chat space in this section.  
  
Additionally, add or update a description for this space. You can utilize this option to display information such as chat space guidelines, rules, and chat topics.

 ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/42zuz0ky8loy7xr1jhipoarignco)
### Hide space from the sidebar

You can hide the space from the sidebar, which allows you to declutter it while keeping only the essential ones visible.

When you enable the **Hide space from sidebar** toggle, the space will be completely hidden from the sidebar for everyone, including you and other community admins. However, you, your members, and visitors can still access the hidden space via its direct URL.

> ❗  **Important:** Access to the space's content is determined by the space's access configuration and whether the individual is a member of the space. For instance, if you hide a private space from the sidebar in a public community, non-members or visitors who attempt to access it via a direct link will encounter a lock screen instead of the space's content.

📚 To learn more about this setting, please see [**Managing space access and visibility**](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/spaces/managing-space-access-and-visibility#hide-space-from-the-sidebar).

### **Manage space access**

To manage access to your chat space, we offer three access options you can choose from:

- **Open:** This option allows anyone within your community to freely join the chat space. This is an ideal option for providing free and open access to the space.

- **Private:** With private access, only community members who are added by the admin or moderator or those who have purchased paywall access can join the chat space. We recommend this option when you intend to restrict access to paying members.

- **Secret:** With this option, keep the space hidden by default for all the non-space members. Only the space members can see and access the secret chat space.

Furthermore, when setting your space to private, you can display a lock icon instead of your chosen space icon. This allows you to effectively communicate the privacy status of the space to non-members. To do this, toggle on the **Show lock icon to non-members of this space** option.  
  
📚 To learn more about space access, see [Managing space access and visibility](/p/basics/spaces/managing-space-access-and-visibility).

> 💡 **Tip:** You can quickly see the current access status and directly navigate to this section by clicking the dropdown icon beside the space name in the header and selecting **Access**.

 ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/33y2zv8jmx482zdz6nnupjouvnec)

**Lock screen page**

When you set a space to **private** , you can choose your own landing page to display to non space members and visitors in web browsers or the Circle desktop app. This page can feature hero sections, testimonials, pricing blocks, and more, making it perfect for highlighting the space’s value, promoting memberships, or guiding visitors to take the next step.

 ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/pvxykr1uh1h933ee7p9j8zciudyk)

📚 [**Learn more about how to set up a lock screen page**](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/spaces/setting-up-a-lock-screen?locale=en#set-up-a-lock-screen-page-web-and-desktop) **.**

## **Paywalls**

You can directly link your chat space under one of your existing paywalls or create a new paywall for the chat space.  
  
To add this space to your paywalls, click the **Link Paywall** dropdown and select a paywall from the list. Alternatively, you can create a new paywall for this by clicking on **Create a paywall** from the dropdown list.

📚 For more information on restricting access to your space using a paywall, see [Gate spaces behind paywalls](/p/payments/paywall-setup/gate-spaces-behind-paywalls).

 ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/aw8mhuu33qvbmeo75pmuehwlcnxv)

## **Mobile lock screen**

This section lets you configure the lock screen visible on **Circle’s mobile apps** when a space is set to **private**. This is particularly helpful if a **paid membership is required** to access the space, as the lock screen can guide potential members through the process of joining.

On the mobile lock screen, you can display a concise message with a banner, description, and a call-to-action button that links to a custom URL such as a paywall or sign up form.

> ❗️ **Important:** If no **lock screen page** has been set for web and desktop, the mobile lock screen will be displayed by default on web browsers and the Circle desktop app.

To get a visual idea of what this lock screen looks like, take a look at the example below:

 ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/14jzb8xdr1e1khvhr0y2m9ziev16)

📚 To learn about the mobile lock screen setup in detail, see [**Setting up a mobile lock screen**](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/spaces/setting-up-a-lock-screen?locale=en#set-up-a-mobile-lock-screen-mobile-apps) **.**

## **Members**

Manage members of this space by adding, removing, or giving them moderation privileges using this tab.

You can also see when members joined the space, the last time they were active in the space, and if they got access to this space via a specific paywall.

> ℹ️ **Note:** When you directly add members to spaces and space groups, they will be added using the [**invite access**](/p/audience/onboarding) method and will have lifetime access to these spaces until they leave voluntarily or are removed by admin.

> ❗ **Important:** Please note that the chat spaces has a limit of 10,000 members at a time to ensure a meaningful and manageable interaction experience for everyone. If the chat space has already reached its maximum capacity, new members will not be able to join the space, even if it is included in their community access. However, members can still sign up and access other spaces based on the access they have received via sign-up method.

> 💡 **Tip:** You can also use the invite member option directly from the space settings menu by clicking the dropdown icon beside the space name in the header and selecting **Invite member**.

📚 For more information, see [Manage members within spaces and space groups](/p/audience/member-management/manage-members-within-spaces-and-space-groups).

 ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/dg3isp8uzhodi33zfdkupzg9axi5)

## **Options**

Configure additional options for the chat space from this tab.

### **Notifications**

To update the new message notification preference for members of this space, follow these steps:

1. In the **New message notifications** , select the preferred option.

2. Click **Save changes**. A confirmation dialog will appear.

3. In the **Edit notification settings** dialog: 

> ℹ️ **Note:** Please note that members still have the ability to override their notification preference for the space at any time by updating [**notification settings**](/p/members/account-access-management/manage-your-notification-preferences) in their community account. 

### **Permissions**

- **Allow members to see chat history:** You can enable this to allow your new members to see the previous chat messages in the space. If you have disabled this setting, new members will only see the messages created after they join the chat space.

- **Hide member count:** You can enable this to [**hide member count button**](https://help.circle.so/c/space-groups-spaces/how-can-i-hide-members-count-in-spaces) from the space.

### **SEO**

To optimize your chat space for [**SEO**](https://help.circle.so/c/data-analytics/how-do-i-customize-seo), you can:

- Customize the chat space URL slug.

- Add meta title and description.

- Add Open Graph information to preview your space content when sharing links.

> 📷 Recommended Open Graph image dimension: **1200 x**  **630 px** with a **1.91:1** aspect ratio.

## Workflows

You can create new workflows directly from this tab to automate actions based on dynamic events or perform bulk actions for specific members. Here, you also have access to all your existing workflows within the community.

To create a new workflow, click **New workflow** in the top-right corner. You can choose from one of the templates or set up a custom workflow to meet your specific needs.

📚 For more information on workflows, check out our guides [here](https://help.circle.so/p/workflows).

## **Relevant articles**

- [Setting up a new chat space](/p/chat/chat-spaces/setting-up-a-new-chat-space)

- [Get to know chat spaces](/p/chat/chat-spaces/get-to-know-chat-spaces)

- [Understanding chat threads](/p/chat/chat-spaces/understanding-chat-threads)

- [Receiving chat space notifications](/p/chat/chat-spaces/receiving-chat-space-notifications)