# Customize image space settings https://help.circle.so/p/posts/image-spaces/customize-image-space-settings Category: [Posts](https://help.circle.so/p/posts) › [Image spaces](https://help.circle.so/p/posts/image-spaces) --- _Last updated: September, 2026_ This article will walk you through the options for effectively managing image space configurations. To access the space settings: 1. Click  **Community**  in the left sidebar, then select  **Spaces**. 2. Hover over the space and click **More actions (three dots)** and select  **Edit space.** ## **Customize** Use the customize tab to make changes to your general information, space access, layout, and images. ### **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 image space in this section. ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/0chg8oc044rqecodjm9vsegyo9sk) ### Hide space from the sidebar You can hide the space in the sidebar, which lets you declutter it and keep only the essentials 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 image space, we offer three access options you can choose from: - **Open:**  This option allows anyone within your community to freely join the image 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 image 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 image space. > 💡  **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**. 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 space's privacy status 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). ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/l249vshtcoekr7zau2dshjl6odi6) **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/4dtvaav1ha8ln183oe1i8i39yrar) 📚 [**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). ### **Set space layout** You can choose from three distinct layout options for your image space that allow you to customize the way content is presented within your image space, tailoring the user experience. - **Feed** : The feed layout offers a dynamic experience for your members. You can choose to display either a sneak peek of the image caption or the full caption in that space. - **Masonry:**  The Masonry layout organizes content in a more dynamic and visually appealing manner. This layout is particularly useful when you have content with various aspect ratios or heights, as it provides an aesthetically pleasing and balanced display. - **Grid** : The grid layout arranges content in a structured grid format, offering a uniform presentation of images within the space. > ℹ️  **Note:** Irrespective of the space layout chosen, it's important to be aware that the Circle mobile app will display the image space in the feed layout for the optimal user experience on the app. ### Manage topics Topics help you categorize your posts within the space, making it easier for members to filter posts by specific topics or view all posts within the space using the **All** topic option. In the **Topic navigation** section, you have the following options to manage your topics for this space: - **Add a topic:** To add a topic, click in the topic navigation field or type the topic's name and select it from the list. - **Remove a topic:** To remove an existing topic, click **Remove** ( **X** icon) next to the topic you want to remove. To remove all topics from the space, click **Remove all** (🗑️ icon). - **Create a new topic:** To create a new topic and add it to the space, type the name in the field and select the **Create topic** option.  - **Arrange the order of the topics:**  Within the topic navigation field, click and hold a topic, then drag and drop it to a preferred position. - **Require members to select a topic when creating content:**  You can require your members to select at least one topic when creating a post. 📚 To explore further details on topics and configuration settings, please refer to our guide [here](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/spaces/create-topics?locale=en). ### **Add cover images** To elevate the visual appeal of your image space and make it stand out on both desktop and mobile devices, you can add dedicated cover images at the top of the space: - **Cover image:**  Add a [**cover image**](https://help.circle.so/c/space-groups-spaces/how-do-i-add-a-cover-image-to-spaces-and-the-home-page) tailored for desktop browsers. To ensure the best display, we recommend an image size of  **1600x500 px** with a **16:5** aspect ratio. - **Mobile thumbnail:**  Add a space cover [**thumbnail**](/p/basics/mobile-apps) for Android and iOS mobile apps, as well as mobile browsers. The recommended image size for a thumbnail is  **800x450 px**  with a **16:9** aspect ratio. To add these images: 1. Click  **Upload**  next to the image option. 2. In the image upload dialog, select one of the tabs to: 3. To adjust the image when adding it via any of the options, you can: 4. Click  **Save changes**. 📚 For more information, see [Add a cover image to spaces and Feed](/p/basics/spaces/add-a-cover-image-to-spaces-and-the-home-page). ## **Paywalls** You can either link your image space to one of your existing paywalls or create a new paywall for it! 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  **Create a paywall**  from the dropdown list. 📚 To learn more about how to gate your space behind a paywall, see [Gate spaces behind paywalls](/p/payments/paywall-setup/gate-spaces-behind-paywalls). ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/x2etj5uml1zf1ngfs395trozmt7x) ## **Mobile lock screen** This section lets you configure the lock screen that appears in ** 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 membership sign-up process. 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, see the example below. ![](https://assets-v2.circle.so/oayb6p4awa1r29xpjbtmdrainyzy) 📚 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, when they last were active in the space, and whether they gained access to this space via a specific paywall. > 🚨  **Important:**  Please note that 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. > 💡  **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). ## **Options** Configure additional options for the image space from this tab. ### **Notifications** To update the new post notifications preference for members of this space: 1. In the  **New post notifications** , select the checkboxes[.](http://checkboxes.click/) 2. Click  **Save changes**. A confirmation dialog will appear. 3. In the dialog, choose to apply the updated settings to: ### **Permissions** - **Allow members to add others:**  Enable this to allow your members to invite other community members to this space. - **Allow member to create posts:**  Turn this toggle on to provide your space members with the ability to create new image posts. If disabled, only admins and moderators of the space can create new posts. - **Hide all posts from featured areas:**  Enable this toggle to hide the posts from the [**Feed**](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/home) and [**weekly digest**](https://help.circle.so/p/audience/notifications). - **Show to logged out visitors:**  If you have set your community to the public, you can disable this toggle to hide this image space from visitors. - **Hide member count:**  Enable this to [**hide the member count button**](https://help.circle.so/c/space-groups-spaces/how-can-i-hide-members-count-in-spaces) from the space. ### **Sort** You can configure the default sort order for image posts and comments within this space by clicking the dropdown beside the option and selecting a preferred sort order. For comments, you can choose between the  **Latest**  or  **Oldest**. For image posts, you have more options to choose from: - Latest - Oldest - Popular - Likes - New activity Additionally, you can allow your members to sort posts by preference by enabling the  **Allow members to sort posts**  toggle. ### **SEO** To optimize your image space for [**SEO**](https://help.circle.so/c/data-analytics/how-do-i-customize-seo): - Customize the image 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 in response to dynamic events or to 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).