---
title: Moderating Topics and Replies
description: "GravityOps Forum provides built-in moderation tools that allow you to manage the content of your community effectively. Users with the **Moderator** capability can manage any content. Authors with **Edit Own** can manage their own content. ## 1. Accessing Moderation Controls…"
url: "https://brightleafdigital.io/docs/moderating-topics-and-replies/"
updated: "2026-10-18"
category: GravityOps Forum / How To Guides Gravityops Forum
---

# Moderating Topics and Replies

GravityOps Forum provides built-in moderation tools that allow you to manage the content of your community effectively. Users with the **Moderator** capability can manage any content. Authors with **Edit Own** can manage their own content.

## 1. Accessing Moderation Controls

Moderation controls are located on the individual topic page (single topic view). Moderators will see a "Moderation" section at the top of the topic content. Authors can also see "My Topic" controls for their own topics when allowed by access settings.

## 2. Locking Topics

If a conversation has run its course or is becoming problematic, you can lock it to prevent further replies.

1. Navigate to the topic you wish to lock.
2. Click the **Lock Topic** button.
3. The button text will change to **Unlock Topic**, and the reply form will be hidden from non-moderator users.
4. A message will appear stating: "This topic is locked. No more replies are allowed."

**Note**: Moderators can still see the moderation buttons and reply form even on a locked topic, allowing them to post and unlock as needed.

## 3. Stickying Topics

Use "Sticky" to keep important topics at the top of the forum list, regardless of when the last reply was posted.

1. Navigate to the topic you want to highlight.
2. Click the **Sticky Topic** button.
3. The topic will now remain pinned to the top of its forum's topic list.
4. To unpin, simply click the **Unsticky Topic** button on the topic page.

## 4. Deleting Topics

If a topic violates your community guidelines, you can delete it.

1. Navigate to the topic you wish to remove.
2. Click the **Delete Topic** button.
3. The topic and all its replies will be moved to the Trash in Gravity Forms.
4. The system will redirect you back to the topic's forum page.

**Technical Note**: Deleting a topic is a "soft delete." This means the associated Gravity Forms entry is moved to the **Trash** in the Gravity Forms dashboard. It is not permanently deleted from the database until you empty the trash in Gravity Forms.

## 5. Deleting and Editing Replies

Moderators can also manage individual replies directly from the front-end view.

1. Navigate to the reply you wish to moderate.
2. Next to the reply meta information, you will see **Edit** and **Delete** buttons.
3. Clicking **Delete** will move the reply entry to the Trash.
4. Clicking **Edit** will open an inline editor to change the reply's content.

## 6. Editing Topics

Moderators can edit the content of any topic to correct errors or remove inappropriate content.

1. Navigate to the topic.
2. In the moderation section at the top, click **Edit Topic**.
3. The topic content will be replaced with an inline editor.
4. Make your changes and click **Save**.

## 7. Author Controls

By default, the person who created a topic or reply (the author) has control over their own content, as long as their assigned access set has the **Edit Own** capability enabled.

- **Locking My Topic**: Authors can lock their own topics to close the discussion. Once locked, the author can unlock it, unless it was locked by a moderator. If a moderator locks a topic, the author cannot unlock it.
- **Deleting My Topic**: Authors can move their own topic and all its replies to the trash.
- **Editing My Topic**: Authors can modify the original post's text at any time.
- **Editing/Deleting My Replies**: Authors have the same control over their individual replies within any topic.

These controls appear as **Lock My Topic**, **Unlock My Topic**, **Delete My Topic**, **Edit My Topic**, or simple **Edit** and **Delete** buttons on your own replies.

Note: Authors can only see the **Unlock My Topic** button if they were the one who locked the topic. If a moderator locked the topic, the button will be hidden for the author.