# Allow regular user to archive (or close) their own topic?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [June 13, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498 "2014-06-13T03:23:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Greg\_Swallow](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Greg_Swallow)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/1 "2014-06-13T03:23:35Z")
Is there an easy way to allow regular users to be able to archive a topic they started? I don’t think this feature would be abused for what I’m considering using discourse for. For example for a buy and sell category, where the item is sold, or maybe a category discussing events, where the event is over, it would be good if the original poster could archive the topic themselves.
A point in the right direction would be appreciated. Thanks!
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/2 "2014-06-13T03:31:01Z")
I can see this as a permission on a category (like read write, etc)
However mucking with the permission system is not something I am super eager to have done leading up to V1.
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Swallow](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Greg_Swallow)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/3 "2014-06-13T04:03:07Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> I can see this as a permission on a category
Right, I think that makes sense. It depends on they subject of the category whether it would be appropriate or not.
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Swallow](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Greg_Swallow)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/4 "2014-06-13T04:20:03Z")
I was searching here regarding ‘archiving’ topics, but I found now that this was discussed a bit already in regards to ‘closing’ topics - [https://meta.discourse.org/t/closing-own-created-topics-for-users-at-level-3/12414/8](https://meta.discourse.org/t/closing-own-created-topics-for-users-at-level-3/12414/8) - where in that discussion it was basically decided that it was not good to have the power in general for users, but it wasn’t discussed on a per-category level.
By the way, I can’t find the definition/function of closing a topic vs archiving a topic. What is the difference?
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/5 "2014-06-13T04:23:24Z")
Closing a Topic won’t allow any new posts but will allow post editing
Archiving closes the Topic to both new posts and post editing.
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Swallow](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Greg_Swallow)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/6 "2014-06-13T04:29:11Z")
OK, so maybe ‘archive’ is more of an admin/mod level task, but pretty much the same thing. I would be ok with just letting them ‘close’ their own topic, but that is also not possible either at the moment I guess.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/7 "2014-06-13T04:36:49Z")
Archiving disables _all_ non-staff actions in the topic, including like.
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### Author:  [@chapoi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chapoi)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2025, 11:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498/8 "2025-12-04T11:14:26Z")