# Apply category notification preferences to existing users
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 28, 2017, 10:21am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870 "2017-12-28T10:21:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@icaria36](https://meta.discourse.org/u/icaria36)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2017, 10:21am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870/1 "2017-12-28T10:21:05Z")
I have created a new category. Then I have set its notifications to Muted by default via “default categories muted” at `/admin/site_settings/category/user_preferences`.
These settings will be inherited by new users, but… I see that existing users will receive notifications until they manually change their preferences. I fear many of these users will not even know they can do that, they will only feel overwhelmed about the new incoming traffic and they will unsubscribe from notifications altogether.
Is there a way to change this setting for all existing users at once. I see that I could do it one by one manually…
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870/2 "2017-12-28T13:05:12Z")
[Bulk suspend users based on criteria](https://meta.discourse.org/t/bulk-suspend-users-last-seen-before-date/76804) is a hint. There may be other topics with the details for watching a category.
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### Author:  [@dax](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dax)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870/3 "2017-12-28T13:56:02Z")
There is a guide to read for that:
> [@(Obsolete) Set category tracking level defaults historically](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-i-set-category-tracking-level-defaults-historically/53165):
>
> warning Following the release of Discourse v2.4.0.beta7 (or if you have [this commit](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/b2f682f35eba0cc3f09588356ecf8d1dd824542f)), admins now have the option to set the category tracking levels of all existing users when setting the default category tracking levels in their site settings: Add a category to one of the following site settings, then select the green checkbox button. A modal window will pop up with the following options: play_button The old way using the console
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### Author:  [@icaria36](https://meta.discourse.org/u/icaria36)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870/4 "2017-12-28T16:04:38Z")
Thank you! FIXED (and 20 chars)
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### Author:  [@dax](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dax)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/apply-category-notification-preferences-to-existing-users/76870/5 "2017-12-28T16:17:11Z")