Creating a whisper post

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:bookmark: This guide explains how to create a whisper post in Discourse, including how to enable the feature and use it effectively.

:person_raising_hand: Required user level: Users in whisper-allowed groups

Whispers are a feature in Discourse that allow for private discussion within a topic or personal message. This guide will walk you through enabling and using whispers.

Enabling whispers

Before whispers can be used, an administrator needs to enable them:

  1. Go to your site settings
  2. Find the whispers allowed groups setting
  3. Add the groups you want to allow to use whispers

Once enabled, all members of the allowed groups can create and view whisper posts.

Creating a whisper

  1. Start composing a new post
  2. Click the reply toggle menu in the top left corner of the composer
  3. Select “Toggle whisper”

Whisper option in reply toggle menu
Whisper option in reply toggle menu2472Ă—868 129 KB

Once you’ve toggled the whisper option, the composer will indicate that your reply will be a whisper. The indicators include:

  • An eye-slash icon for the reply toggle menu button
  • The normal “Reply” button is replaced with a “Whisper” button
  • Text in the composer preview is italicized

Composer indicating a whisper reply
Composer indicating a whisper reply2472Ă—868 84.8 KB

Additional information

  • Replying to a whisper will automatically bring up the composer with the whisper option toggled on.
  • Whispers are permanent by default. You cannot convert a whisper to a normal post or vice versa.
  • If you need to change a whisper to a normal post (or vice versa), you’ll need to delete the original post and create a new post.
  • The Toggle Whisper theme component can be installed to allow converting between whispers and normal posts.

Last edited by @fzngagan 2025-07-22T11:33:47Z

Last checked by @hugh 2024-07-08T10:47:00Z

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32 Likes
30

Thank you SO much for this feature! It’s really helpful :slight_smile:

May I suggest, please, that this could also be described as “staff notes” or “topic notes” or similar? I spent forever trying to find this functionality both in Google and in Discourse’s own search, but kept getting mislead to the User Notes plugin or similar things.

I just never though to search for something like this under the keyword “Whisper”, which makes it sound more like a 1-on-1 direct message.

Regardless, I’m so glad to have found it. Thank you!

1 Like
31

Staff notes are actually something completely different, but I can understand why you were confused.

Whisper posts are named as such because they allow staff to “whisper” in a topic (or PM) without regular users being aware.

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32

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. (The one where a staff user can post a highlighted message for all users, right?).

Apparently “whispers” is just what it’s called on other forums too, which I never knew. I kept trying to find a “staff note” or “private note” or “secret note” or “note to other moderators” etc., and never thought to look for a “whisper” (which in non-mod land sounds like a DM). I don’t think I’m the only one confused by this terminology, e.g. Whispers vs Staff Notes, "Staff Notice" ➜ "Notice from Staff"?, Everybody can see "note to staff"!, or the similar personal notes request: Add support for 'personal notes' on posts

Regardless, I’m really glad the functionality is here. I mostly just wanted to add this comment in case anyone else was searching for the same thing, and maybe this will help Google find it.

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33

Just an update to folks here as we’ve had a few queries:

As our composer is undergoing some simplifications, the original method 1 is now not available.

You may toggle whispers using the top left toggle menu :backhand_index_pointing_down:t2:

OP has been updated.

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