# Private Groups
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** privacy
**Created:** [March 31, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151 "2023-03-31T19:30:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TAKY123](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TAKY123)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/1 "2023-03-31T19:30:01Z")
Looking to set up a new community with a regular selection of public categories in addition to hundreds of private groups of 10 people per group. Users would be assigned to a group after registration by admin.
Would like to have the Group and its contents to only be visible to users of that group as in a private group. Also, would like those discussions to be private and to not be picked up by search engines, etc.
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/2 "2023-03-31T19:32:02Z")
That’s all supported by groups within discourse.
Categories can be hidden and protected with access restricted to particular groups.
Groups can be hidden from non-members.
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/3 "2023-03-31T19:34:42Z")
Hundreds of categories can be a performance issue. You might consider group PMs.
---
### Author:  [@TAKY123](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TAKY123)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/4 "2023-03-31T19:43:30Z")
my apologies for not reviewing docs yet and for getting terminology wrong, just looking to see if supported before moving forward.
So post registration as admin, I can create a group and add specific members to that group. I then create a new Category and make it accessible to only that group, correct?
Would that Category still appear to all members or only visible to Group?
---
### Author:  [@TAKY123](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TAKY123)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/5 "2023-03-31T19:46:39Z")
Would like these private groups to have their own discussion space, not visible to other members. PM = private messaging? If I have 100 or 200 private groups, is there a more efficient way to set up?
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/6 "2023-03-31T19:55:23Z")
> [@TAKY123](#):
>
> PM = private messaging
Yes.
> [@TAKY123](#):
>
> If I have 100 or 200 private groups, is there a more efficient way to set up?
If you have only a couple of hundred, then you can use categories rather than PMs. Group PMs are still easier, though, as they don’t require creating categories.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/private-groups/260151/7 "2023-04-30T19:55:47Z")
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.