# Rename "private topics" to "personal message topics"

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [July 15, 2025, 8:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264 "2025-07-15T08:50:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![RGJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/rgj/32/523185_2.png) [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 8:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/1 "2025-07-15T08:50:00Z")

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In the admin profile for a user, there is a field “Private Topics”.  
This terminology is not aligned with the terminology that is used in the rest of the code.

I propose to rename it to “Personal Message Topics” or “PM Topics”

See discussion below.

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### Author: ![robbie.morrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c5a1d2/32.png) [@robbie.morrison](https://meta.discourse.org/u/robbie.morrison)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 7:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/2 "2025-07-15T07:48:33Z")

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Hello all, I have a newly created possibly suspicious account with the following activity log. Can I&nbsp; **list the indicated private topic** somehow? My efforts to do so did not find a solution as yet. TIA.

 ![discourse-private-topic-annomated.screenshot-20250715t071443z](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/e/a/4/ea4cf161eb844d50323ae9123c3f2bc4e79b01ee.png)

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### Author: ![Moin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/moin/32/554653_2.png) [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 7:56am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/3 "2025-07-15T07:56:59Z")

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Usually that private topic is the welcome PM sent after sign-up. I think “private topic” is a rather confusing term for “personal message”.

I don’t have and never had this plugin installed, but I see the same number on my test user.

 ![Screenshot_20250715_095222_Firefox](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/b/f/e/bfe3f6c2b95ee65b08e8caede26b6cefe120f6d3.jpeg)  
I have never posted anything as the test user. But in the user’s inbox I can see the PM.  
 ![Screenshot_20250715_095204_Firefox](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/6/2/5/6255693441c27f4db3e6be5c10b559f3f01c1617.jpeg)

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### Author: ![RGJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/rgj/32/523185_2.png) [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 8:51am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/4 "2025-07-15T08:51:36Z")

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This is indeed not related to my “Private Topics” plugin but a core Discourse functionality with a confusing name.

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### Author: ![robbie.morrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c5a1d2/32.png) [@robbie.morrison](https://meta.discourse.org/u/robbie.morrison)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 9:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/5 "2025-07-15T09:00:36Z")

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“PM Topics” works for me. “Automated PM Topics” perhaps also?

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### Author: ![RGJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/rgj/32/523185_2.png) [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 9:01am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/6 "2025-07-15T09:01:39Z")

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No, this counter counts _all_ PM topics. And the fact that it is 1 for this user comes from the fact that every new user gets one automated message.

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### Author: ![awesomerobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/awesomerobot/32/142900_2.png) [@awesomerobot](https://meta.discourse.org/u/awesomerobot)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 1:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rename-private-topics-to-personal-message-topics/374264/7 "2025-07-15T13:05:02Z")

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It’s been this way for a very long time, guess we missed it! This will update to “Personal Messages”

[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/33617](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/33617)