# Replying to closed post
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459
**Category:** Bug
**Created:** [September 21, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459 "2025-09-21T20:41:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ct-337](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ct-337)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/1 "2025-09-21T20:41:18Z")
This may have been reported before, but I couldn’t find anything.
The reply button is appearing on closed posts sometimes. It isn’t always and as far as I know, it doesn’t do anything but is still there. The screenshot below shows I can reply even though it is closed.
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### Author:  [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2025, 9:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/2 "2025-09-21T21:38:56Z")
That’s not a closed post, it’s an archived topic, FWIW.
Your forum is about 6 months behind so it might be good to update first and see if the issue is still there.
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### Author:  [@chapoi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chapoi)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2025, 2:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/3 "2025-09-22T02:50:40Z")
Do we show the lock icon for archived topics too? I do understand that’s a bit confusing if so.
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2025, 7:27am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/4 "2025-09-22T07:27:21Z")
> [@chapoi](#):
>
> Do we show the lock icon for archived topics too
In topic lists yes, in small action posts no. See [Providing more visual distinction between Closed and Archived topics](https://meta.discourse.org/t/providing-more-visual-distinction-between-closed-and-archived-topics/288909)
I don’t think it’s a new issue that the reply button doesn’t disappear immediately. Tbere is a topic from 2020 and I think it still works that way:
> [@Make reply button unavailable immediately after closing topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/make-reply-button-unavailable-immediately-after-closing-topic/173885/3):
>
> AFAIK, the reply button behaves as follows: If a staff closes the topic, the button will stay there until the user refreshes the page. If one doesn’t refresh, they will be able to “open” the reply interface (meaning that they will appear as they are writing something down) but once they press “Reply”, a message will appear saying that the topic has been closed. I haven’t seen a reply button after a closure, can you perhaps tell them to share a video of that happening? You should try to rep…
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### Author:  [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2025, 7:47am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/5 "2025-09-22T07:47:17Z")
> [@Moin](#):
>
> I don’t think it’s a new issue that the reply button doesn’t disappear immediately
That’s not this issue in this case, the reply button was even visible for me without authentication when I found the above topic through a search engine and visited the forum for the first time.
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2025, 8:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/6 "2025-09-22T08:04:59Z")
> [@RGJ](#):
>
> That’s not this issue in this case, the reply button was even visible for me without authentication
But with that button you couldn’t open the composer as it was reported in this topic, could you?
I think there was always a reply button for logged-out users. As long as the user doesn’t log in, you cannot tell if they have the permission to reply. That affects closed and archived topics, but also topics in categories where only some groups are allowed to reply. Anons see a reply button in all these cases
It’s also visible on closed topics on Meta.
When I log in, the button is no longer visible because I am not allowed to reply.
So I am not sure if the issue reported here is different from the other topic because you can see a reply button while you are not logged in.
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### Author:  [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2025, 8:08am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/7 "2025-09-22T08:08:17Z")
I signed up to test it and you are correct.
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### Author:  [@sterretje](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sterretje)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2025, 8:06am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/8 "2025-09-23T08:06:12Z")
I’m a forum user on a certain Discourse based site and have trust level 4 (not moderator or admin). I find it useful to be able to first close/lock a post (to prevent new replies) and next add a final reply.
So if the idea is to hide the reply button I think it’s a good idea to limit that to certain trust levels.
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### Author:  [@ct-337](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ct-337)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/9 "2025-09-23T16:21:36Z")
> [@sterretje](#):
>
> have trust level 4
TL4s can always reply to closed topics. The problem is the button is still appearing for other trust levels and the post just won’t create.
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### Author:  [@sterretje](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sterretje)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/10 "2025-09-23T18:30:25Z")
Thanks for that explanation.
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### Author:  [@twofoursixeight](https://meta.discourse.org/u/twofoursixeight)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/replying-to-closed-post/383459/11 "2025-10-16T03:40:21Z")
I tried reproducing this on the same website the author was using (that is out of date) and I am not seeing the same results. It is working like expected for me.
Closed:
Archived:
