# Safe to archive messages?

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/safe-to-archive-messages/76010
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 14, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/safe-to-archive-messages/76010 "2017-12-14T02:03:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 4

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### Author: ![erlend\_sh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/erlend_sh/32/119475_2.png) [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)
#### Post date: [December 14, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/safe-to-archive-messages/76010/4 "2017-12-14T13:32:19Z")

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A more exhaustive explanation (including that metaphor) is provided here:

> [@Understanding closed, unlisted, and archived topics](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-the-difference-between-closed-unlisted-and-archived-topics/51238):
>
> bookmark This guide explains the differences between Closed, Unlisted, and Archived topics in Discourse, including their characteristics and use cases. person_raising_hand Required user level: All users Discourse offers various ways to manage topics, including closing, unlisting, and archiving. Each of these options serves a different purpose and has specific effects on how topics are displayed and interacted with. This guide will explain the differences between these three states and th…

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