# Setting all users to watch a category
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467
**Category:** Community Building
**Created:** [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467 "2018-11-21T14:37:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@David\_Baker1](https://meta.discourse.org/u/David_Baker1)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/1 "2018-11-21T14:37:20Z")
Hi there - I know there is a feature for defaulting all new users to watch a category. But is there yet a feature for applying this to all existing users?
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### Author:  [@tobiaseigen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tobiaseigen)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/2 "2018-11-21T14:42:01Z")
There is a plugin for this:
> [@Make members of a group watch a category by default](https://meta.discourse.org/t/make-members-of-a-group-watch-a-category-by-default/22127/31):
>
> I just noticed this discourse plugin: [https://github.com/discourse/discourse-watch-category-mcneel](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-watch-category-mcneel) It appears to be by @techAPJ - can you confirm this works and can you give any guidance on configuration? If so it solves my problems!
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### Author:  [@dax](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dax)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/3 "2018-11-21T15:18:00Z")
Or you can do it via command line
> [@(Obsolete) Set category tracking level defaults historically](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-i-set-category-tracking-level-defaults-historically/53165?source_topic_id=46987):
>
> warning Following the release of Discourse v2.4.0.beta7 (or if you have [this commit](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/b2f682f35eba0cc3f09588356ecf8d1dd824542f)), admins now have the option to set the category tracking levels of all existing users when setting the default category tracking levels in their site settings: Add a category to one of the following site settings, then select the green checkbox button. A modal window will pop up with the following options: play_button The old way using the console
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/4 "2018-11-21T15:21:03Z")
The plugin recommended requires modifying the code to configure it. If you’d like for me to install and configure it for you let me know. I’ll need to know which group should be forced to watch which category.
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### Author:  [@David\_Baker1](https://meta.discourse.org/u/David_Baker1)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/5 "2018-11-21T15:45:59Z")
Thanks, Jay, I’ll get in touch. It would be all users. Going forward I’ve set the feature for all new users to watch one general news category. But I need to set this for all the users who signed up before I made this setting.
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/6 "2018-11-21T15:57:40Z")
We can configure it to make TL0 watch the category. It can be configured to re-set the watching periodically. Whether it’s a Really Bad Thing to force people to get email is something you’ll need to consider.
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### Author:  [@David\_Baker1](https://meta.discourse.org/u/David_Baker1)
#### Post date: [21 בנובמבר, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-all-users-to-watch-a-category/102467/7 "2018-11-21T16:13:08Z")
I think it depends on context. In many ‘normal’ open user forum contexts this can be seen as a Really Bad Thing. But in our context (a paid membership organization) it is a Really Good Thing.