# Understanding Discourse Trust Levels
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752
**Category:** Blog
**Tags:** trust-levels
**Created:** [June 25, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752 "2018-06-25T23:38:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/152 "2021-11-29T12:46:46Z")
Yes admins can lock useres to trust levels
It’s explained [here](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-moderation-guide/63116#locking-trust-level-25)
---
### Author:  [@Grijander](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Grijander)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/153 "2021-11-29T12:50:17Z")
Aha. Then I think I now understand what happens. Probably the moderador has locked me to trust level 1, for a reason that I unknow. Probably because I had some arguments with some of his forum friends.
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### Author:  [@Grijander](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Grijander)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 3:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/154 "2021-11-29T15:04:43Z")
I have another question.
Does badges affect trust levels in any way? Or are them just a visual thing in your profile?
---
### Author:  [@justin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/justin)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/155 "2021-11-29T15:38:30Z")
> [@Grijander](#):
>
> Does badges affect trust levels in any way? Or are them just a visual thing in your profile?
They’re just visual accomplishments in a user’s profile. Some of the activities that advance trust levels also grant badges, but they’re not tied together in any way.
---
### Author:  [@Grijander](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Grijander)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/156 "2021-11-29T15:42:45Z")
> [@justin](#):
>
> They’re just visual accomplishments in a user’s profile. Some of the activities that advance trust levels also grant badges, but they’re not tied together in any way.
Ok, thanks for the information.
I think that the admin of that forum has some kind of personal thing against me (I don’t understand why) because I’m still sitting at trust level 1 after being an active user for more than 4 years. I have tried to conctact him to ask why I’m still a lvl 1 user while there are people that earn the trust lvl 2 after 1 year or so after registering.
I think I can assume he has blocked my trust progression to lvl 1 for some reason that I can’t really explain.
---
### Author:  [@Ed\_S](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Ed_S)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2021, 7:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/158 "2021-11-30T07:43:44Z")
It’s also possible the admin prefers to promote manually, instead of automatically, and is only promoting people they favour. (A similar outcome, but not quite so negative.)
> [@Grijander](#):
>
> Does badges affect trust levels in any way?
There are many badges, and as noted almost all are independent. But I think the ones which indicate trust level (Member, Regular) are indeed fixed to trust level. They might have been given different names.
---
### Author:  [@anon77664303](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon77664303)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/159 "2021-12-01T15:11:24Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> If you dip below these requirements in the last 100 days, you will be demoted back to Member.
What does that mean? Are the requirements checked every 100 days and if you don’t meet one of them you’ll be demoted back to member?
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> However, in order to avoid constant promotion/demotion situations, there is a 2-week grace period immediately after gaining Trust Level 3 during which you will not be demoted.
Does that apply for the **very first time only** when you receive _Trust Level 3_ or if say you lose it, then get it back you’ll be immune to being demoted for another 2 weeks or not?
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> Trust Level 4 – Leader
If you can lose Trust Level 3, can’t you lose Trust Level 4 as well?
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> TL3 flags cast on TL0 user posts in sufficient diversity will auto-silence the user and hide all their posts
“Auto-silence” referring to silencing the user in whole or just from 1 particular topic?
---
### Author:  [@lucasbasquerotto](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lucasbasquerotto)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/160 "2021-12-01T17:58:04Z")
@anon77664303 You can always lose TL3, no matter if you got it for the 1st time or not. Unless an admin (or moderator) lock you in trust level 3, in this case you will never lose it (actually, an admin/moderator can lock you in a trust level even if you never fullfilled the requirements to have it, as well as lock you in a trust level worse than what you would normally have).
See:
> [@jomaxro](#):
>
> It is also possible for an admin or moderator to lock a user’s trust level. You’ll need to reach out to the staff of the site in question for more details.
> [@anon77664303](#):
>
> If you can lose Trust Level 3, can’t you lose Trust Level 4 as well?
Only admins/moderators can promote someone to TL4, in which case the user will be locked in that trust level (there aren’t requirements to be fullfilled to reach TL4, as it happens for TL1 to TL3, you can only get it by an admin defining you as TL4).
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> Get to trust level 4 by…
>
> - Manual promotion by staff only
> - (Possibly via a to-be-developed election system in the future)
---
### Author:  [@anon77664303](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon77664303)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/161 "2021-12-01T18:43:35Z")
So _if_ I got Trust Level 3, I could lose it no matter what if I dip below the requirements (unless I’m locked into Trust Level 3)? And Trust Level 4 is (shall we say) “auto-locked”?
---
### Author:  [@JimPas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JimPas)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/162 "2021-12-02T02:10:42Z")
You are correct for both questions.
- You can lose TL3 if you go below the requirements.
- An Admin can lock you at TL3 - so there are no longer any minimum requirements.
- TL4 is “auto-locked” unless revoked by an Admin.
---
### Author:  [@Peter\_Williams](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Peter_Williams)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/167 "2021-12-17T19:14:50Z")
Q: The guide says that you can (to paraphrase):
```
Get to trust level #NNN by:
-(a)
-(b)
-(c)
```
Does this mean (a) AND (b) AND (c), or does it mean (a) OR (b) OR (c)? Seems a bit ambiguous.
After spending about half an hour trying to figure out how to join a discussion, then figuring out I can’t, I’m still confused how I “reply” to a discussion, to get to Level 3 (how do I “reply” if reply is not enabled?)… I’m done trying to expend the effort trying to figure out if that’s a Catch-22. This is far too complicated, honestly.
---
### Author:  [@anon77664303](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon77664303)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/168 "2021-12-17T19:17:53Z")
Some sites may have changed the requirements to reach a certain Trust Level! Also, your Trust Level could have been locked to TL0 (Trust Level 0)! This article talks about the **default** discourse requirements!
---
### Author:  [@Peter\_Williams](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Peter_Williams)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/169 "2021-12-17T19:29:13Z")
Thanks, but that still doesn’t answer the basic question:
Let’s just stick to defaults: Do I need to check everything off the list of requirements to get to the next level, or just one item on the list? The wording is ambiguous.
---
### Author:  [@anon77664303](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon77664303)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/170 "2021-12-17T19:30:27Z")
> [@Peter\_Williams](#):
>
> Do I need to check everything off the list of requirements to get to the next level, or just one item on the list?
Yes, you have to meet **all** requirements to go up a Trust Level (that is, unless your Trust Level has been locked)!
---
### Author:  [@Shirly\_Nowak](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Shirly_Nowak)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2022, 8:53am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/173 "2022-01-06T08:53:20Z")
Hi there,
I have a question: in TL4 it says the member can **“Can send personal messages to an email address”**.
Could you explain this a bit further? Does it mean that they can send a PM from Discourse to any user, and this user will receive it in their email?
Thanks in advance, and happy new year to you all 🙂
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/174 "2022-01-08T19:58:08Z")
It means the PM can be addressed to any arbitrary email address, that’s all.
---
### Author:  [@not-ethan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/not-ethan)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/178 "2022-01-25T02:04:34Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> - (Possibly via a to-be-developed election system in the future)
Is this still possible going to be developed? And if yes would it only be TL4 and mods be able to vote or TL3+ and mods to vote?
---
### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2022, 4:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/179 "2022-01-25T04:14:54Z")
There has been no development of that feature, and at _this time_ there are no plans to do so.
---
### Author:  [@typed-sigterm](https://meta.discourse.org/u/typed-sigterm)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2022, 3:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/183 "2022-02-07T03:04:14Z")
It’s a good feature, but how can we get more **custom levels**? for example, banned user or no-talking user?
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2022, 3:44am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-discourse-trust-levels/90752/184 "2022-02-07T03:44:04Z")
Use the Suspend User and Silence User features to do that. Staff has access to these functions; they _can_ be invoked automatically if enough flags are cast on a new user by trusted users.
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