---
title: "How to change the Default Access Level in Joomla 3.1"
description: "Within the Global Configuration settings for Joomla 3.0 is a setting labeled Default Access Level. Joomla 3.0 offers the following description for this setting: Default Access Level:Select the..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/default-access-level/
date: 2012-08-09
modified: 2021-11-19
author: "Brad Markle"
categories: ["Joomla", "Joomla 3"]
tags: ["Joomla v3"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# How to change the Default Access Level in Joomla 3.1

[![setting-default-access-level](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/edu_joomla-3_global-configuration_setting-default-access-level.gif)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/edu_joomla-3_global-configuration_setting-default-access-level.gif)

Within the *Global Configuration* settings for Joomla 3.0 is a setting labeled **Default Access Level**. Joomla 3.0 offers the following description for this setting:

**Default Access Level:**
*Select the default access level for new content, menu items, and other items created on your site.*

The following options are available:

- Public
- Registered
- Special

 

## How to change the Default Access Level

1. [Log into your Joomla 3.0 admin dashboard](/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/how-to-log-in-to-administrative-dashboard/)
2. In the left menu, click the **Global Configuration** link
3. Ensure you are on the *Site* tab by clicking **Site** at the top of the page
4. Under the *Site Settings* heading, find the **Default Access Level** setting. Make your desired change, and then click the **Save** button in the top left of the page.

 

## How does the Default Access Level setting actually work?

When you create a new item for your website, such as a [new article](/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/write-new-article/), one of the options you will see is **Access**. Access refers to *the access level group that is allowed to view the item*.

If you change the *Default Access Level*, the value you choose will be the default **Access** level set. For example, in our testing, we changed this setting to **Registered**. As you can see in the screenshot below, when we go to create a new article, the **Access** setting is now set to by default *Registered*.
[![registered-is-now-default-access-level](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/edu_joomla-3_global-configuration_registered-is-now-default-access-level.gif)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/edu_joomla-3_global-configuration_registered-is-now-default-access-level.gif)

<

p class=”alert”>**Please note!**
Changing the **default access level** will not change the Access setting for any items that you’ve already created.