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As a Microsoft Q&A moderator, you have the ability to lock and unlock a question thread. Some reasons to lock a thread include:
- Pausing the conversation: When the conversation starts to deviate from or not progress the original topic, locking the thread allows a moderator to intervene and ask for further details or clarification from the thread author.
- The conversation has concluded: When the original question has been resolved, locking the thread ensures that valuable information is preserved for future reference by other Q&A users.
- Off-topic conversations: When the conversation starts to include comments that are non-constructive or breach our Code of Conduct.
When a thread is locked the following actions are possible:
| Action | Authenticated users | Moderators |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock question | No | Yes |
| Delete question | No | No |
| Make edits | No | No |
| Upvote question | Yes | Yes |
| Upvote/downvote answer | Yes | Yes |
| Upvote comment | Yes | Yes |
| Report | Yes | Yes |
| Add answer | No | No |
| Add comment | No | No |
| Initate private conversation | No | No |
| Follow | No | No |
| Mark as duplicate | No | No |
Prerequisites
- You need to be signed into Q&A.
- You need to be a moderator in Q&A
Lock a question
If you're a moderator, follow these steps to lock a question thread:
- From the Questions page, select any question you would like to lock.
- From the question overflow menu (the ellipsis), select "Lock thread".
- In the dialog box, provide a comment on why the thread is being locked. This information will be available in the thread history.
- Select "Confirm" to apply the lock. The full question thread is locked.
Unlock a question
If you're a moderator, follow these steps to unlock a question thread:
- From a locked question thread, select the question overflow menu (the ellipsis) and select "Unlock thread".
- In the dialog box, provide a comment on why the thread is being unlocked. This information will be available in the thread history.
- Select "Confirm" to remove the lock. The full question thread is unlocked.
Note
A migrated question lock can't be removed.
Locked migrated content
Content that has been migrated from the Microsoft Support Community (Answers), will be in a "locked" state. In this state, the following actions are possible:
| Action | Authenticated users | Moderators |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock question | No | No |
| Delete question | No | Yes |
| Make edits | No | Yes |
| Upvote question | Yes | Yes |
| Upvote/downvote answer | Yes | Yes |
| Upvote comment | Yes | Yes |
| Report | Yes | Yes |
| Add answer | No | No |
| Add comment | No | No |
| Initate private conversation | No | No |
| Follow | No | No |
| Mark as duplicate | No | Yes |
How do I know a question is locked?
A locked question will display a banner with details about the lock. The description will indicate whether the question is locked due to migration or moderator action.
A migrated question lock banner:
A moderator action lock banner:
