In Settings → General → Discussions, use Edit window for authors to choose how long after posting a member can edit their own discussion, reply, or comment. Unlimited is the default. Admins and moderators can always edit.
Edit window for authors lets HQ admins limit how long after posting a member can edit their own discussion, reply, or comment. The setting lives with other Discussions options under Settings → General. Leave it on Unlimited to keep today’s behavior: authors can edit whenever they have permission. Set a finite amount and unit when you want edits to stop after a fixed period.
| Who | Unlimited (default) | Finite window (for example 24 hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Post author (member) | Can edit their own discussion, reply, or comment at any time | Can edit only until the window ends; after that, Edit is unavailable |
| Admin or moderator | Can edit any post at any time | Still can edit any post at any time — the window does not apply |
Note: You need HQ Admin Dashboard access and Discussions settings available for your community. If you do not see a Discussions section under Settings → General, contact your Customer Success Manager or Bevy Support. Other Discussions options in the same section (for example preview text on feed cards) are covered in Show or hide preview text on forum feed cards.
Open Edit window for authors
- Sign in with an HQ Admin account.
- Open the Admin Dashboard.
- Go to Settings → General (
/accounts/dashboard/#/admin/settings/general/). - Open the Discussions section.
- Find Edit window for authors.
The setting description explains that the window applies after posting to the author’s own discussion, reply, or comment, and that admins and moderators can always edit.
Choose Unlimited or a finite window
The control has two parts: an amount and a unit.
| Control | What you can enter |
|---|---|
| Amount | Unlimited (default), a suggested value (1, 2, 3, 6, 12, or 24), or a whole number you type from 1 to 999 |
| Unit | Hours, Days, or Weeks (unavailable while Amount is Unlimited) |
- For the amount, keep Unlimited, pick a suggested number, or type a whole number from 1 to 999.
- If you chose a number, select a unit: Hours, Days, or Weeks.
- Save your settings in the dashboard.
Example: Amount 24 and unit Hours lets an author edit for one day after the post is published. Amount 7 and unit Days allows one week.
Tip: To return to open-ended author edits, set the amount back to Unlimited and save. The unit field is ignored while Unlimited is selected.
What authors experience
- While the window is open, authors who can edit their own posts still see Edit on their discussion, reply, or comment.
- After the window closes, Edit is no longer available for that author on that post.
- If an author still tries to save an edit after the window closes, they see: The time allowed for editing this post has passed.
- Moving their own discussion to another category follows the same window for ordinary authors. People with permission to move topics (typically moderators) are not blocked by the window when they move a post.
Note for members: If Edit disappeared on a post you wrote, your community may use a finite edit window. You can still read the post. Ask a moderator if you need a correction after the window closes — moderators and admins can still edit.
Drafts, deletes, and other actions
- Drafts and scheduled posts: The edit window does not start until the post is published. Publishing starts the clock from the published time.
- Delete or remove: This setting does not limit deleting or removing posts. Those actions still follow your community’s usual permissions.
- Lock, pin, and sticky: Moderator actions that need their own permissions stay available to people who hold those permissions; they are not gated by the author edit window.
For chapter and event discussion menus (including Edit on your own posts), see Manage and moderate chapter and event discussions.
Important: Changing the window applies going forward based on each post’s published time. A post that is already older than the new window can no longer be edited by its author as soon as you save a finite value.