# Change the privacy of a stream

{!admin-only.md!}

Streams can be [web-public](/help/public-access-option), public or private,
and private streams can have shared or protected history.
See [stream permissions](/help/stream-permissions) for
details on stream privacy settings.

As an organization administrator, you can always make a public stream
private, but you must be subscribed to a private stream in order to make it
public.

### Change the privacy of a stream

{start_tabs}

{relative|stream|all}

1. Select a stream.

{!select-stream-view-general.md!}

1. Click the **pencil** (<i class="fa fa-pencil"></i>)
   to the right of **Stream permissions**.

1. Under **Who can access the stream?**, select a privacy level.

{!save-changes.md!}

{end_tabs}

{!update-stream-auto-notification.md!}

!!! warn ""

    **Warning**: Be careful making a private stream public. All past messages will become
    accessible, even if the stream previously had protected history.
