Rules and modes

A rule says who, which access (view, edit or both), where (a page, or a page and everything under it) and how.

Add

Put these groups on every restricted page. Nobody is removed. Pages with no restriction are left open.

Children follow the parent

Copy the top page's edit restriction to everything under it, and keep new and moved pages in line.

Keep these out of editing

Only the listed groups can edit pages here, open pages included. If you choose, whoever already has edit keeps it.

Options on every rule

• "This rule may give people access": off, the rule only tightens or keeps access. On, it can open pages up, and you type a number to confirm.
• "Override restrictions set by people": off, pages a person restricted by hand are left as they are.
• "Put back entries a person removes": off, if someone takes the rule's group off a page, the rule respects it. On, the rule puts it back. See Put back what people remove.
• "Whoever already has edit keeps it" (Keep these out of editing only): the people and groups already on a page's edit list stay. Open pages still become edit-restricted to the listed groups.

Watching and on

A Watching rule never changes anything. An On rule keeps pages in line. Paused rules do nothing until you resume them. "Pause all rules" stops every rule at once.

If the top page moves to another space

The rule follows its top page and keeps running there. Only someone who can edit both spaces can move a page. A Confluence admin still sees every rule and can pause or remove it. A space admin who made the rule sees it only in the space it started in, and can no longer change it once its top page has left.

Changing a rule that is On, any option included, puts it back to Watching, because its new preview hasn't been confirmed. Turn it on again when the preview looks right.