---
title: Create a forum user
description: You can create forum users, which you then use to define memberships to a forum.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/customer-service-management/communities/add-user.html
release: australia
product: Communities
classification: communities
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Forum and user permissions management, Configuring communities, Communities, Customer Service Management]
---

# Create a forum user

You can create forum users, which you then use to define memberships to a forum.

## Before you begin

Role required: sn\_communities.forum\_admin

## About this task

A forum user is a set of users and user groups. Forum users are reusable. Multiple forum users can be used in any given forum.

**Note:** Before creating a forum user, check whether an existing forum user matches your requirements.

<table id="table_ayx_22h_xz"><tbody><tr><td>

Public

</td><td>

Public users can view the community without logging in. By default, public users have **content\_read** access to questions and answers in public forums.

</td></tr><tr><td>

Registered

</td><td>

Users who have signed up to the community and accepted the Terms &amp; Conditions. Once logged in, their access to forum content depends on the permissions set up for each specific forum.

</td></tr><tr><td>

Custom

</td><td>

Specific users and user groups that are added as members to the current forum user.

</td></tr><tr><td>

Membership

</td><td>

A group of members who have joined a specific forum. Once logged in, their access to forums depends on the permissions set up for each specific forum.

</td></tr></tbody>
</table>## Procedure

1.  Navigate to **All** &gt; **Community** &gt; **Administration** &gt; **Forum Users**.

2.  Click **New**.

3.  On the form, fill in the fields.

    |Field|Description|
    |-----|-----------|
    |Name|Name of the user.|
    |Description|Description of the user.|
    |User type|Type of user.|

4.  Click **Submit**.

    The forum user is created and added to the Forum Users list.


-   **[Add members to a forum user](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/customer-service-management/communities/add-members-to-forum-user.md)**  
Add members to a forum user. Members can be individual users or user groups.

**Parent Topic:**[Forum and user permissions management](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/customer-service-management/communities/communities-permissions.md)