# How do I (successfully) Mute an Entire SDMB Category **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [May 9, 2023, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778 "2023-05-09T00:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/1 "2023-05-09T00:53:16Z")
4 or 5 months ago I finally had had enough of seeing posts from one of the categories here (e.g. Great Debates, Factual Questions, etc.) so I looked up how to “mute” the whole category. I proceeded to do so but afterward there were still many threads from that category showing up in various lists. By “lists” I mostly mean what comes up when I click on “Latest” but I sometimes generate other lists as well (“New” for example). Now, I’m pretty sure that I’m missing something veeeeeery simple but I don’t know what that is. I want to have exactly what it says I will get under **Preferences / Tracking:** > **Muted** > > [_The Category I Want Muted_] > > You will not be notified of anything about new topics in these categories, and they will not appear on the categories or latest pages. But threads from the category still show up on **Latest**. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/2 "2023-05-09T00:56:01Z")
Click on the Forum name in question so you’re only seeing it. _Like Site ID as an example._ Then in the upper right hand corner is the Bell Icon, click that and the last option should be **Muted**. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/3 "2023-05-09T01:21:39Z")
Thank you. I just went to do this and saw the bell already had a line through it (mute, I assume) which makes sense because I had already muted it (going through account preferences). I just now went to “Latest” to re-check and it’s same as it was. Threads from that category are still sprinkled throughout the latest list. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/4 "2023-05-09T01:26:37Z")
That would be a bug then. We would have to bump this up. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/5 "2023-05-09T01:36:21Z")
I appreciate that. It could be a bug but maybe there’s something I’m not doing or something I’m not describing correctly. I’m thinking of muting a second category as a test. ETA: I just muted “Cafe Society” as a test but that category also still appears in “Latest.” ETA: i use “SDMD Light” as my theme. Just to check theme differences I changed my theme to “Minima” and then “Discourse Classic” and they both acted the same as SDMB Light. I really thought that could be it because there’re are a number of issues on this board (or so I’ve read) with different skins having different abilities (and inabilities). ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/6 "2023-05-09T01:46:58Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > That would be a bug then. We would have to bump this up. Do you personally have any categories muted? If so, does it work? If not, would you be willing to do a test on your account to see if you get the same results as I? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/7 "2023-05-09T01:48:20Z")
I can’t mute categories. I can see about using our Test Account tomorrow though. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/8 "2023-05-09T01:55:14Z")
Ok, cool. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/9 "2023-05-09T13:15:18Z")
I tested just now. I muted MPSIMS and all threads disappeared from the **Latest** list except for threads I had set to Tracking. So [GoGo On Vacation! -A Holiday MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gogo-on-vacation-a-holiday-mmp/983731/3) disappear but [Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 2)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-2/973972/3892) remained when I clicked [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/). So did most Cafe threads disappear with just those set to tracking or Watching left? It makes sense that it works that way. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/10 "2023-05-09T13:23:11Z")
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! I never knew this existed! I just went into a specific category I don’t care about and muted it. It disappeared nicely from the screen but left one thread in “Latest” I went to that thread and saw that I had already read part of it, apparently causing it to be set to “tracking” Once I set that thread to “normal” it disappeared as well. Nice. ETA: I just popped into a random thread to see if the act of viewing a thread switches on “Tracking” but it doesn’t. Maybe I posted something in the aforementioned thread that changed it from “Normal” ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/11 "2023-05-09T13:27:40Z")
Man, if this works, it will be a real help! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/12 "2023-05-09T13:34:21Z")
I knew about it for the other side of the coin. I have ATMB, Cafe Society, The Game Room, P&E, GD & IMHO set to Watching First Post I did the Game Room & Cafe Society first for help in tagging new threads. Then I realized I should at least look at the other 3 as a moderator for them. I added ATMB as it seemed useful. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/13 "2023-05-09T14:12:45Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > I just popped into a random thread to see if the act of viewing a thread switches on “Tracking” but it doesn’t. You have to view enough of it. I don’t know what the threshold is, but if you’ve read dozens of posts in a thread, it will be under tracking, if you just open it and scroll through a couple, it won’t. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/14 "2023-05-09T14:26:24Z")
Under Preferences there is Tracking this allows setting even the duration of time before a thread goes to tracking automatically. Mine is set to 10 minutes as I found the default too short. * * * * * * * * * It also allows review and changes for Categories and Tags as far as Watched through Muted goes: ![](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/120/10652_2.png) So under **Watched** I have a hidden forum listed. Under **Watching First Post** I have the large number of forums I listed earlier. Oh, I forgot, I recently added [Cecil’s Columns/Staff Reports](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-cecils-columns-staff-reports-category/910997/2) so I can pin globally the new columns. Under the Tags & Watching First Post I listed #baseball-mlb & #breaking-news mostly to see how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/15 "2023-05-09T16:38:26Z")
The Thread Games category is small, I’m not offended by it, and I ignore it to the point that I usually forget we even have it. But I have zero interest in it, never read any threads, etc. I muted it and ZING, it’s like it doesn’t exist anymore. This is pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/16 "2023-05-09T16:43:59Z")
Same! I have nothing against that forum, but every once in a while, someone goes in and updates a ton of threads and it just dominates the Latest list. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/17 "2023-05-09T17:37:57Z")
I have BBQ Pit muted, but I was seeing a thread from it. Just went into the thread and set it to Normal, as it was set to Tracking. Hopefully that’s the end of the BBQ Pit until I decide I want to complain about something. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/18 "2023-05-10T23:00:09Z")
How do you change a thread from ‘tracking’ to ‘normal’? I see no controls that can be changed inside a thread. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/19 "2023-05-10T23:23:16Z")
It’s at the bottom of the thread, just below the last post. Right under “topic controls” and the “reply” button. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-successfully-mute-an-entire-sdmb-category/983778/20 "2023-05-10T23:38:19Z")
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