---
title: "Assigning Permission Groups to Categories"
description: "Sometimes you want an entire category of articles to share the same permission groups. That's where assigning Permissions Groups for categories comes in. When you create an article in a category that…"
url: "https://support.helpdocs.io/article/2szwdqhbi7-assigning-permission-groups-to-categories"
category: "Permissioning"
updated_at: "2025-08-06T15:09:59Z"
---

# Assigning Permission Groups to Categories

Sometimes you want an entire category of articles to share the same permission groups. That's where assigning Permissions Groups for categories comes in.

When you create an article in a category that has default permission groups set, the article will inherit those groups.

But don't worry—the two are independent unless you enforce Permission Groups. An article can have *different* permissions to its category and we give you an easy way to spot the difference 🎉

Default permission groups are not recursive. If you create an article in a subcategory only the subcategory's Permission Groups will be copied to the article.

### Assigning Default Permission Groups to Categories

[Embedded iframe](https://player.vimeo.com/video/1079148119)

If you want all new articles within a category to take the same Permissions you can assign Permissions to a category itself.

1. Head to **Content**
2. Hit the **Permissions Icon** on the category you'd like to add Permissions to
3. Add your Permissions
4. Hit **Apply Changes**

**Existing** articles won't inherit the new Permissions from the category by default. Only new articles created inside the category will.

### Enforcing Permissions on All Descendant Content

Want to make sure all content under a category follows the same permission rules? You can enforce permissions on all descendant articles and subcategories.

[Embedded iframe](https://player.vimeo.com/video/1079149148)

1. Head to **Content**
2. Click the **Permissions Icon** on the category
3. Add your Permissions
4. Check the box for **Enforce permissions on all descendant content**
5. Hit **Apply Changes**

When you enforce permissions this way, all articles and subcategories underneath will inherit these permissions. The only way to turn this off is to uncheck the same box.

### Understanding Permissions Group Indicators

When you haven't got any permission groups assigned to a category the Permissions icon is hidden until you hover. Once you set permission groups there are two different indicators you'll need to look out for.

| Indicator      | What it means                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Pink key**   | You'll notice a pink indicator next to the permission icon if the category has Permissions.                                                                                                                                      |
| **Yellow key** | A yellow indicator will show if the category has a parent category with permissions that differ from its own. It's nothing to worry about. It just shows that you've set different permissions on this category than its parent. |
| **Blue key**   | A blue indicator will show one of the categories above it has enforced Permissions. You won't be able to edit this directly.                                                                                                     |