BoldDesk allows administrators to mark ticket categories as private for internal support operations. A private category is available to agents in the Agent Portal but is not displayed to customers in the Customer Portal.

Tickets created under a private category are automatically marked as private. Private categories are useful for internal workflows, backend issues, administrative requests, and other tasks that should not be visible to customers.

This article explains how private categories affect tickets and how to mark a ticket category as private.

Prerequisites

Before marking a ticket category as private, ensure that:

• Your role has permission to Manage fields and forms.
• The required category is available under the Category ticket field.
• You have reviewed the existing tickets associated with the category.
• You understand that marking the category as private changes the visibility of its existing tickets.

Understand Private Category Behavior

Marking a category as private has the following effects:

• The category is removed from the category dropdown in the Customer Portal.
• Customers cannot create tickets under the private category.
• Agents can view and select the private category in the Agent Portal.
• Tickets created under the private category are automatically marked as private.
• Existing tickets associated with the category are automatically changed to private.
• Customers cannot access tickets that have been changed to private.
• The category appears with the (Private) label in the Agent Portal.
• The requester stops receiving email notifications for updates made to a private ticket.

For example:

Internal IT Request (Private)

Mark a Ticket Category as Private

To mark a ticket category as private:

1. Go to Admin > Fields and Forms > Ticket Fields.

2. Locate the Category field.

3. Click the Edit icon.

4. Under the category dropdown values, locate the category you want to make private.

5. Select the checkbox in the Private column for the category.

6. Review the confirmation message.

7. Click Yes to confirm the change.

8. Save or update the ticket field configuration, if required.

   
   
   

The category is updated with the (Private) label and is no longer available to customers in the Customer Portal.

Change a Private Category to Public

To change a private category to public:

1. Go to Admin > Fields and Forms > Ticket Fields.
2. Edit the Category field.
3. Locate the private category.
4. Clear the checkbox in the Private column.
5. Save or update the changes.

The category becomes available as a public category.

Understand Ticket Visibility After Changing the Category to Public

Changing a category back to public affects the category and its future use, but it does not reverse the visibility changes applied to existing tickets.

For instructions on updating ticket visibility, explore How to Manage Ticket Visibility.

Troubleshooting

The Category Is Still Visible in the Customer Portal

Confirm that:

• The Private checkbox is selected for the correct category.
• The ticket field changes were saved.
• You are viewing the correct brand’s Customer Portal.
• The Customer Portal page has been refreshed.

If the category remains visible, clear the browser cache or open the Customer Portal in a private browser window.

Existing Tickets Became Private

This behavior is expected. Marking a category as private automatically changes the visibility of tickets associated with that category to private.

Review the affected tickets before marking a category as private.

Existing Tickets Remain Private After the Category Is Changed to Public

This behavior is expected. Changing the category back to public does not automatically change existing private tickets to public.

Update the visibility of each required ticket manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a private category in BoldDesk?
   A private category is an internal ticket category that agents can view and select in the Agent Portal. The category is not displayed to customers in the Customer Portal.

2. Can customers create tickets under a private category?
   No. Private categories are not displayed in the Customer Portal.

3. Can agents create tickets under a private category?
   Yes. Agents can select private categories when creating or updating tickets in the Agent Portal.

4. What happens to existing tickets when their category is marked as private?
   Existing tickets associated with the category are automatically changed to private.

5. Can customers access tickets that are changed to private?
   No. Private tickets are not accessible to customers.

Related Articles

1. How to Create an Internal or Private Ticket
2. Difference Between Private and Public Categories
3. How to Change a Ticket Category from Private to Public
4. How to Manage Ticket Visibility