Use this guide to make a ticket not visible to the customer by assigning the ticket to a Private category. You can apply a Private category either while creating a new ticket (from the Create Ticket page) or after the ticket is created (from the Ticket Profile page). When a ticket is mapped to a (Private) category, the system sets Ticket Visibility to Private and prevents changing Ticket Visibility to Public while the ticket remains in a (Private) category. To change Ticket Visibility to Public, first select a Public category.

How to Set a ticket category to Private while creating a new ticket

Steps

1. Open the Create Ticket page.

   

2. In the Category field, select a category marked (Private) (example: Technical Support (Private)).

3. Confirm the informational message below the Category field indicating the ticket will be created as private and will not be visible to the customer.

   

4. Select Create.

   

What changes when you select a Private category

• Selecting a Private category automatically sets Ticket Visibility to Private and disables the visibility control.
• A Private chip appears in the Create Ticket header to indicate the ticket will be private.

How to Set a ticket category to Private for an existing ticket

Steps

1. Open the ticket and go to the Ticket Profile page.

2. In the Category field, select a category marked (Private) (example: Technical Support (Private)).

   

3. Select Update.

4. In the confirmation dialog, select Yes.

   

Consequences of using a Private category

• Private categories do not appear in the customer portal. Customers cannot create tickets using a private category; only agents can.
• Existing tickets in that category become private automatically. Customers lose access to those tickets.
• If the category is later changed back to Public, tickets that were already changed to Private do not automatically revert. Ticket visibility must be changed manually per ticket (where permitted).
• While a ticket is mapped to a Private category, the system prevents changing Ticket Visibility to Public. To make the ticket public (where permitted), the category must first be changed to a Public category.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What happens when a ticket is assigned to a category marked (Private)?

When a ticket is assigned to a category marked (Private), the ticket becomes not visible to the customer. The system sets the ticket’s Ticket Visibility to Private, and visibility-related restrictions apply.

2) Where can an agent assign a category marked (Private) to a ticket?

An agent can assign a category marked (Private) in two places:

• On the Create Ticket page (while creating a new ticket)
• On the Ticket Profile page (for an existing ticket)

3) Can Ticket Visibility be changed to Public after a ticket is mapped to a category marked (Private)?

Yes, but not while the ticket is still mapped to a category marked (Private). If a ticket has a (Private) category, the system blocks changing Ticket Visibility to Public. To change visibility to Public, first change the ticket’s Category to a Public category.

4) What are the consequences of using a category marked (Private)?
Using a category marked (Private) has these consequences:

• Private categories do not appear in the customer portal, so customers cannot create tickets using them (only agents can).
• Existing tickets in that category become private automatically, which removes customer access to those tickets.
• If the category is later changed back to Public, tickets that were already changed to Private do not automatically revert. Ticket visibility must be changed manually per ticket (where permitted).
• While a ticket is mapped to a Private category, the system prevents changing Ticket Visibility to Public. To make the ticket public (where permitted), the category must first be changed to a Public category.

Related article

How to create a private or internal ticket category