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What is a locked post?

In most cases, a post which is "locked" cannot be modified in any way. Locking prevents...

  • ...voting on the post (including close/reopen votes for questions)
  • ...editing
  • ...commenting
  • ...answering (for questions)
  • ...flagging (though "in need of moderator intervention" flags are still allowed, except in the case of "Historical significance" locks – see below)

The primary exception to this is the "Comments only" lock, which only prevents new comments from being added to the question or answer that is locked.

Who can lock a post?

Site moderators can apply specific types of locks to questions and answers.

Also, the system itself will lock posts in certain situations:

  • if the post is deleted via "spam" or "abusive" flags
  • if the post is migrated to another site
  • if the post was migrated to the current site, and then rejected
  • if a question was merged into another question, the answers will be moved and the source question will be locked

How long do posts stay locked?

This depends on why it was locked to begin with.

  • When a moderator locks a post, they're required to select how long the lock should remain in place. The options are: 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, permanent. At the end of this time, the system will automatically unlock it.
  • When the system locks a post, it stays locked indefinitely – only a moderator can unlock it.

A moderator can manually unlock a locked post at any time if they deem it necessary.

When should a post be locked?

As a general rule, temporary locks should be used whenever modifications to a post are causing serious problems on the site. For example:

Permanent locks should almost never be used, with the exception of those imposed by the system itself. There are some exceptions:

  1. An extremely popular question which is now considered inappropriate for the site may be locked for "Historical significance": this alters the appearance of the question, automatically locks all answers as well, and disables flagging completely. This lock should be reserved for cases where a cherished cultural artifact would otherwise be deleted; do not use it for any other purpose.

  2. A "wiki" is a question whose answers can be edited by low-reputation users, attributed to multiple authors, and do not grant reputation to the original author. They're occasionally useful in cases where information must be compiled by multiple authors (for example, a list of resources or documentation for the site itself); in these cases, locking the question both prevents it from being closed and prevents further answers from being added.

  3. An official policy may sometimes be locked with a special, staff-only lock to prevent editing, closure, and deletion. Moderators can not add or remove this lock, and are also subject to its restrictions.

See also: