Configuring Mattermost for Read-Only Access

Problem
In certain cases, such as compliance requirements, maintenance windows, or incident investigations, administrators may need to prevent new content from being added to a Mattermost instance while still allowing users to view existing channels and messages.

Solution
Mattermost does not have a single “read-only mode” toggle, but you can achieve this by adjusting permissions for all user roles except System Administrators.

Steps to Configure Read-Only Access:

1. Log in as a System Administrator.
2. Go to System Console → User Management → Permissions.

3. Click Edit Scheme for the applicable permission scheme.

   

4. For each of the following groups:
   • Guests
   • All Members
   • Channel Admins
   • Channel Administrators

   • Team Administrators
     do the following-

        *Locate the Create Posts permission.

   • 

       * Uncheck the box to disable it.

5. Click Save to apply changes.

Outcome:

• All non-System Administrator users will have read-only access.
• System Administrators retain posting permissions.