---
stage: Manage
group: Organization
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: reference
---

# Project and group visibility **(FREE)**

A project in GitLab can be private, internal, or public.

## Private projects and groups

For private projects, only project members can:

- Clone the project.
- View the public access directory (`/public`).

Users with the Guest role cannot clone the project.

Private groups can have private subgroups only.

## Internal projects and groups **(FREE SELF)**

For internal projects, **any authenticated user**, including users with the Guest role, can:

- Clone the project.
- View the public access directory (`/public`).

[External users](admin_area/external_users.md) cannot clone the project.

Internal groups can have internal or private subgroups.

NOTE:
From July 2019, the `Internal` visibility setting is disabled for new projects, groups,
and snippets on GitLab.com. Existing projects, groups, and snippets using the `Internal`
visibility setting keep this setting. For more information, see
[issue 12388](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/12388).

## Public projects and groups

For public projects, **users who are not authenticated**, including users with the Guest role, can:

- Clone the project.
- View the public access directory (`/public`).

Public groups can have public, internal, or private subgroups.

NOTE:
If an administrator restricts the
[**Public** visibility level](admin_area/settings/visibility_and_access_controls.md#restrict-visibility-levels),
then `/public` is visible only to authenticated users.

## Change project visibility

You can change the visibility of a project.

Prerequisite:

- You must have the Owner role for a project.

1. On the top bar, select **Main menu > Projects** and find your project.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Settings > General**.
1. Expand **Visibility, project features, permissions**.
1. Change **Project visibility** to either **Private**, **Internal**, or **Public**.
   The visibility setting for a project must be at least as restrictive
   as the visibility of its parent group.
1. Select **Save changes**.

## Change group visibility

You can change the visibility of all projects in a group.

Prerequisites:

- You must have the Owner role for a group.
- Subgroups and projects must already have visibility settings that are at least as
  restrictive as the new setting of the parent group. For example, you cannot set a group
  to private if a subgroup or project in that group is public.

1. On the top bar, select **Main menu > Groups** and find your project.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Settings > General**.
1. Expand **Naming, visibility**.
1. Under **Visibility level** select either **Private**, **Internal**, or **Public**.
   The visibility setting for a project must be at least as restrictive
   as the visibility of its parent group.
1. Select **Save changes**.

## Restrict use of public or internal projects **(FREE SELF)**

Administrators can restrict which visibility levels users can choose when they create a project or a snippet.
This setting can help prevent users from publicly exposing their repositories by accident.

For more information, see [Restrict visibility levels](admin_area/settings/visibility_and_access_controls.md#restrict-visibility-levels).

## Related topics

- For more granular control of project features, you can
  [change the visibility of features](project/working_with_projects.md#change-the-visibility-of-individual-features-in-a-project).

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