> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.help.creatora.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Publish, hide, archive, or restore a course

> Choose a course state and verify visibility, access, and Offer consequences.

Use **Status** to control a course's visibility and access. Before making it **Public**, finish its lessons, sales copy, and payment setup.

| Status       | What to expect                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Public**   | Visitors can discover the course when its learning path, if any, is also published. The course page offers the free or paid automatic Offer; paid checkout also needs a usable payment connection. |
| **Waitlist** | Visitors can register interest on a reachable course page. Existing owners keep access. A direct Offer link can still permit acquisition, so this is not a complete sales lock.                    |
| **Private**  | The course is hidden from guests and non-owners. Existing owners can still access it when the containing learning path permits access.                                                             |
| **Archived** | The course is unavailable in Student mode, including to existing owners. Its configuration, ownership, and learning records remain for restoration.                                                |

## Change status

1. Open the course's **General → Status** in the Admin Panel.
2. Review the automatic and custom Offers, current Student access, and any containing learning path.
3. Select the intended status. If Creatora warns that the course will be removed from custom Offers, review the affected Offers before confirming.
4. Reload the course to check its status. [Open its page as a guest](/en/get-started/verify-public-pages-as-a-visitor) and, where access matters, with a representative Student account.
5. Check the acquisition action and any affected custom Offers. For a paid course, check checkout before inviting Students to buy.

<Warning>
  Moving a course to **Private** or **Archived** removes its items from current custom Offers. Restoring or publishing the course does not add those items back. Review each affected Offer before changing the status and again afterward.
</Warning>

Changing status does not automatically notify people on a waiting list. **Archived** retains the course for restoration. Deleting a course is a separate, irreversible action.