General Settings

All settings below are on the General tab at WB Plugins > Anonymous Activity.

Settings keys reference

Key	Type	Default	Description
`bp_anonymous_user_role`	`array`	All WordPress roles	Role slugs allowed to post anonymously. Empty array means no role restriction (all logged-in users).
`bp_anonymous_member_type`	`array`	`[]`	BuddyPress member type slugs that are excluded from anonymous posting. Empty means no member-type restriction.
`bp_anonymous_enable_verified`	`'yes'` or `'no'`	`'yes'`	When `'yes'`, only users verified by BP Verified Member can post anonymously. Has no effect if that plugin is not active.
`bp_anonymous_enable_groups`	`'yes'` or `'no'`	`'yes'`	Show the anonymous checkbox on BuddyPress group activity pages.
`bp_anonymous_enable_members`	`'yes'` or `'no'`	`'yes'`	Show the anonymous checkbox on the sitewide activity directory.
`bp_anonymous_enable_profile`	`'yes'` or `'no'`	`'yes'`	Show the anonymous checkbox on the current user’s own profile activity page.
`bp_anonymous_enable_comment`	`'yes'` or `'no'`	`'yes'`	Show the anonymous checkbox on activity comment forms.
`bp_anonymous_enable_forums`	`'yes'` or `'no'`	unset (treated as off)	Show the anonymous checkbox in bbPress and BuddyBoss Forums topic and reply forms. The key is not written to the default settings until you enable it, so forums start off.
`activity_field_label`	`string`	`'Post as Anonymous User'`	Label shown next to the checkbox on activity post forms.
`comment_field_label`	`string`	`'Post as Anonymous User'`	Label shown next to the checkbox on comment forms.
`forum_field_label`	`string`	`'Post as Anonymous'`	Label shown next to the checkbox on bbPress / BuddyBoss forum topic and reply forms.
`anonymous_text`	`string`	`'Anonymous User'`	Display name shown in place of the real author’s name on anonymous activities, comments, and forum posts.
`default_user_link`	`string` (URL)	`'#'`	Profile URL shown in place of the author’s profile link on anonymous activities.
`default_gravatar`	`string` (HTML)	Generated `<img>`	Anonymous avatar as a full `<img>` tag. Built from `default_gravatar_url` on every settings read. Derived, not stored by the form.
`default_gravatar_url`	`string` (URL)	Bundled anonymous-mask SVG	URL of the anonymous avatar image. Set this in the admin UI to use a custom image. Since 1.6.2 a value that is not a usable URL is rejected on save and falls back to the bundled default.

Role Based Anonymous Posting

Option key: bp_anonymous_user_role (array)

A multi-select list of WordPress user roles. Members must have at least one of the selected roles to see the anonymous checkbox.

Leave the list empty to allow all logged-in users (no role restriction).
The administrator role is deliberately not offered in the list, because administrators bypass the role restriction anyway.
Site administrators always bypass this restriction and can post anonymously regardless of what is selected. Since 1.6.2 the bypass is a manage_options capability check rather than a check for the literal administrator role name, so a custom admin-equivalent role behaves the same way.

Example: Select “Subscriber” and “Contributor” to restrict anonymous posting to those two roles only.

Exclude Member Types from Anonymous Posting

Option key: bp_anonymous_member_type (array)

A multi-select list of BuddyPress member types. Members assigned to any of the selected types will not see the anonymous checkbox, even if their role would otherwise allow it.

This setting is only visible and functional if BuddyPress member types are registered on your site.

Allow Anonymous Activity for Verified Members

Option key: bp_anonymous_enable_verified (yes / no)

This option appears only when the BP Verified Member plugin is active.

When enabled, only members with a verified badge can post anonymously. Unverified members will not see the checkbox.

Allow Anonymous Posts in Groups

Option key: bp_anonymous_enable_groups (yes / no)

Controls whether the anonymous checkbox appears inside BuddyPress or BuddyBoss groups. When off, group members posting to a group’s activity feed will not see the checkbox.

Allow Anonymous Posts in Sitewide Activity

Option key: bp_anonymous_enable_members (yes / no)

Controls whether the anonymous checkbox appears on the main activity directory (typically /activity/). Turn this off if you only want anonymous posting inside groups, not in the public feed.

Allow Anonymous Posts in User Profiles

Option key: bp_anonymous_enable_profile (yes / no)

Controls whether the anonymous checkbox appears when a member posts from their own profile’s activity tab. When off, profile-tab posts are always attributed.

Allow Anonymous Comments

Option key: bp_anonymous_enable_comment (yes / no)

Controls whether a “Post as Anonymous User” checkbox appears in activity comment forms. The checkbox appears when a member clicks “Reply” on an activity post. Works on sitewide activity, group activity, and profile activity.

Allow Anonymous Posts in Forums

Option key: bp_anonymous_enable_forums (yes / no)

This option is visible only when bbPress or BuddyBoss Platform is active. If neither is installed, the row is hidden and the Overview tab shows Forums as Unavailable rather than offering a “Turn on” link that would lead nowhere.

Your saved value is preserved while the row is hidden. Deactivating bbPress, saving other settings, and reactivating bbPress leaves anonymous forum posting exactly as you left it. (Before 1.6.2 that sequence silently switched it off.)

When enabled, an anonymous checkbox appears in forum topic and reply forms. The plugin automatically uses the correct integration:

BuddyBoss Platform active: uses the BuddyBoss Forums integration (MutationObserver-based injection for dynamic reply popups)
BuddyBoss not active but bbPress active: uses the standalone bbPress integration

Forum checkbox label

Option key: forum_field_label (string), default 'Post as Anonymous'

Set on the Display & Labels section. This label is used on both server-rendered forum forms and on reply forms that BuddyBoss loads on the fly. (Before 1.6.2 the dynamically loaded forms ignored it and always printed the default.)

Checkbox Labels

Option keys: activity_field_label (string), comment_field_label (string)

The text shown next to the anonymous checkbox in activity and comment forms. Both default to “Post as Anonymous User”.

Change these to match your community’s language - for example, “Post anonymously” or “Hide my identity”.

Anonymous Display Name

Option key: anonymous_text (string)

The name displayed in place of the real author’s name on anonymous posts. Defaults to “Anonymous User”. This text appears in:

The activity action line (“Anonymous User posted an update”)
Comment author labels
Forum topic and reply author fields

Since 1.6.2 this setting is honoured in forums too. Earlier versions printed a hardcoded “Anonymous” on forum posts no matter what you set here, so the same person could appear under two different names depending on where you looked.

How checkbox visibility works

The checkbox is shown on a given page only when all of the following are true:

The user is logged in.
The relevant bp_anonymous_enable_* setting is 'yes' for the current BuddyPress context (directory, group, or profile).
The user’s role is in bp_anonymous_user_role (or the list is empty, meaning all roles are allowed).
The user’s BuddyPress member type is NOT in bp_anonymous_member_type.
If BP Verified Member is active and bp_anonymous_enable_verified is 'yes', the user is verified.
For forums: bp_anonymous_enable_forums is 'yes'.

Site administrators bypass rules 3, 4 and 5, so they see the checkbox wherever it is enabled.

This list governs who may post anonymously. It has nothing to do with who may read an anonymous post. Once something is posted anonymously it is masked for everyone, including logged-out visitors and members whose role is not on the list. See Anonymity and privacy for exactly what is and is not hidden.

Saving settings

Click Save Changes at the bottom of the General tab. Settings take effect immediately - no cache clearing is needed.