Configure access to knowledge bases for unauthenticated users

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read configure-unauthenticated-user.md

Identify knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users based on the user criteria and the system property settings.

Before you begin

You must activate the Knowledge Management v3 plugin (com.snc.knowledge3).

Role required: knowledge_manager, knowledge_admin, or admin

Note:

Starting with the Washington DC release, the Knowledge Management v3 homepage (com.snc.knowledge3) is being prepared for deprecation in the future Y release. It is replaced by the Knowledge Management Service Portal (com.snc.knowledge_serviceportal), which is active by default for customers on Madrid and later releases. For more information about the new experience, see Knowledge Management Service Portal homepage features.

Procedure

Navigate to All > Knowledge > Administration > User Criteria Diagnostics.
Click the View knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users related link.
Review knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users.
Restrict unauthenticated users to access a knowledge base by selecting the knowledge base and configuring its access settings.
- Use user criteria to determine access to the knowledge base for unauthenticated users.
  
  For more information, see Managing access to knowledge bases and knowledge articles.
- If no user criteria is specified for the knowledge base, as an administrator, you can set the value of the glide.knowman.block_access_with_no_user_criteria system property to true.
  
  For more information, see Knowledge Management properties.

Parent Topic:User criteria diagnostics for Knowledge Management

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---
title: Configure access to knowledge bases for unauthenticated users
description: Identify knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users based on the user criteria and the system property settings.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/servicenow-platform/knowledge-management/configure-unauthenticated-user.html
release: australia
product: Knowledge Management
classification: knowledge-management
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [User criteria diagnostics for Knowledge Management, Configuring Knowledge Management, Knowledge Management, Manage content capabilities, Extend ServiceNow AI Platform capabilities]
---

# Configure access to knowledge bases for unauthenticated users

Identify knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users based on the user criteria and the system property settings.

## Before you begin

You must activate the Knowledge Management v3 plugin \(com.snc.knowledge3\).

Role required: knowledge\_manager, knowledge\_admin, or admin

**Note:**

Starting with the Washington DC release, the Knowledge Management v3 homepage \(com.snc.knowledge3\) is being prepared for deprecation in the future Y release. It is replaced by the Knowledge Management Service Portal \(com.snc.knowledge\_serviceportal\), which is active by default for customers on Madrid and later releases. For more information about the new experience, see [Knowledge Management Service Portal homepage features](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/servicenow-platform/knowledge-management/knowledge-service-portal-pages.md).

## Procedure

1. Navigate to **All** &gt; **Knowledge** &gt; **Administration** &gt; **User Criteria Diagnostics**.

2. Click the **View knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users** related link.

3. Review knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users.

4. Restrict unauthenticated users to access a knowledge base by selecting the knowledge base and configuring its access settings.

- Use user criteria to determine access to the knowledge base for unauthenticated users.

For more information, see [Managing access to knowledge bases and knowledge articles](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/servicenow-platform/knowledge-management/user-access-knowledge.md).

- If no user criteria is specified for the knowledge base, as an administrator, you can set the value of the **glide.knowman.block\_access\_with\_no\_user\_criteria** system property to **true**.

For more information, see [Knowledge Management properties](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/servicenow-platform/knowledge-management/r_KnowledgeProperties.md).

**Parent Topic:**[User criteria diagnostics for Knowledge Management](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/servicenow-platform/knowledge-management/diagnose-knowledge-user-criteria.md)