# User visibility settings for members and guests

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · Sharing, Visibility, and Licensing · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/sharing-visibility-and-licensing/user-visibility-settings-for-members-and-guests*

Which users site members and guests can see: the User external default as the master switch, Portal User Visibility for same-account users, Site User Visibility with See other members of this site, the per-site guest setting, and per-field contact information visibility.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: Sharing, Visibility, and Licensing
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, set the correct user visibility in an Experience.

## What the exam expects

- Diagnose why site visibility settings have no effect by checking the external org-wide default for the User object.
- Choose between Portal User Visibility, Site User Visibility with See other members of this site, or both, given who must see whom (same account, same site, or both).
- Turn user visibility on for one site but not another, and give guests visibility to members on a public forum without broad permissions.
- Set per-field contact information visibility (Employees, External, Public) so members and guests see only the fields they should.
- Predict the exceptions: shared users, View All Users, searches and API calls.

Key terms:
- **External OWD for User**: external users' default access to User records.
- **Portal User Visibility**: org setting showing users of the same account.
- **Site User Visibility**: org setting enabling the per-site See other members of this site.
- **Guest user visibility**: per-site Let guest users see other members of this site.
- **Contact information visibility**: per-field Employees, External or Public.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Site visibility needs User Private | At Public Read Only all users see one another regardless of site settings | [User sharing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Guests and external OWDs | Guests aren't external users; their defaults are Private and can't change | [External OWD overview](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_owd_external.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Where per-site settings live | Workspaces, Administration, Preferences; Create and Set Up Experiences plus membership | [Control user visibility](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=sf.networks_community_user_visibility.htm&type=5) |
| Portal User Visibility | Same-account users see each other; partners also see their account owner | [User sharing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Site only, Aura and LWR | Members see same-site members but not their own account's users | [User sharing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Shared users | Manual sharing or sharing rules show them regardless of settings, if site members | [User sharing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| View All Users | Site users with it see all users in the org; never use it for guests | [User sharing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5), [Guest visibility best practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_user_visibility_best_practices.htm&type=5) |
| Guest visibility | Let guest users see other members of this site, per site | [User sharing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Contact field defaults | Names Public; Title and photo External; phones, email, address Employees | [Contact information visibility](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_contact_info_visibility.htm&language=en&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why can customers still see every user after an admin clears See other members of this site?
- When does a member of an Aura or LWR site see other site members but not their own account's users?
- Which setting makes site members visible to unauthenticated visitors, and where is it set?
- Why would a user choose Public instead of External for a profile field?

## Sources

- [Control Which Users Experience Cloud Site Users Can See](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_user_sharing.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Control User Visibility in Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=sf.networks_community_user_visibility.htm&type=5)
- [Site User Visibility Best Practices for Guest Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_user_visibility_best_practices.htm&type=5)
- [Share Personal Contact Information Within Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_contact_info_visibility.htm&language=en&type=5)
- [External Organization-Wide Defaults Overview](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_owd_external.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Your External Organization-Wide Sharing Defaults](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_owd_external_setting.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Who Can See What in Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_visibility.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [External User Access Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_access_best_practices.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Create a Sharing Set for Experience Cloud Site Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 7 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams