NOTE: Higher Logic has several content-management tools for Super Admins. To review the tool summaries and determine whether we've got a tool that can simplify your work, see Content-Management Tools Overview.

The Move Messages tool enables Super Admins to move one or more discussion messages (posts and their replies) from one discussion thread to another. The destination can be:

• Within the same community or a different community;
• A new thread in the chosen community; or
• An existing thread (and optionally, a specific parent message) in the community.

Unlike the Move Threads tool (which moves whole threads between communities), Move Messages focuses on individual messages (plus their “child” replies) inside discussion threads.

When you move a message that has replies, the entire message tree (the selected message and all of its child messages) is moved together.

Before we begin...

Higher Logic Thrive Community includes distinct tools to move threads and messages, so let's make sure we understand the difference between these two types of content so you know which tool to use to achieve your goal:

• A thread is a full conversation: the original post plus all of its replies/answers (this can be a discussion or Q&A thread)
• A message is a single post inside a thread – either the original post that starts the thread, or any reply/answer to that post or to another reply.

With that in mind, use the:

• Move Threads tool to move an entire thread (original post + all replies/answers) to a different community. You always move the full conversation as one unit.
• Move Messages tool (what this article is about) to move one or more messages (a post and its child replies) between threads, typically when a reply ended up in the wrong conversation or needs to live under a different parent thread.

Use cases – when to use this tool

Super Admins typically use the Move Messages tool to:

• Split a tangent conversation – if a reply (and its responses) drifts into a different topic, you can move that message tree into a new thread in the same or a more appropriate community.
• Merge overlapping conversations – when similar questions or topics end up in separate threads, you can move one set of replies and attach them under a primary “canonical” thread.
• Re‑home valuable content – if a strong message or resource was posted in a less‑visible community, you can move it to a thread in a community where it will reach the right audience.
• Clean up structure without losing content – instead of deleting off‑topic posts, you can relocate them so the original thread stays on topic while the content remains available elsewhere.

Move Messages tool limitations

The Move Messages tool has important limitations and guardrails to protect data integrity and avoid unintended changes.

Content and thread‑type limitations

The tool:

• Works only with discussion messages. Q&A type threads or messages cannot be selected in the Move Messages tool.
• Shows only communities that have the Discussions feature enabled in their settings.

Structural limitations

The tool Always moves a full "message tree." When you move a "parent" message, all of its "child replies" move with it.

Notification and permissions behavior

If you move messages into a community that the original author cannot view or has not joined, they will not receive notification emails or inbox messages for that content after the move.

Access the Move Messages tool

1. In the Admin Toolbar, click Admin.

2. Navigate to Community > Tools > Move Messages.

You are now on the Move Messages page, where you can configure the source and destination for your move.

How to move messages

This section guides you through the workflow to move one or more messages.

TIP: Before you start, open the source thread and the destination thread in separate browser tabs. This makes it easier to confirm that you're selecting the correct messages during this process.

Step 1 – Choose the source community, thread, and message

1. In the Source Community dropdown, select the community that contains the message you want to move.

NOTE: Only communities that have discussions enabled will display. In addition, if you don't see a community in the dropdown, begin typing the name in the field to locate it.

2. In the Source Thread dropdown, select the discussion thread that currently hosts the message. Compare the thread title against the source tab you opened earlier to be sure you have the right thread.
3. In the Messages to Move dropdown (or list), select the specific message(s) you want to move. To help identify a message, its author, date and time, and unique ID are displayed. Remember that when you select a message that has replies, all of its child messages will be moved as well.

Step 2 – Choose the destination community and thread

1. In the Destination Community dropdown, select the community you want to move the message(s) to.

NOTE: As before, only communities that have discussions enabled will display. If you don't see a community in the dropdown, begin typing the name in the field to locate it.

2. For the Destination, choose whether to move the message into a new thread or an existing thread:

Option A – Create a new thread

• Select the Create New Thread option.
• In the New Thread Title field, enter a thread title for the new discussion.

With this option, the selected message will become the root post of the new thread, and any child replies will move with it.

Option B – Attach to an existing thread

• Select the Select Existing Thread option.
• In the Destination Thread dropdown, choose the thread you want to move the message(s) to.
• (optional) Choose a Destination Message within that thread to act as the new parent for the moved message(s). Leave this blank to attach the message(s) to the thread root.

With this option:

• If you choose a Destination Message, the moved message(s) (and its children) will appear as replies to it.
• If you did not choose a Destination Message, the moved message(s) will be attached directly under the selected thread (i.e., as replies to the thread root).

Step 3 – Verify and confirm the move

1. When everything looks correct, click Move Messages.
2. A confirmation dialog appears; review the summary and confirm to proceed.
3. After the move completes, a success confirmation displays on the page.

Step 4 - Verify the result

1. Refresh the original (source) thread. Confirm that the message and its replies are no longer present (if you moved the root, the entire original thread may no longer exist).
2. Refresh the destination thread (or open the new thread): Confirm that the message and all of its child replies now appear in the new location, under the correct parent (thread root or destination message).

NOTE: If you moved content into a community that the message author cannot access, they will not receive new notifications about that content in its new location.