Require login
The simplest gate: the course opens only for signed-in students, whoever they are.
Where
Course settings → Configuration → To access this course, users must be logged in.
What it does
A signed-out visitor reaching the course sees the Content if no access message instead of the course, and the same applies to any lesson of the course opened directly.
It checks only that someone is signed in. It does not check their role, their purchases or their subscriptions — that is what a permission rule is for.
It is evaluated first
The login requirement is checked before anything else. A signed-out visitor is blocked even when a permission rule would otherwise have let them in.
That makes it a safe outer gate: enabling it can never accidentally widen access.
Previews are the exception
A lesson marked as a preview stays open to signed-out visitors even when the course requires login — unless you also enable Preview lessons also require login.
That pairing is deliberate: a gated course can still show one lesson publicly. Decide it explicitly rather than discovering it. See Allow previews before login.
Always add a way in
A signed-out visitor blocked by a login requirement needs somewhere to go:
- enable Add a login form on top, which puts a sign-in form on the course page;
- and write a Content if no access message that says an account is required and how to get one.
Without both, the visitor sees a message about not having access with no way to change that.
When to use it
- A members' area where any account is enough.
- An internal or staff site.
- A community resource behind registration.
- The outer layer of a paid course, combined with a rule or the paid setting.
When not to use it
- For content that should be public. A login wall on a marketing course costs you the audience.
- As a substitute for a purchase check. Any account passes it, including one created seconds ago.
Combining it with other models
It combines cleanly:
| Combination | Result |
|---|---|
| Login required, nothing else | Any signed-in student gets in |
| Login required + permission rule | Signed in and matching the rule |
| Login required + paid course | Signed in and having purchased |
Purchase and subscription checks already require a signed-in student, so adding the login requirement to them mainly improves the experience: the visitor is told to sign in rather than being told they have not bought something.
Verify
- Enable it and update the course.
- Open the course in a private window: the no-access message, and the login form if enabled.
- Open a lesson URL directly while signed out: blocked.
- Sign in as any student: the course opens, unless another rule also applies.
- If the course has previews, confirm they behave the way you intend in both states.