# User Settings

User settings control profile fields, avatars, and privacy-related options for user accounts. Access them from **Administration > Configuration settings > User**.

## Profile Field Visibility

Chamilo user profiles contain multiple fields. Administrators can control which fields are visible and editable.

| Field             | Options                                                                                       |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**          | Always visible.                                                                               |
| **Email**         | Visible to all, visible only to administrators, or hidden.                                    |
| **Phone**         | Visible, hidden, or editable by user.                                                         |
| **Official code** | An organizational identifier (employee ID, student number). Can be set as required or hidden. |
| **Language**      | Users can change their interface language if this is editable.                                |
| **Extra fields**  | Custom profile fields added by administrators (see below).                                    |

To configure field visibility, go to **Administration > Configuration settings > User** and adjust the relevant options.

### Custom Profile Fields (Extra Fields)

Administrators can define additional profile fields to capture organization-specific data. Go to **Administration > Extra fields** to manage them.

Each extra field supports:

* **Field type** -- Text, textarea, select/dropdown, date, checkbox, radio, or tag.
* **Visibility** -- Visible to the user, editable by the user, or admin-only.
* **Required** -- Whether the field must be filled in.
* **Filter** -- Whether the field can be used to filter user lists.

Custom fields are useful for tracking department, location, job title, or any other metadata your organization needs.

## Avatar Settings

| Setting                           | Description                                                                                                            |
| --------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Allow users to upload avatars** | When enabled, users can upload a profile picture. When disabled, a default avatar is shown.                            |
| **Default avatar**                | The image used when a user has not uploaded their own.                                                                 |
| **Gravatar integration**          | When enabled, Chamilo fetches the user's avatar from Gravatar based on their email address, if no local avatar is set. |

## User Export and Privacy

| Setting                                 | Description                                                                                                                               |
| --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Allow users to export their data**    | When enabled, users can download a copy of their personal data from their profile page. This supports GDPR compliance.                    |
| **Allow users to delete their account** | When enabled, users can request account deletion from their profile. Depending on configuration, this may require administrator approval. |
| **Anonymize deleted users**             | When a user is deleted, their personal data is replaced with anonymous identifiers while preserving course tracking and statistics.       |
| **Show email on certificate**           | Controls whether the user's email appears on generated certificates.                                                                      |

## User Login Settings

| Setting                   | Description                                                                                                           |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Allow multiple logins** | Whether the same user account can have simultaneous active sessions from different browsers or devices.               |
| **Login as another user** | Allow administrators to log in as another user for troubleshooting. Accessible from the user list in the admin panel. |

## Tips

* **Enable data export** if your platform serves users in jurisdictions with data protection regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.).
* **Use extra fields** to capture organizational metadata rather than repurposing built-in fields for unintended purposes.
* **Limit email visibility** to administrators on platforms where user privacy is a concern.