How to manage new account activation in phpBB

As your site becomes more popular and begins to attract new members, you may want to set up an activation system before new members are approved. This can keep your site from becoming infested with fake accounts that people will use for spam. At the very least it can ensure that members signing up are using legitimate emails when signing up. Below are the steps on managing your new member activation on your phpBB site.

Managing new member activation

1. First, log into your Administrative Control Panel (ACP).
2. From the ACP, click on the General tab from the row of tabs at the top of the page.
3. 

   From the General Settings tab, click on the User Registration Settings link from the Board Configuration category on the left hand menu.
4. 

   This brings you to the User Registration Settings page. From here, look to the topmost setting named Account Activation. There are several settings for you to consider:

   Disable Registration	Used when you do not want to allow new users, or you want to enter them yourself.
   No Activation (immediate access)	No confirmation required, users can immediately access the site by signing in.
   By User (email activation)	Sends an email to the email address used by the member to confirm.
   BY Admin	Places the new user in a list where the Admins will manually confirm.

5. Once you have set the Account Activation setting to your desired option, click on the Submit setting located at the bottom of the page. Your new setting will then take effect.