---
stage: Manage
group: Access
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---

# Modifying global user settings

GitLab administrators can modify user settings for the entire GitLab instance.

## Disallow users creating top-level groups

By default, new users can create top-level groups. To disable this, modify the appropriate configuration file,
and then [reconfigure and restart GitLab](restart_gitlab.md).

For Omnibus installations, add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

```ruby
gitlab_rails['gitlab_default_can_create_group'] = false
```

For source installations, uncomment the following line in `config/gitlab.yml`:

```yaml
# default_can_create_group: false  # default: true
```

## Disallow users changing usernames

By default, new users can change their usernames. To disable this, modify the appropriate configuration file,
and then [reconfigure and restart GitLab](restart_gitlab.md).

For Omnibus installations, add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

```ruby
gitlab_rails['gitlab_username_changing_enabled'] = false
```

For source installations, uncomment the following line in `config/gitlab.yml`:

```yaml
# username_changing_enabled: false # default: true - User can change their username/namespace
```