# Moderate Q&A and filter bad words

> Approve questions before they reach the big screen, and hide swear words.

Source: https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/presentation-settings/moderated-qa-and-profanity-filter · EngageSlide Help Center · Presentation Settings

Video tutorial: [Moderated Q&A and the profanity filter — video tutorial](https://youtu.be/-9iFjl3Gvok)

## Why moderate

At a town hall, a conference or a big class you may not want every question on the big screen straight away. With **Moderation Q&A** on, new questions wait for approval; with the **Profanity Filter** on, swear words are hidden on screen. Both are in **⚙️ Presentation settings → General Settings**.

## Settings

- **Questions are visible to everyone** — Lets the audience ask questions from any slide, not only from a Q&A slide.
- **Moderation Q&A** — Audience questions are hidden until approved. A moderator link appears — share it with anyone who should help you approve.
- **Enable Live Chat** — Adds a chat between the audience and the presenter (see [Music, reactions & live chat](https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/presentation-settings/music-reactions-and-live-chat)).
- **Enable Profanity Filter** — Offensive words are shown as `\*\*\*\*` on the presentation display in Open Ended, Word Cloud, Type Answer and Q&A. The original submissions stay unchanged in your results.

![Moderation Q&A on — copy the moderator link — and the Profanity Filter on.](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/moderated-qa-settings.webp)

## Moderate questions

1. Turn on **Moderation Q&A** and press the copy button next to the link that appears. Share it with your moderators (they don’t need an account).
2. When someone asks a question, their phone shows it with a **Pending approval** label. It is not on the big screen yet.
3. On the moderator page, open **Pending**. Press 👁 to approve and show it, ✓ to mark it answered, or 🗑 to delete it.
4. Approved questions move to **Showing** and appear on the big screen right away; answered ones move to **Answered**.

![The asker sees “Pending approval”](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/moderated-qa-pending.webp)

![The moderator page — Pending, Showing and Answered tabs, with approve, answered and delete buttons.](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/moderated-qa-moderator.webp)

![After approval the question appears on the big screen.](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/moderated-qa-approved.webp)

![With the Profanity Filter on, a swear word in a Word Cloud shows as .](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/profanity-filter-word-cloud.webp)

## Frequently asked questions

### Who can open the moderator link?

Anyone you share it with. Share it only with people you trust to approve questions.

### Does the filter delete answers?

No. It only changes what is shown on the presentation. Your report and exports keep the original text.

### Can I still answer questions from my phone?

Yes — the [Remote Control](https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/presenting/remote-control) shows the same Pending, Showing and Answered lists.