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Restricted Work
Synonyms: | archive-locked, login-locked, login-restricted, TODO |
See also: | Anonymous AO3 Collections, Mystery Work |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The term restricted work (also referred to as "archive-locked work" or "login-locked work") refers to a fanwork on AO3 that has been set by the creator to only be accessible by logged in accounts. As the AO3 Accessing Fanworks FAQ states: "Creators have the option to restrict access to a work to registered users only. Works that have been restricted won't show up in searches if you're not logged in to your account."[1]
See more discussion at Archive of Our Own#Notable Features.
Many other websites restrict some or all content to users who are logged in, but this page focuses on the setting on AO3 and it's usage over time within fandom.

History and Usage
This article or section needs expansion. |
Increasing over time???? I know people have discussed this a lot. TODO FIND META & LINK.
Maybe some of these??
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/14uukih/how_many_of_you_locked_your_works_because_of_bots/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/1amwew5/how_many_of_you_set_your_work_to_be_accessible/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/xeaf9g/why_are_some_ao3_works_restricted_and_should_i/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/za87yn/how_many_fics_are_archive_locked/
Pretty sure I've seen discussion on tumblr, too. was destinationtoast or someone investigating this?
See also
- AO3 Ship Stats 2023 controversy over how/whether to account for old works being archived-locked during the year -- see AO3 Ship Stats: Year in Bad Data. Discussion continued in 2024.
- Formula 1 RPF#Trends in Locking and Deleting Fanworks
References
- ^ AO3 Accessing Fanworks FAQ. More info at Posting and Editing FAQ.