Safety
VRChat Moderation
Terms Of Service
VRChat's process for internal moderation is private, and results for moderation action is based on VRChat's Terms of Service, last revised November 22, 2023.
Most moderation action is interpreted and judged accordingly to this document, making it the absolute frame for reference regarding all content and behavior that is expected on the platform.
Community Guidelines
VRChat's Community Guidelines demonstrate a more casual interpretation of VRChat's Terms of Service, and extends upon more scenarios that aren't explained by the Terms of Service. These guidelines provide excellent resources for navigating your personal experience on the platform.
This document presents details about sections that will be described further.
Creator Guidelines
The Creator Guidelines for VRChat provide a great level of detail regarding World and Avatar content, as well as extending guidelines to VRChat users who make video content for platforms such as YouTube, and Twitch.
This suite of guidelines is precise on what is allowed and what is not. This also includes the introduction of content warnings for the various mediums that exists within VRChat.
Personal Safety
Safety is an important part of the VRChat experience. Being in the wild requires protection depending on the place you are. Those options helps keep everyone's experience to be as convenient as possible. It also lets you customize and go beyond if required.
For more details, check out the official docs.
VRChat Safety and Trust System
Safety Settings
Some advanced safety settings can be configured in the Settings section
Please refer to the Settings Menu Section
Safety Shield
The Safety Shield is the first line of protection when meeting new players and their avatars. It will specifically enable or disable certain features from the player or their avatar based on the Trust Rank.
Here are an exhaustive list of the options available for customization.
| Option Name | Impacted Feature |
|---|---|
| Voice | Player |
| Avatar | Avatar |
| User Icons & Emojis | Social |
| Audio | Avatar |
| Lights & Particles | Avatar |
| Shaders | Avatar |
| Custom Animations | Avatar |
| Animated Emojis | Social |
Multiple Presets options are available depending on your preference in the balance between security and comfort.
Maximum Safety
This option is the safest one and will only allow your friends to showcase all of the features of VRChat. This preset is perfect when you are not familiar with the game or that you are in a public space that you don't know.
| Option Name | Visitor | New User | User | Known User | Trusted User | Friends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice | On | On | On | On | On | On |
| Avatar | Off | Off | Off | On | On | On |
| User Icons & Emojis | Off | Off | Off | On | On | On |
| Audio | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | On |
| Lights & Particles | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | On |
| Shaders | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | On |
| Custom Animations | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | On |
| Animated Emojis | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | On |
Normal Safety
This option is the more casual option that you can use everyday.
| Option Name | Visitor | New User | User | Known User | Trusted User | Friends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice | On | On | On | On | On | On |
| Avatar | On | On | On | On | On | On |
| User Icons & Emojis | On | On | On | On | On | On |
| Audio | Off | Off | Off | On | On | On |
| Lights & Particles | Off | Off | Off | Off | On | On |
| Shaders | Off | Off | Off | Off | On | On |
| Custom Animations | Off | Off | On | On | On | On |
| Animated Emojis | Off | Off | Off | Off | On | On |
No Safety
Use this preset with caution as it will disable any safety feature no matter the VRChat Trust rank. Make sure that you are in a safe environment that you are familiar with before using such feature.
Custom Safety
If you want to, you are able to setup your own safety settings depending on the feature that you want to enable or if you want to disable a feature completely.
Safe Mode
In the case of an emergency, if you feel overwhelmed, or if VRChat is lagging, an emergency Safe Mode button is accessible at any time on the Quick Menu. This feature will automatically disable most avatars, users' voices, and anything that can potentially cause lag, or be the source of the emergency situation. Performance for VRChat should return to a usable state while in Safe Mode. Friends are not affected by Safe Mode.
To exit Safe Mode, simply open the Quick Menu and click the Safe Mode button again. Another alternative to using Safe Mode, is by clicking the Go Home button to leave the instance.
Moderation and Reporting
When the situation shifts into something non manageable, you sometimes have to take a step further and take a moderation action.
Muting a User
If a user is being annoying or too loud, you can select that user to either lower their microphone volume or mute them entirely.
Blocking a User
If the user keeps being annoying, you can select that user and block them entirely.
This user will then be blocked and you won't be able to see the user and they will not be able to see you anymore.
Reporting a User
If you think necessary, you can report the user by selecting them (do it before blocking them), and report them for a specific behavior.
Don't underestimate your report, because this is the method that raises the case to the VRChat moderation team so they can take action, up to ban the account of the user.
Blocking an Avatar
If it is the avatar that is an annoyance to you, you can block the avatar itself.
This will block by the avatar's ID, making that you won't be able to see that same avatar, even if it is used by another user.
Reporting an Avatar
You can also report an avatar if you believe it breaks the Guidelines of VRChat.
You can also report this same avatar if it doesn't properly declares its gating options.
Report a Group
Groups are user created, making them also possibly breaking VRChat Rules.
If that's the case, you can also report a Group for proper actions being taken.
Report a World
If a world is breaking VRChat rules, you also want to report them to the VRChat team for an action to be taken.
Instance Moderation
World instances are specific to the person creating them.
If an instance is created by a user, they become the moderator of that instance. If a group create an instance, the rules of the group applies as the group moderates the instance.
It's the moderation separation that comes from the VRChat Guidelines.
Please check the Instance Moderation section for more details.
