Apple will permanently close the Apple Support Community on Friday, Nov. 20. The company has already stopped accepting posts, but people can still read existing threads for now. If a discussion contains a workaround you rely on, save a copy before the site closes. Apple’s closure notice sends customers to its official support site for new questions.
The forum gave customers a place to ask other users about everything from missing iPhone photos to old Macs that would no longer connect to a printer. Apple has given a closure date but has not said whether individual discussion links will redirect or whether the threads will be available elsewhere. If you need a particular reply for future reference, keep a copy you can open independently of the forum.
Find the replies you need before Nov. 20
Start with bookmarks and old messages where you shared a discussion. If you have only an error message or the name of an accessory, search for it alongside the device model or software version. Adding site:discussions.apple.com to a web search limits the results to the community. Open the discussion itself. A search result excerpt may show the original question while leaving out the reply that fixed it.
For a discussion with several pages, check which page contains the answer and any later corrections. Save those pages individually if you need the full exchange. Keep the original link and note the software version the fix was written for. A solution posted for an older version of macOS may depend on a menu or setting that has since moved. A screenshot is useful for one short reply, but a PDF is easier to search when you need a long thread or several commands.
If the reply points to a download or a separate support article, check that link while the thread is still available. A saved copy of the discussion will preserve the link, but it will not keep a copy of the destination. Save the separate instructions as well if you expect to need them.
Save a copy on Mac or iPhone
On a Mac, open the page and choose File > Print in Safari. In the print dialog, use the PDF menu and choose Save as PDF. Apple’s Mac PDF instructions explain where that option appears. Check the print preview before saving. If you also want the webpage in a format Safari can reopen, Apple’s Safari guide describes File > Save As, then Web Archive. Apple notes that linked pages may still require an internet connection, so save any separate page you need on its own.
On an iPhone, Apple’s Safari instructions show how to open the page menu, tap Share, then choose Markup. Tap Done and choose Save File To. On older versions of iOS, the Done control may be inside the More menu. Open the file in Files and make sure it includes the reply you wanted, especially if the discussion was split across several pages. Give it a name that includes the device or error so you can find it later.
Where to get help after the forum closes
Apple Support still provides official guides and directs users to help for their particular device. For repairs, Apple lists Genius Bar and authorized service options. You can bring the forum workaround you saved to a support conversation, along with your model, software version and the exact error. If you are trying a fix that changes system settings or removes files, check Apple’s current instructions for your software version first. A peer reply from years ago may still help explain what went wrong, but it cannot tell you whether Apple has since changed the recommended fix.
