> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.novu.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# User Notification Preferences with Novu

> Let subscribers manage notification preferences per workflow and channel using Novu Inbox and the preferences API.

Let subscribers control how they receive notifications using Novu's built-in preference management. The Inbox component includes a preferences UI, and the REST API lets you read and update preferences programmatically.

## How do subscriber preferences work in Novu?

Each subscriber has preferences at two levels:

* **Global channel preferences** — opt in or out of email, SMS, push, in-app, and chat globally
* **Workflow-level preferences** — opt in or out of specific workflows

When you trigger a workflow, Novu checks preferences before delivering each channel step.

## How do I expose preferences in the Inbox?

The Novu Inbox includes a built-in preferences modal. Enable it in your Inbox configuration:

```tsx theme={null}
import { Inbox } from '@novu/react';

<Inbox
  applicationIdentifier="YOUR_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER"
  subscriberId="YOUR_SUBSCRIBER_ID"
/>
```

See [Inbox preferences configuration](/platform/inbox/configuration/preferences) for customization options.

## How do I update preferences via the API?

Use the [Update subscriber preferences](/api-reference/subscribers/update-subscriber-preferences) endpoint to set preferences from your backend.

```bash theme={null}
curl -X PATCH https://api.novu.co/v2/subscribers/user_123/preferences \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey <NOVU_SECRET_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "preferences": [
      { "workflowId": "marketing-digest", "enabled": false },
      { "channel": { "type": "sms", "enabled": true } }
    ]
  }'
```

## Related guides

* [Preferences concept](/platform/concepts/preferences)
* [Configure workflow channel preferences](/platform/workflow/configure-workflow)
* [Inbox preferences UI](/platform/inbox/configuration/preferences)

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can subscribers opt out of specific workflows only?">
    Yes. Workflow-level preferences let subscribers disable individual workflows while staying subscribed to others such as security alerts.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do preferences apply to topic broadcasts?">
    Yes. When triggering a workflow to a topic, Novu respects each subscriber's preferences before delivering messages.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>