Is it me, or a general glitch?
@Jenny Can you help?
466 for me 
I am 293 also
You don’t look it!
Hello!
Oh this is a strange one! Would anyone experiencing this be able to share a screenshot please? I’m not having the same issue.
Thanks so much!
Jenny
Thank you @Oztravels - I’ll look into what’s causing this!
275 unread for me
Hey everyone!
I’ve had a look into this, and it sounds like a Forum platform update.
If you click into “New” then click “Dismiss” it will reset the count - I’d be interested to see if anyone sees such large numbers in the coming days - feel free to keep me updated!
Jenny
I can still see 376 new posts. Hopefully, you may find the following info useful:
According to Discourse:
" When Discourse erroneously displays a massive or sudden influx of new posts, it is almost always caused by a discrepancy in how your site tracks what you’ve read versus what has been deleted or changed in the backend. [1]
Here are the most common reasons and the exact steps to fix it:
1. Backend Deletions or “Phantom Unreads”
Why it happens: If administrators mass-delete a large number of replies or topics in a category, the database can struggle to dynamically reset the post_number index. This creates an artificially high, phantom “unread” post count that cannot be dismissed. Additionally, bulk topic closures log “small actions” (such as auto-closing or moving a topic) that can trigger unread indicators depending on your notification settings. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. The “Back Button” Display Bug
Why it happens: A known bug occurs on the Discourse Meta forums where returning to the “Latest” or “Unread” page using your web browser’s back button causes the tracker to display phantom unread counts. [1]
- The Fix: Hard refresh the page or click the tab directly rather than using the browser’s back arrow.
3. Tracked Status Mishaps (Category Permissions)
Why it happens: If you or an admin recently changed category security settings (e.g., moved topics to a secure, private category), the tracking state for users can be disrupted. [1]
- The Fix: Users experiencing this can navigate to their User Preferences > Notifications, temporarily set category tracking to “Muted,” and then revert it to reset the tracking cache. [1]
4. Admin or Moderator Actions
Why it happens: If a moderator splits a topic, changes tracking statuses in bulk, or restores an old database backup, the forum’s cache will trigger a wave of “unread” updates for previously read material.
- The Fix: The community “immune system” will recalibrate after a short period, or site administrators can rebuild the forum’s user tracking state via the backend command line. [1, 2, 3]
If the issue is persisting, please let me know:
- Which tab is showing the inflated numbers (e.g., Unread, New, or Latest)?
- Are you a regular user or an administrator with access to the backend settings?
- Are the posts actually appearing on the screen, or is it just an incorrect notification badge?"
@Jenny If forum members click on Categories tab they’ll see a count for their New (unread) messages in each of the categories. My guess is that for most members, the majority of their count comes from the Archive category.
Jenny, yours may not show the same because of your authorization level.
Same. 293 for me!