diff --git a/client/src/components/User/UserPreferences.vue b/client/src/components/User/UserPreferences.vue
index 0eb8a0c4d5e2..b186dac1092b 100644
--- a/client/src/components/User/UserPreferences.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/User/UserPreferences.vue
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ export default {
                     _l(
                         "WARNING: This will make all datasets (excluding library datasets) for which you have " +
                             "'management' permissions, in all of your histories " +
-                            "private, and will set permissions such that all " +
+                            "private (including archived and purged), and will set permissions such that all " +
                             "of your new data in these histories is created as private.  Any " +
                             "datasets within that are currently shared will need " +
                             "to be re-shared or published.  Are you sure you " +
diff --git a/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/history.py b/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/history.py
index 1511cde700a4..9d20adfed4c8 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/history.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/controllers/history.py
@@ -193,7 +193,6 @@ def make_private(self, trans, history_id=None, all_histories=False, **kwd):
         }
         for history in histories:
             try:
-                self.history_manager.error_unless_mutable(history)
                 # Set default role for history to private
                 trans.app.security_agent.history_set_default_permissions(history, private_permissions)
                 # Set private role for all datasets