Abstract Purpose – In view of their significance as well as influence, this article aims to examine knowledge management (KM) mechanisms in 20 Iranian e‐government portals used to provide services to citizens. Design/methodology/approach – Using the model “knowledge access, creation and transfer” (K‐ACT), a checklist was developed. This checklist was then applied to demonstrate its utility for evaluating 20 Persian‐language official e‐government portals in Iran. Findings – The maximum score for the knowledge mechanism was 30 for knowledge creation. The mean score for KM in Iran e‐government portals was 26 per cent. This percentage indicates that e‐government portals in Iran are very poor. Practical implications – Iranian e‐government portals and Iran governors must consider some features in their decisions about portal design. This area requires further work, in particular in elaborating the relationship between e‐government and KM. In addition, planning strategically with key experts to design new models for the adoption of KM in e‐government is of high importance. These experts can be computer specialists, knowledge managers, librarians, portal designers and users of portals. Originality/value – This study provides an insight into the situation of KM processes in the portals of Iranian ministries.

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