Delete a Facebook Group

Have you got an obsolete group in your list that is cluttering up your page, or resulting in messages that you no longer want to receive? If somebody else created the group, Delete-a-Facebook-Group will remove you from the mailing list and take it off of your Groups list. If you’ve created the Group, you can Delete-a-Facebook-Group, though the process may take awhile for larger Groups.

Steps

Deleting a Group You Created

  1. Log into your Facebook account. You can only delete Groups that you created, or that the creator has left. You must have Admin privileges in order to delete a Group.[1]
    • You will not be able to see your list of Groups from your Timeline, you must be viewing your News Feed. Click the Facebook logo in the top-left corner to open your feed.
  2. Open the Group that you want to delete. Your Groups will be listed in the left menu bar, and you can also use the search function to find them. Click on the Group name, and the Group's main page will open.
  3. Click on the Settings icon. It is the small gear at the top-right of the group page. Select "Edit Group Settings".
  4. Change the Group privacy to Secret. This ensures that the group won't appear in searches and that the people you will be removing can't just sign up again.
  5. Click on the About tab. To the left of the "Find a Member" entry field, click on the menu and select All Members. This will show you everybody in the Group.
  6. Remove all of the members. Click on the gear icon under each Group member's name. Select Remove from Group from the menu. Do not remove yourself if there is anybody left in the group.
    • There is no way to remove multiple members at once, so you will have to manually remove each member of the Group.
  7. Remove yourself when you are the only remaining Group member. Facebook will ask you to verify that you wish to leave, and that the Group will deleted if you do so. If you're sure this is what you want, click the Delete Group button to close the Group down.
    • If you accidentally delete all of the Admins and remove Admin powers from yourself, you will need to wait until the Group offers you the ability to become an Admin. This will only happen if there are no Admins in the Group. The option may take several days to appear.

Leaving a Group on Your List

  1. Log into your Facebook account. Open your News Feed so that your Groups appear listed in the left menu. You may have to click the More button to find the one that you want to leave.
    • If you are viewing your Timeline, you can access the News Feed by clicking on the Facebook icon in the top-left corner of the page.
  2. Open the Group that you wish to leave. Click on the name of the Group to open its home page. Open the Settings menu by clicking on the Gear icon next to “Notifications”. Select “Leave Group” from the menu.
  3. Verify you want to leave the group. Click the Leave Group button, and you will be removed from the group, and the name of the group removed from the left hand sidebar next time the page refreshes.
    • You have the option of keeping others from adding you back in. If you leave this box unchecked, other members can add you back into the Group at any time.
    • Other members will not be notified that you have left the Group.[2]

Tips

  • Each member must be individually removed; there's no mass removal option available. If it's a large Group, set aside some time to go through the names.
  • If your old Group was more of a promotional site, consider making a Page after you delete the Group. Facebook is encouraging promotional ventures to migrate to the Page format.
  • If the closure of a group will be contentious, notify members that you are shutting it down and why through a mass message. As an Admin, click the "Message All Members" button directly beneath the group photo.
  • If your physical group is still active, but you simply want to upgrade to Facebook's new Group format, established after October of 2010, follow Facebook's instructions to upgrade. Admins will see a button at the top of the Group allowing them to upgrade still active Groups. Members will receive prompts to request the upgrade from Admins.
  • For more help, checkout the Facebook Help Center.

Warnings

  • If you accidentally left the Group while it still had other members, you will need to rejoin the Group. If there are still other Admins, ask one to make you an Admin. If there are still Group members left, but no Admins, it may take several days before Facebook offers the option for any remaining member to become a Group Admin. Keep checking back; when Facebook opens up that option, make yourself an Admin again.
  • Merely leaving a Group for which you are the only Admin will not delete the Group. The Group will remain in effect, and Admin positions will be offered to current Group members.
  • If the Group has Admins who don't want to deal with shutting it down, just ask them to leave the Group and wait for Facebook to offer Admin positions to remaining Group members.
  • Don't delete yourself as an Admin until you have confirmed that another Admin knows how to close the Group and will do so. If any members remain, the Group will not expire.

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Sources and Citations