How to Delete a Facebook Group
What to Know
- As a Group admin, delete all members until you’re the only one left. Next to your name, select More > Leave Group.
- Facebook will warn you that this action will delete the Group. Select Delete Group to confirm.
- To pause a Group instead, under the Group’s picture, select More > Pause Group.
This article explains how to delete a Facebook Group permanently and how to pause (formerly “archive”) a Facebook Group so you can reactivate it at some point in the future. Instructions apply to Facebook on a web browser and the Facebook mobile app.
How to Delete a Facebook Group
To delete a Facebook Group, the creator must remove all members and then leave the Facebook Group themself. Taking these actions permanently removes the Facebook Group. You can delete a Facebook Group in a web browser or via the Facebook mobile app.
If the creator has already left the Group, another admin can remove members and delete the Facebook Group.
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From your Facebook home page, select Groups. (In the Facebook app, tap Menu > Groups.)
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Under Groups You Manage, select the Group you want to delete. (In the mobile app, tap Your Groups.)
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Select Members. (In the mobile app, tap the badge with a star and then tap Members.)
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Next to a member, select More (three dots) > Remove Member.
(In the iPhone app, tap each member’s name but yours and select Remove [Name] from group.)
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Repeat these steps for every member of the Group until you’re the only one left.
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When you’re the last remaining member, next to your name, select More (three dots) > Leave Group.
In the Facebook iOS app, when you’re the last member, return to the main page, tap the badge, and tap Leave Group. In the Android app, when you’re the last member, tap the badge > Leave Group > Leave and delete.
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Facebook will warn you that you’re the last member, and leaving the Group will permanently delete it. Select Delete Group to confirm.
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The Group is permanently deleted. Members won’t be notified that they’ve been removed or that the Group has been deleted.
How to Pause a Facebook Group
If you’d rather not permanently delete a Facebook Group, consider pausing it instead. You can pause the Group indefinitely; it’s easy to reactive it when you’re ready.
You’ll need to pause your Group from Facebook in a web browser, and you’ll need to be an admin.
Previously, there was an option to “archive” a Facebook Group, but now the “pause” function serves the same purpose.
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From your Facebook home page, select Groups.
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Under Groups You Manage, select the Group you want to pause.
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Select More (three dots) beneath the Group header photo.
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Select Pause Group from the drop-down list.
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Choose a reason, such as needing a break, and select Continue.
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Facebook will present resources for managing conflict and stress, which admins may experience. To continue pausing the Group, select Continue.
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If you want, include an announcement for Group members about the Group being paused. You can select a resume date or leave the Group paused indefinitely. When you’re ready, select Pause Group.
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The Facebook Group page will display a message about the Group being paused and when it will resume if you set a date. If you’re the admin, select Resume at any time to resume your Facebook Group.
What’s the Difference Between Pausing and Deleting?
Pausing and deleting a Facebook Group are different actions. Both are useful functions for the person who created and manages the Facebook Group.
Pausing a Facebook Group closes it off to further discussions. Group members can still access the Group and look at old posts, but there’s no new activity, such as new posts or comments, until the admin resumes the Group. No new members can join.
Deleting a Facebook Group permanently removes the Group; there’s no option to reactivate. Admins should undertake this action only if they’re sure they don’t want the Group to continue in any form.