What does archiving a Facebook group do

How to hide, archive, or delete a Facebook Group

As admins, sometimes we need a break from our groups. That break could mean a few things:

1. Preventing some new members from joining a group by making it hidden in Facebook’s search.
2. Completely archiving the group by preventing any members from joining, posting, commenting, etc.
3. Deleting a Facebook group entirely

You might want to hide or archive your group instead of deleting it entirely – just in case you want to resurrect it later!

If you hide your group, only current members can see it and nobody else can join.

How to hide a group:

To hide the group, go to Settings on the left side of the group (on desktop).

Next, in the main panel under Set Up Group, click the edit icon under Hide Group:

Select Hidden and then click Save:

How to Archive a group:

You can also archive the group (although this option is going to be phased out). This allows members to still see the group and its content but they cannot comment or post.

Go to the three dots on the upper right hand side of the group page and select Archive Group:

Click Confirm to complete the group’s archival.

Ready to unarchive? Here’s how:

Go to your group. At the top you will see an option to Unarchive Group. Click the button to start the process.

Click to Confirm to unarchive the group. This  means that all admins, moderators, and members will be able to engage with the group again by posting, commenting, liking, etc.

Deleting a group:

A third option is to delete the group entirely. In order to do this you have to remove all members first. Click here to learn more about deleting the group.

With current options, my advice would probably be to archive your group as opposed to deleting it, just in case you ever want to interact with those members in a group setting in the future. Once you delete, it’s gone.

Pausing a group:

Facebook is also rolling out a “pause group” option as an alternative to the archive option, but not many groups have it just yet. Keep an eye on this blog for updates!

Facebook groups are for people to communicate about shared interests, from hobbies and geographical locations to family events or work projects. If you're an administrator of a group, you may come to realize that the group has outlived its purpose and start to think about deactivating it. Facebook gives you several tools to deactivate an existing group.

Tip

You can permanently delete a group or archive it, which prevents new posts from showing up and new members from joining the group. If you archive it, you can restore it later, but if you delete it, it's gone forever.

Options to Limit a Facebook Group

If you want to limit how a Facebook group is used without deleting or archiving it, you can configure the group so that only content approved by a group administrator can be posted. You do this if you want the group to remain in place but don't want new content or if you only want limited new content posted to the group. You can reverse this at any time.

You can opt to archive the group, which prevents nonmembers from finding the group in searches and prevents anyone from joining the group or posting new content to it. When a group is archived, its administrators can still remove users and delete posts from the group, but nobody can add new users or posts to it.

You can also permanently delete the group including all of its members and posts. Once this is done, it cannot be undone.

How to Limit Posts to a Group

1. Use the Groups Menu to Enable Post Approval

2. To configure a group so that all posts must be approved before appearing, you first click the "Groups" menu in the left panel of Facebook and then select the group. You must be a group administer to do this.

3. Use the Group Settings

4. On the group page, click the "More" button below the cover photo and select "Edit Group Settings." Check the box next to "Post Approval" and click the "Save" button.

5. Watch for Notifications

6. Once approval is enabled, you'll receive notifications when a post is submitted, and you or any admin can approve or reject submitted posts.

How to Archive a Facebook Group

1. Use the Groups Menu to Archive a Group

2. To archive a group, start by clicking the "Groups" menu on Facebook and then select your group.

3. Use the Group's Settings Menu

4. From the group, click the "More" button below the cover photo. Select "Archive Group."

5. Confirm You Want to Archive the Group

6. Click the "Confirm" button and follow any instructions to archive the group.

How to Delete a Facebook Group

If you want to delete a Facebook group, you must be a group's administrator. If the group's creator is currently in the group, only that person can delete the group. Otherwise, any administrator can do it.

1. Use the Groups Menu

2. To delete a group, start by clicking the "Groups" menu on Facebook and then select your group.

3. Delete Each Member

4. Click the "Members" button. Then click the "..." button next to each member's name other than your own and click "Remove From Group."

5. Leave the Group

6. After you delete every other member, click "Leave Group" next to your own name. When you leave, the group has no members and is permanently deleted.

Is pausing a Facebook group the same as archiving?

What happen when you archive the group?

Can you bring back an archived Facebook group?

Can I temporarily disable a Facebook group?