How to delete group on Facebook as admin

Facebook has been around for over a decade at this point, giving many of us plenty of time to amass a graveyard of old and unused groups. 

If you’ve been thinking about giving your Facebook account a spring clean, we’ve put together this step-by-step guide to show you how to delete old and unused groups on your browser. 

Deleting a Facebook group is a similar process to deleting a WhatsApp group, in that to delete the group you first need to remove all of its members.  

This requires you to be an admin. If you’re not an admin, you won’t be able to delete the group so you’ll need to ask someone to give you admin rights if you want the group gone (or simply leave the group yourself if it’s only you interested in leaving). 

To delete a group, the group’s creator also needs to be on board with the plan. If you made the group, that shouldn’t be a problem. If not, you might have to ask the creator to leave the group first before you can go ahead and delete it. 

What you’ll need 

  • A Facebook group you want to delete
  • Admin rights to that group

The Short Version 

  1. Go to Facebook 
  2. Find the group 
  3. Delete all the members from the group 
  4. Remove yourself from the group 

How to delete a Facebook group

  1. Step
    1

    Go to Facebook.com

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    You can do this in a browser on most devices, but we’ve used a laptop in our examples.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  2. Step
    2

    Click Groups

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    The icon will be at the top of your screen.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  3. Step
    3

    Select the group you want to delete

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    It should be listed under the Groups You Manage tab.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  4. Step
    4

    Click Members

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    You can click the link directly under the header or the Members tab below that.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  5. Step
    5

    Hit the three dots next to any member’s name

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    You may need to scroll down to find the list of members.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  6. Step
    6

    Select Remove Member

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    This options will be at the bottom of the drop-down list.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  7. Step
    7

    Click Confirm to boot them from the group

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    Make sure to repeat steps 5 to 7 for each person in the group.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  8. Step
    8

    Click the three dots next to your own name

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    At this point, you should be the only person left in the group.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  9. Step
    9

    Select Leave Group

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    This will probably be the only option.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

  10. Step
    10

    Click Delete Group

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

    That’s it! The group has been deleted.

    How to delete group on Facebook as admin

Troubleshooting

What if I don’t want to delete the group permanently?

Facebook also offers the option to “pause” a Facebook group. This means you can stop new posts, comments and reactions from coming in while you manage posts, block members or simply take a break from patrolling the group. 

What if the creator of the group doesn’t want to leave?

To delete a group you need to either be the creator of the group or have them leave the group entirely. If the creator doesn’t budge, all admins can do is archive the group. This will prevent new members from joining, but won’t technically delete the group.

You might like…

How do you delete a group if you are the admin?

Open the WhatsApp group chat, then tap the group subject. Alternatively, tap and hold the group in the CHATS tab. Tap Delete group > DELETE.

Why wont Facebook let me delete a group?

To delete a Facebook group, the owner has to remove every member and then leave the group. Only owners are able to delete Facebook groups — admins can just archive them. Archiving a Facebook group means that no new members will be able to join.

Can the creator of a Facebook group be removed as admin?

If the group creator is an admin of the group, they can't be removed as an admin unless they leave the group on their own.

How do you permanently delete a group?

In the Android app, when you're the last member, tap the badge > Leave Group > Leave and delete. Facebook will warn you that you're the last member, and leaving the Group will permanently delete it. Select Delete Group to confirm. The Group is permanently deleted.