Can you make joining groups on Facebook private?

Facebook groups allow users to connect with others who share similar interests and discuss various topics. When you join a Facebook group, by default, this action is visible to your friends and followers on your profile and news feed. However, you do have some options to keep your group memberships more private.

Making Group Joins Visible to Only You

The simplest way to keep your Facebook group joins completely private is to change your settings so they are visible to only you:

Go to your Facebook profile and click on the three-dot menu in the top right corner

Select “Settings & Privacy” then click on “Settings”
Click on “Privacy” in the left sidebar
Under “How people can find and contact you,” click on “Who can see your future posts?”

For “Who can see the groups you joined,” select “Only Me”

With this setting enabled, only you will be able to see the groups you have joined or will join in the future. Your friends, followers and the general public will not see any group memberships on your profile or news feed. This ensures complete privacy around the groups you are part of.

Limiting Group Join Visibility to Friends Only

If you don’t want complete privacy but still want to limit group join visibility, you can change the settings so only friends can see the groups you are a member of:

Go to your Facebook profile and click on the three-dot menu in the top right corner
Select “Settings & Privacy” then click on “Settings”
Click on “Privacy” in the left sidebar

Under “How people can find and contact you,” click on “Who can see your future posts?”
For “Who can see the groups you joined,” select “Friends”

With this option, only people on your friends list will be able to see the groups you have joined. This provides some privacy while still allowing your friends to see the communities you are a part of.

Limiting Past Group Joins Separately

The above settings only apply to future group joins you make after changing the privacy setting. To limit visibility of groups you are already a member of, you need to edit each group’s individual privacy settings:

Go to your Facebook profile and click on “Groups” in the left sidebar
Click on the group you want to edit privacy settings for

In the right column, click on the three-dot menu and select “Edit Group Settings”
Click on “Membership Approval” in the left sidebar
Under “Who can see the members list for this group?” select your desired privacy level

Click “Close” to save changes

You will need to adjust these settings for each group you have already joined. New groups will follow the global privacy setting for future joins.

Making Yourself Anonymous in Groups

Another option is to remain anonymous when joining groups so that even group members can’t see your identity. To do this:

Go to the group profile page and click “+ Join Group”
A popup will appear – check the box next to “Join Anonymously”
Click “Join” to confirm

When joining a group anonymously, your name and profile picture will not show up as a member to anyone else. The group admin will still be able to see your identity and interactions.

Using a Private Account

You can create a Facebook account just for private purposes like group joins. With a private or alternate account:

Don’t add any friends

Don’t use your real name or any other identifying details
Don’t link the account to any other social media accounts
Use it only to join groups anonymously

This prevents anyone from being able to identify your activities within groups. Just be sure not to do anything that violates Facebook’s terms of service.

Asking Group Admins to Remove You from Member Lists

If you’ve already joined a group and want to be removed from the public member list, you can ask the group admin to delete you. Here’s how:

Go to the group profile and click on the three-dot “More” menu

Choose “Send Message” to message the admins
Politely ask them to remove you from the public member list for privacy reasons
The admin can delete you from the member list without removing you from the group

Most group admins will accommodate requests to be made private if you reach out to them directly.

Leaving Public Groups Entirely

If all else fails, you can always leave a Facebook group that doesn’t offer sufficient privacy protections:

Go to the group profile page and click on the “Joined” button

In the popup, click “Leave Group” to confirm

Once you leave a group, you will no longer show up in the member list. However, this means you won’t see any of the group’s content in your news feed either.

Creating Private Sub-Groups

Some larger public groups allow members to create smaller private sub-groups for more intimate discussions. This allows you to engage with a subset of members privately:

Join the main public group
Engage with members and find some you want to connect with more privately
Create a new private sub-group just for those select members

Add the members you want to the new private group

This provides the benefit of the larger group while still allowing privacy. Just be sure the main group allows sub-groups.

Using Facebook’s Private Groups

Facebook also allows creating private groups that are invisible to non-members. When creating a new group:

Choose the “Private Group” option
Set member join approvals to “Only Admins”
Turn off the group discovery setting

This will ensure only people you manually add can find and join the private group.

Conclusion

Facebook provides a few different options to keep your group memberships and activities more private from the public or even friends. The exact approach depends on your specific privacy needs. Some methods allow total privacy while others strike a balance between privacy and visibility. Consider both the pros and cons of each method before deciding what works best for your situation.

Method	Pros	Cons
Visible to Only Me	Complete privacy Simple settings change	Limits engagement from friends Can’t share groups on profile
Visible to Friends Only	Allows some visibility Simple settings change	Public still sees joins All friends can see
Edit Past Group Settings	Granular control Customize each group	Time consuming Need to modify each group
Join Anonymously	Completely anonymous Easy one-click option	Limited engagement Can’t post/comment
Private/Alt Account	Full privacy protection Keep main profile public	Hard to manage multiple accounts Risk of ban if violating ToS
Ask Admins for Removal	Get removed from public list Can still participate privately	Not guaranteed Don’t work for past groups
Leave Public Groups	Immediately anonymous One-click process	Lose access to group content Can’t rejoin anonymously
Private Sub-Groups	Have private space Remain part of main group	Not all groups allow Need to manage sub-group
New Private Groups	Only approved members Fully private by default	Smaller network effect Manual approval process

Key Takeaways

Change default privacy setting to Only Me or Friends Only

Edit individual group settings for past joins
Join new groups anonymously when possible
Create private accounts or sub-groups for more privacy

Ask admins to remove you from public member lists

With the right settings and techniques, you can browse groups privately and securely on Facebook without compromising your identity and data. Consider both the advantages and limitations of each approach compared to your specific needs.