Facebook Groups and Pages allow admins and moderators to manage content and members. One common task for admins is reviewing and approving or denying pending admin requests from users who want to help manage the group or page.
When a user requests to be an admin, this triggers a notification for the current admins. The pending admin request will stay open until an existing admin reviews and makes a decision. Approving admin requests allows you to expand your team and delegate admin tasks.
Checking for Pending Admin Requests
There are a couple places to check for pending admin requests on Facebook:
- The Notifications tab – Look for notifications saying “[User] requested to be an admin”. You can approve or deny from the notification.
- The Admins section – Go to Admin Tools > Admins and Moderators to see a list of all pending requests and current admins.
The Admins section makes it easy to see all outstanding requests in one place. From there you can approve or deny each user.
Approving or Denying Admin Requests
To approve or deny admin requests:
- Go to your Facebook Group or Page
- Click Admin Tools in the top menu
- Select Admins and Moderators
- Review the list of pending admins
- To approve, click Approve next to the user
- To deny, click Deny
Once you make a decision, the user will be notified. Approved admins are immediately granted admin permissions in the group. Denied admins can request to join again in the future.
Tips for Reviewing Admin Requests
When reviewing pending admins, consider these factors:
- Do you know this person and trust them to manage your community?
- Are they active and helpful members already?
- Do they have good intentions and align with your rules?
- Do you need more admins right now?
- Are there any concerning flags or violations from this user?
Having too many admins can make it hard to coordinate, so only approve those you really need. For large groups, look for helpers who are mature, responsible, fair, and online regularly.
Setting Admin Permissions
When adding a new admin, you can customize their permissions:
- Admin – Can manage everything, including admins and content
- Editor – Can edit and publish content, but not manage admins
- Moderator – Can respond to and delete content, but not publish or manage
- Advertiser – Can only manage ads and ad settings
- Analyst – Can only view insights but not manage anything
Choose the lowest permission level that allows them to help how you want. You can always incrementally increase permissions later.
Removing Admins
If current admins are not doing a good job, you can demote or remove them:
- Go to Admin Tools > Admins and Moderators
- Click the dropdown next to their name
- Select Remove to fully remove admin permissions
- Or select a lower permission level to demote them
Be cautious when removing admins who added themselves, as they may re-add themselves afterwards. Always restrict admin permissions to those you trust.
Limits on Admins
Facebook places some limits on how many admins you can have:
- Pages – No limits. Add as many admins as you want.
- Groups less than 10k members – Up to 250 admins
- Groups between 10k-100k members – Up to 400 admins
- Groups over 100k members – Up to 500 admins
If you try to exceed the admin limit, you may see errors when approving new admins. You’ll need to remove some existing admins first.
Automatically Approving Admins
Group settings allow you to skip the approval process and automatically add any user who requests to be an admin. To enable:
- Go to your Group
- Click Admin Tools
- Select Group Settings
- Check the box next to “Automatically approve new admin requests”
This avoids you needing to manually review each request. But it also removes your ability to vet and select admins, so use with caution.
Requesting to Be an Admin
If you want to become an admin of a Group or Page someone else manages, here’s how to request it:
- Go to the Group or Page
- Click the dropdown menu next to “Joined”
- Choose Request to be Admin
This will send a notification to current admins. It’s then up to them to review and approve or deny it. Make sure you demonstrate value to the community before requesting admin permissions.
Conclusion
Approving pending admin requests allows you to build your team and share the workload of managing a Facebook community. Review each request carefully and grant permissions to trustworthy users who will help maintain a positive environment. The approval process gives you oversight and control as the community grows.