There are a few common reasons why you may not be able to join a Facebook group that you want to be a part of:
The group has reached its member limit
Facebook groups are limited to a certain number of members, which is set by the group admin. If a group has reached its maximum capacity, you will not be able to join until the admin increases the limit or members leave the group.
The default member limit for new Facebook groups is 1,000 members. However, group admins can increase this limit all the way up to 100,000 members if they wish. So if you try to join a popular group that has hit its cap, you may be out of luck unless spots open up.
How to tell if a group is full
You’ll know a group is full if when you attempt to join you see a message saying something like “Sorry, this group has reached its limit for new members.” This indicates the admin needs to raise the member limit before you can be added.
What to do
If you really want to join a full group, you have a couple options:
- Ask the admin to increase the member limit
- Check back periodically to see if spots have opened up as existing members leave
- Look for similar or related groups that may have space available
The group is private
Some groups on Facebook are private, meaning you have to be added or approved by an admin or moderator in order to join. If a group is private, you’ll see a notice saying something like “This is a private group. Ask to join.”
What to do
To join a private Facebook group:
- Click the “Ask to Join” button
- Answer any membership questions if prompted
- Wait for an admin to approve your request
Keep in mind admins of private groups may decline your request to join if you don’t meet their criteria. You may need to provide more information or explain why you want to join to increase your chances of getting approved.
Your account doesn’t meet the group requirements
Some Facebook groups have certain prerequisites members need to meet before joining. Here are some common requirements you may need to fulfill:
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | You must be a certain minimum age to join (ex. 18+ only) |
| Location | You may need to live in a certain area to be part of local groups |
| Gender | Some groups are gender specific (ex. women only) |
| School or work affiliation | Alumni or employee-only groups may require proof of association |
How to tell
If your account doesn’t meet a group’s requirements, you’ll see a message explaining why you can’t join. For example: “Sorry, you do not meet the requirements to join this group.”
What to do
If you get denied from joining a Facebook group due to not meeting the requirements:
- Double check that your profile is up to date with the right info
- Contact the group admin and ask if they can make an exception
- Find a similar group without restrictions you don’t meet
You violated the group rules
Most Facebook groups have a set of rules and guidelines members must follow. If you broke or violated a group’s rules in the past, the admin may have banned you from joining again.
Common rule violations
Here are some examples of group rule violations that could get you banned:
- Harassing other members
- Spamming the group with irrelevant or promotional posts
- Using hate speech or abusive language
- Sharing misinformation or fake news
What to do
If you were prevented from joining a group because of a prior violation:
- Reflect on what rule you broke
- Contact the admin, apologize, and politely ask for a second chance
- Commit to following all rules if allowed back into the group
However, admins are not obligated to let you back in if they feel you didn’t learn your lesson or may violate policies again. Focus your efforts on finding groups that better align with your interests and that you can positively engage in.
Your account or posts don’t appear authentic
To help minimize spam and fake accounts, Facebook group admins may reject or block people who appear to have inauthentic profiles:
- No profile photo or personal info
- Few posts and almost no engagement with others
- Content on profile seems automatically generated or copied
What to do
To increase chances of getting into groups:
- Upload a real photo of yourself as your profile picture
- Provide accurate personal info on your profile
- Proactively engage with friends and interact with their posts
Essentially, ensure your profile looks like a real person’s with authentic content and connections. This will give group admins confidence that you’re a genuine user worth approving.
You’re banned from Facebook groups altogether
In extreme cases, Facebook may outright ban your account from joining any groups for a period of time. This typically only happens if you seriously or repeatedly violate Facebook policies across multiple groups and posts.
Reasons for a groups ban
Activities that can trigger a sitewide groups ban include:
- Spamming many groups with repeat posts
- Harassing group members via abusive posts or messages
- Promoting violence, hate speech, or misinformation in groups
- Creating multiple fake accounts to join groups
What to do
If you are completely prohibited from joining all Facebook groups, you will need to:
- Stop doing anything that violates Facebook’s rules
- Appeal your groups privileges ban
- Wait for Facebook to review your appeal request
This can be a lengthy process depending on the severity of your prior violations. Be patient, avoid further infractions, and focus your social media use on other communities outside of Facebook groups for the time being.
Your request is pending group admin approval
After you submit a request to join a Facebook group, there is often a pending period while you wait for approval from an admin. This is common for both public and private groups.
The amount of time you stay pending varies:
- Public groups – Usually just a few hours or less
- Private groups – Can take a couple days in some cases
What to do
While waiting in pending status:
- Be patient, admins have to approve each member request manually
- Don’t submit multiple join requests, this will just slow the process
If you’ve been pending for an exceptionally long time, politely follow up with the group admin asking about the status of your request.
Following up on a pending request
To follow up on a pending Facebook group join request:
- Locate and open the group profile
- Click “See All” under the Admins section
- Select an admin and send them a private message
- Politely ask about the status of your pending request
This will notify the admin to review and hopefully approve you soon. But continue being patient, as they likely have many requests to handle.
You changed your account name or username
Facebook group join requests are associated with your account name and username at the time you submit them. If you change your name or username after requesting to join a group, it can cause issues.
The group admin will see your pending request under your old name, not the new one. And you may not be able to access the group if approved until switching back to your original info.
What to do
If you changed your Facebook name or username after requesting to join a group, you have a couple options:
- Switch back to your original name/username temporarily while the admin approves you
- Let the admin know your name/username changed and provide your new details
It’s best to avoid changing your account details while waiting for group approval when possible. But if you already did, communicating clearly with the admin can help resolve the issue.
You don’t remember requesting to join
With so many Facebook groups out there, you may request to join several then forget you did so later on. If you try accessing a group you have no recollection of joining, here are some things that could have happened:
- You requested to join a while ago and forgot
- Someone else with access to your account joined on your behalf
- Your account was hacked and the hacker sent join requests
What to do
If you don’t remember trying to join a Facebook group:
- Check your previous notifications for a potential join request
- Think back on groups you know you wanted to join
- Review account login histories for signs of unauthorized access
- Change your password just in case your account was compromised
While it may just be a case of forgotten join requests, it’s wise to rule out any chance of account misuse when you encounter this situation.
You declined a previous invitation
When invited to join a Facebook group, you have the option to Decline the invitation. But this doesn’t necessarily ban you from the group forever.
If you initially declined an invite but later decide you do want to join, simply navigate to the group profile and click the “Join Group” button as normal. Unless banned for another reason, you’ll likely be approved since you were already invited at one point.
What to do if it doesn’t work
However, in some cases the group may not allow you to join after a previously declined invite. If that happens:
- Double check you actually declined and didn’t just ignore the invite
- Contact the admin reminding them you were invited before and ask to join now
As long as you left a good impression initially, most admins will let you reverse a declined invitation without issue.
You reached Facebook’s groups limit
Just like groups themselves, individual Facebook accounts are limited in how many groups they can join overall. The maximum is 6,000 groups per account.
If you try exceeding the Facebook group limit, you’ll get an error saying something like “You’ve reached the maximum number of groups you can join.”
What to do
Once you hit the 6,000 group cap, you’ll need to leave some existing groups in order to join new ones. Go through your joined groups and try leaving ones that you don’t engage with or get value from anymore.
Facebook increased the individual groups cap from 5,000 to 6,000 in 2020. So while unlikely anytime soon, the limit could potentially increase further in the future.
You’re using a banned Facebook account
In severe cases of Facebook Terms of Service violations, the company may outright disable your account altogether. A banned account will be completely prohibited from accessing any Facebook services and features, including groups.
Reasons accounts get banned
Activities that can warrant a full Facebook account ban include:
- Sharing extremely abusive, dangerous or hateful content
- Committing egregious privacy violations
- Fake accounts or extensive impersonation
- Large scale spamming or security threats
What to do if banned
If your account is banned, you will need to:
- Discontinue doing anything that violates Facebook policies
- Appeal the ban decision and wait for Facebook to review your case
- Create a new account only if your appeal fails and follow all rules going forward
Banned accounts seldom get reinstated, but an honest appeal explaining your learnings and intent to reform may potentially sway Facebook, especially for first time offenses.
Conclusion
Facebook groups can provide immense value, but also have limitations around joining. Exceeding member limits, violating group rules, or having an inauthentic account are some top reasons you may be prevented from accessing certain groups.
Take the appropriate steps based on why you can’t join a given group. This may involve updating your account, contacting a group admin, waiting for approval, or finding alternative groups to engage in. With some patience and effort, you’ll likely gain access to the Facebook communities you desire.