What you can invite people to on Facebook

Facebook lets you send invitations for three main things: events you create, groups you run, and pages you manage. An event invitation is the most common — you set a date, time, and description, then invite specific people or let Facebook suggest friends who might be interested. A group invitation lets you bring people into a private or public discussion space. A page invitation is less common and works differently depending on whether you are inviting people to like your page or to help you manage it.

Each type of invitation works slightly differently, but they all start from the same place: your Facebook home or profile. The person you invite will see a notification and can accept, decline, or ignore it. They do not have to respond right away, and you can send reminders later.

Key Takeaways

  • Event invitations are created through the Events section and let you pick individual people, groups of friends, or let Facebook suggest people based on your connections.
  • Group invitations work from your group's main page and let existing members invite others or let you invite people directly as the group creator.
  • The person you invite will see a notification in their Facebook inbox, not in their email, unless they have email notifications turned on.
  • You can invite people you are not friends with to events and groups, but they will see your name and profile picture in the invitation.
  • Invitations stay in a person's notifications until they respond, and you can send reminders to people who have not yet said yes.

Creating and sending an event invitation

To create an event, go to your Facebook home page and look for the Events section in the left menu. Click Create Event or the plus sign next to Events. Facebook will ask you to choose between a private event (only people you invite can see it) or a public event (anyone can find it). Pick the one that matches what you are doing.

Fill in the event name, date, time, location, and description. You can add a cover photo and set whether people can bring guests. Once you save the event, Facebook takes you to the event page. Look for the Invite button — it is usually near the top. Click it and you will see a search box where you can type names or email addresses. Facebook will show you matching friends and contacts. Click each person you want to invite, or use the Select All option if you want to invite everyone in a particular friend list.

After you pick people, click Send Invitations. They will get a notification right away. You can invite more people later by going back to the event page and clicking Invite again.

Inviting people to a group you manage

If you created a group or are an admin, you can invite people from the group's main page. Look for the Members section and click the plus sign or Add Members button. A search box will appear where you can type names. Click the people you want to add, then click Add.

If your group is set to private, people you invite will see a notification asking them to join. If it is public, they may be added automatically depending on your group settings. You can also let existing members invite their own friends — this is a setting you control in the group's privacy options.

Some groups let anyone send invitations, while others restrict it to admins. Check your group settings if you are not sure who can invite.

Inviting people to like or manage your page

If you run a Facebook page (not a personal profile), you can invite people to like it or to help you manage it. These are two different things. To invite people to like your page, go to your page and look for the Invite button near the top. Click it and search for people by name. They will get a notification suggesting they like your page, but they can ignore it.

To invite someone to help manage your page, go to your page settings and find the Page Roles section. Click Add Page Role and search for the person. You can give them different levels of access — editor, moderator, analyst, or advertiser — depending on what you want them to do. They will get a notification asking them to accept the role.

What happens after you send an invitation

When you send an invitation, the person gets a notification in their Facebook inbox. They will see your name, a preview of what you are inviting them to, and buttons to accept or decline. They do not have to respond right away — the invitation will stay in their notifications until they do.

You can see who has accepted, declined, or not yet responded by going back to the event or group page and looking at the guest list or member list. If someone has not responded after a few days, you can send a reminder. On an event page, look for Invite Again or Send Reminder near the guest list.

If someone declines or you want to remove them, you can do that from the same list. Removing someone from an event or group sends them a notification that they have been removed.

Inviting people you are not friends with

You can invite people to events and groups even if you are not Facebook friends with them. When you do, they will see your full name and profile picture in the invitation, along with your mutual friends (if you have any). This is how Facebook shows them who is inviting them.

If your profile is private, they may not be able to see much about you beyond your name and picture. If it is public, they can click through to your profile and see your posts and information. Keep this in mind if you are inviting people you do not know well.

Some people have their privacy settings turned on so that only friends can invite them to events or groups. If you try to invite someone and get an error message, this is usually why. You can try sending them a friend request first, or you can ask a mutual friend to invite them instead.

Troubleshooting common invitation problems

If you cannot find the Invite button, make sure you are on the event or group page itself, not just looking at it in your news feed. On mobile, the button may be hidden under a menu — look for three dots or lines at the top of the page.

If someone says they never got your invitation, check that you spelled their name correctly or that you picked the right person (Facebook sometimes shows multiple people with the same name). You can also ask them to search for the event or group directly and join that way.

If you invited someone and they are not showing up in the guest list or member list, they may have declined without you noticing. Go back to the invitation list and look for a Declined or Not Responded section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I invite someone to an event if they are not my friend?

Yes. They will see your name and profile picture in the invitation. If your profile is private, they will only see basic information. If it is public, they can view your profile before deciding whether to accept.

What is the difference between inviting someone to an event and adding them to a group?

Event invitations are for a specific date and time. Group invitations are for an ongoing space where people can post and chat. Events usually have a start and end date; groups are permanent until deleted.

Can I invite multiple people at once?

Yes. When you click Invite, you can search for and click multiple names before sending. Some events and groups also have a Select All option to invite everyone in a specific friend list at once.

Will the person get an email about my invitation?

They will get a notification inside Facebook first. Whether they also get an email depends on their notification settings. Most people have email notifications turned off for invitations, so they will only see it in their Facebook inbox.

Can I take back an invitation I sent?

Not directly. You can remove someone from an event or group after they join, but you cannot unsend an invitation that is still pending. You can ask them to decline it, or you can delete the event or group entirely.