How to leave a Facebook group
To leave a Facebook group, open the group, tap or click the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Leave group" from the menu. Facebook will ask you to confirm — tap "Leave" again, and you are out. The group will no longer appear in your groups list, and you will stop seeing posts from it in your feed.
The process is the same whether you are on a phone, tablet, or computer. Once you leave, the group owner and members cannot see that you were ever there unless they checked a membership list before you left. You can rejoin the group later if it is public, though private groups may require the owner to add you again.
Key Takeaways
- Leaving a Facebook group takes two taps or clicks: open the group, tap the three dots, and select "Leave group".
- After you leave, the group stops appearing in your groups list and you will not see its posts in your feed.
- Leaving a public group means you can rejoin whenever you want, but leaving a private group may require the owner to add you back.
- The group owner will not be notified that you left, though they can see the current member count has changed.
- Leaving a group does not delete your old posts or comments — those remain visible to group members unless you delete them yourself first.
Before you leave: what happens to your posts
When you leave a Facebook group, your past posts and comments stay in the group. Other members can still see them, reply to them, and react to them. If you want those posts gone before you leave, you need to delete them yourself — one at a time, from within the group.
To delete a post you made in a group, open the group, find your post, tap or click the three dots on that post, and select "Delete". You can do this before or after you leave the group. Deleting your post removes it from the group entirely, so no one will see it anymore.
Leaving a group versus muting it
If you do not want to see posts from a group but want to stay a member, you can mute the group instead of leaving it. When you mute a group, its posts stop showing up in your feed, but you remain a member and can still visit the group whenever you want.
To mute a group, open it, tap or click the three dots, and select "Mute group". You can choose to mute notifications only (so posts still show in your feed but you get no alerts), or mute the entire group (so posts do not appear in your feed at all). You can unmute the group at any time using the same menu.
What the group owner sees when you leave
The group owner does not receive a notification that you left. However, they can see the total member count has gone down if they check the group settings. If the group is small or they pay attention to who is active, they may notice you are gone.
Some group owners set up rules that members must stay in the group or face consequences in another community or service. Leaving a Facebook group itself has no penalty — you are free to go. If you are worried about a group owner's reaction to you leaving, remember that you have the right to leave any group at any time.
Rejoining a group after you leave
If you leave a public group, you can rejoin it whenever you want by searching for it and tapping "Join". Public groups do not require permission from the owner to join.
If you leave a private group, you will need the owner or an admin to add you back. Private groups do not show up in search results, so you cannot rejoin on your own. If you want back in, you will need to contact the owner or an admin and ask them to send you an invite.
Leaving a group on mobile versus desktop
The steps are nearly identical on a phone and on a computer. On both, you open the group, tap or click the three dots in the top right, and select "Leave group". On a phone, the three dots are usually in the very top right corner of the screen. On a computer, they are in the top right of the group header.
If you cannot find the three dots, make sure you are viewing the group itself and not just a post from the group in your feed. You have to be inside the group page to see the leave option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave a group without the owner knowing?
The owner will not be notified that you left, but they can see the member count has dropped if they check the group settings. In a small group, they may notice you are no longer active. There is no way to leave secretly, but leaving is always your choice to make.
What happens to my comments on other people's posts after I leave?
Your comments stay in the group and remain visible to members. Leaving the group does not delete your comments. If you want to remove a comment, you have to delete it yourself before or after you leave.
If I leave a private group, can I rejoin on my own?
No. Private groups do not appear in search results, so you cannot find and rejoin them yourself. You will need the owner or an admin to send you an invite or add you back to the group.
Will leaving a group affect my other Facebook groups or friends?
No. Leaving one group has no effect on your other groups, your friend list, or any other part of your Facebook account. You can leave and rejoin groups without any impact on the rest of your account.
Can I leave a group and then have the owner add me back without asking?
The owner can add you back to a private group without your permission, but only if they have your Facebook profile. If they do, they can add you back anytime. You would then need to leave again if you do not want to be in the group.