Private Facebook Groups Can Now Switch to Public, With Some Protections

Facebook Group admins can now convert their private groups to public and make their new content available for everyone, including people who aren’t on Facebook. Doing so will keep all past group content private, and member lists will also remain protected after a Facebook Group goes public.

“Facebook Groups have long been a place where people connect over shared interests and experiences. People turn to groups to seek advice, connect with real people, and navigate life’s milestones. (…) This unlocks new opportunities for growth and connection while keeping member privacy and previously shared content protected,” the Facebook team said about the new ability to make a private group public.

If a Facebook group has multiple admins, all of them will be notified when one admin makes a private group public. There’s also a three-day window allowing admins to review and potentially cancel the change, and all group members will also be notified when the group goes public.

Once a private Facebook group becomes public, previous posts, comments, and reactions will only be visible to existing members of the group before it became public. If member lists will remain private (only visible by admins and moderators), all new content on the group will be public by default.

Lastly, admins will still be able to make the Facebook group private again. In that case, people who joined the group while it was public will be removed from it, and group admins will need to review their membership requests.