What Happens When You Report a Group on Facebook?

Co-authored by Ben Whitehair and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 4, 2021 References

Joining a group on Facebook is a great way to connect with other like-minded people. However, if you stumble across something worrying or upsetting in a group that violates community guidelines, you might be looking for ways to get the group shut down. We’ve answered your questions about reporting a group on Facebook so you can better understand the process and what happens afterwards.

Question 1 of 9:

What does Facebook do after you report a group?

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They'll review the content to see if it violates their guidelines. Reporting a group to Facebook support isn’t a guarantee that the group will be removed, but they will assess the situation. Facebook employees will look through the content to see if anything violates Facebook’s guidelines. If it does, the group will be removed.^{[1]
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They’ll send an email to your Support Inbox about their decision. Once a decision is made about the group you reported, you’ll be notified in your Facebook Support Inbox. Here, you can see updates about reports you’ve made and any reports that have been made against you.^{[2]
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- To get to your Support Inbox, log in to Facebook and click the small question mark in the upper right corner. Then, select “Support Inbox.”

Question 2 of 9:

Can you report content in a group to the admins?

Yes, you can report specific posts for admins to review. Go to the post you want to report, then click the 3 dots in the upper right hand corner. Select Report post to group admins to send the post to the admins (not to Facebook support). The group admins will review the post and take it down if it goes against the group’s guidelines.^{[3]
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- Keep in mind that reporting a post to group admins does not send the report to Facebook, just to the admins themselves. If you want to report a post to Facebook, select Find support or report post.
- When you report a post to group admins, the admins will be able to see who made the report.

Question 3 of 9:

What goes against Facebook’s community guidelines?

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Anything dangerous or groups that incite violence. Posts about weapons, organized crime, proposed crime, or fraud and deception go against Facebook’s community guidelines. They can be super specific, or they can be vague, but it all goes against the community standards.^{[4]
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Exploitation of children or adults. Sexual content, nudity, and human exploitation are not allowed on Facebook. Groups and posts like these are a direct violation of the guidelines, and they will be removed.^{[5]
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Spam, false news, and inauthentic behavior. Groups spreading misinformation or generating clicks go against the community guidelines. They might also be removed if they are a cybersecurity threat or are misrepresenting themselves online.^{[6]
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- To read Facebook’s full community guidelines, visit https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards/.

Question 4 of 9:

How do I report a group to Facebook support?

Click Groups > Report Group > Next > Done. In your News Feed, click on the Group you’d like to report or search it in the search bar. Click the 3 dots beneath the cover photo, then select Report Group. Select what is wrong with the group, then hit Next, then finally, click Done.^{[7]
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Question 5 of 9:

Can you report a private group on Facebook?

Yes, it’s the same process as a public group. When you report a private group, Facebook will still be able to access the content and check for violations of the community guidelines. You’ll still get an email about whether or not the group was removed.^{[8]
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Question 6 of 9:

Can a Facebook group see who reported them?

No, reports you make to Facebook support are anonymous. If you report a group to Facebook, the admins won’t know who reported it. However, if you report anything to the group admins themselves, they’ll be able to see your profile and who made the report.^{[9]
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Question 7 of 9:

Can you get a Facebook group shut down?

Yes, if it violates Facebook’s community guidelines. If you report a group and it truly is a violation of the guidelines, Facebook will remove it. You’ll know that the group was removed because you’ll get an email in your Support Inbox.^{[10]
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Question 8 of 9:

How long will it take Facebook to shut a group down?

Anywhere from a few days to a few months. Unfortunately, Facebook doesn’t have a specific timeline for how long their review process takes. Some people report that they only had to wait a couple of days, while other people say it takes up to a month (or even longer).^{[11]
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Question 9 of 9:

How do I follow up with Facebook?

You can check your report’s status at any time from the Support Inbox. If you aren’t sure whether or not Facebook has reviewed your report yet, head back into your Support Inbox and tap on the report. You’ll be able to see whether or not Facebook has reviewed it yet, and you can also cancel it if you’d like to.^{[12]
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- Unfortunately, you can’t report groups multiple times if you’ve already reported them. However, you can report multiple posts within a group, which may help Facebook review it faster.