Fix common issues with group settings

This page is for administrators. To manage groups for your own account, visit Google Groups help.

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If you or your group members can’t perform one of the common tasks described here, follow the steps listed for your issue.

Can’t manage group members

If you’re a group manager or owner and you can’t add, remove, ban, modify, or approve members, follow these steps to ensure your Who can manage members permission settings are correct.

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. On the left, click Group settingsMember moderation.
4. Under Who can manage members, make sure Owners and Managers are selected.
5. Click Save changes.

Can’t manage posts

If you’re a group manager or owner and you can’t delete posts or approve messages, follow these steps to ensure you have the Who can moderate content permission.

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. On the left, click Group settingsPosting policies.
4. Under Who can moderate content, make sure Owners and Managers are selected.
5. Click Save changes.

Members can’t take or assign conversations

The take and assign conversations function exists only for Collaborative Inbox groups. Even if your users are able to moderate metadata, they will not be able to take or assign conversations for any other group type except for Collaborative Inbox. To turn a group into a Collaborative Inbox:

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. On the left, click Group settingsGeneral.
4. Under Enable additional Google Groups features, select Collaborative Inbox.
5. Click Save changes.

You can also change a group to a Collaborative Inbox using the Groups API settings. Set the following property to true: enableCollaborativeInbox.

People can’t access my group, even with a link

If people can’t access your group, or your group doesn’t appear in search results, check your group visibility settings. This setting controls the visibility of the group, regardless of the visibility of individual conversations, or who can or cannot join the group. 

If you’re an administrator, you can set visibility settings for all of your organization’s groups in the Admin console.

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsGoogle WorkspaceGroups for Business.
3. Click Sharing settings.
4. Under Accessing groups from outside this organization, select Public on the Internet.
5. Click Save.

If you’re a group owner or manager, you can set the visibility of the group in Google Groups. If you’re signed into a work or school account, the options you see depend on the settings set by your administrator for all groups.

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. On the left, click Group settingsGeneral.
4. Under Who can see group, set the desired visibility for your group.
5. Click Save changes.

People outside my organization can’t email my group

If external users can’t email your group, check to make sure your settings allow for external emails.

If you’re an administrator, you can set the option to allow external emails for all of your organization’s groups in the Admin console.

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsGoogle WorkspaceGroups for Business.
3. Click Sharing settings.
4. Check the Group owners can allow incoming email from outside the organization box.
5. Click Save.

If you’re a group owner or manager, you can allow external emails to the group in Google Groups. If you’re signed into a work or school account, the options you see depend on the settings set by your administrator for all groups.

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. On the left, click Group settingsGeneral.
4. Under Who can post, make sure Anyone on the web is selected.
5. Click Save changes.

My group’s email footer looks wrong

Unless changed, email footers include instructions to unsubscribe from the group, a link to the message URL, and any custom text added by a manager or owner. To change your group’s footer:

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. Click SettingsEmail options.
4. In the Email footer section, check one or both boxes:
   • Include the standard Groups footer adds the default text to the footer of every group email.
   • Include a custom footer adds the text you specify to the footer of every group email.
5. Click Save changes.

Original sender is not shown in message sent to group

This might occur if you select Group address as Default sender in a group's settings in groups.google.com.

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. On the left, click Group settingsPosting policies.
4. If the Default sender is Group address: 
   1. Change it to Author's address. 
   2. Click Save changes.
5. If the Default sender is Author’s address:
   1. Change it to Group addressclick Save changes.
   2. Change Default sender back to Author's address.
   3. Click Save changes.

Related topics

• Edit or delete groups
• Legitimate mail to a group is marked as spam
• Set Groups for Business sharing options