Add a Google Group to a space

Through Google Groups, a set of users like project teams, departments, and classmates, can communicate and collaborate on common interests. When a group is added to a space, its members are automatically synced from groups to spaces in Chat.

Any changes to the group's membership, such as addition and removal of members, are also automatically reflected in the space.
This feature is available for Google Workspace accounts only.

Learn about group restrictions

Add a group
- If you can’t add a group to a space, contact the group owner or manager. Your admin may have restricted this feature.
Guest access
- If Allow people outside your organization to join is enabled, the group and its members are invited to the space.
- If a group has external members added to it and the space doesn't have Allow people outside your organization to join enabled, the external members are excluded in the space.
Leave a space
- Group member memberships are tied to the space via the group. To leave the space, you must leave the group through Google Groups. Learn how to leave a group.
- A group member can’t be removed from the space directly in a space in Chat. Either the member has to be removed from the group or the group has to be removed from the space.
Tip: If you can't leave directly from the space, you can mute the space instead.
Tasks
- Tasks can't be assigned to someone who isn't a member of the space.
Space limit
- If the total number of members in the groups within a space exceeds the space limit, all groups are removed from the space.

Add a group to a space

If you’re a space manager, or if you have permissions to manage members, you can add a group to a space. When you add a group, it may take some time to sync all group members with the space. You can still post messages in the space while the group and its members sync with the space. Group members who join the space after the messages are posted will have these messages marked as unread.

On your computer, go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
On the left, click Spaces select a space.
At the top, click the space name.
Click Manage members.
At the top right, click + Add.
Enter the name of the group you want to add.
Click Add.

Tips:

If you can’t add a group to a space, contact the group owners and managers. Your administrator may have restricted this action to the group owners and managers.
Group members can be promoted to space managers. Learn about your role as a space manager.

Remove a group from a space

Important: If you remove a group from a space, its members also lose access to the files previously shared with the space. However, if these files were directly shared with the Groups or its members, the members retain access.

If you're a space manager, or if you have permissions to manage members, you can remove a group from a space. After you remove a group, it may take some time to remove the group members from the space. After group members are removed from the space, they can't:

Perform any actions in that space
View that space’s message history

On your computer, go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
On the left, click Spaces select a space.
At the top, click the space name.
Click Manage members.
Next to the group name, click More options Remove from space.

Tip: To remove an individual group member from a space, remove the member from Google Groups. Only group owners, or group members with the right permissions, can remove members from a group.

View groups in a space

On your computer, go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
On the left, click Spaces select a space.
At the top, click the space name
Click Manage members.

Group memberships may not be viewable if:

Your group’s member visibility isn't set to owners, managers, or members.
You’re on a mobile device.

Some members may appear grayed out

Group sync may take some time.
External members in a group are always grayed out because they’re automatically excluded in spaces with guest access turned off.

Learn about changes in how to sync groups & memberships

From October 17, 2023 onwards, you can add groups directly to spaces.

To sync groups and memberships, add any currently invited groups again.
If you want users to join the space instead, make the space discoverable and share a link to the space. Learn more about spaces with different access levels.

Important: Groups invited to the space before October 17, 2023 appear under the “Invited” section of the member list. These group members weren't automatically added and joined the space on their own.

How to download your data in Google Takeout

You can download messages sent by direct members of a space as part of the Google Chat data in Google Takeout. You can download messages sent by group members of a space as part of the Google Groups data in Google Takeout. Learn how to download your data.