Facebook group invites arrive as a notification. When someone invites you and the invite is approved by a member, admin or moderator, you'll get a notification saying you've been invited, and tapping it opens the group in preview mode so you can look around before deciding to join. Invites sent by email arrive as an email with a link instead, and that link expires after 28 days.
If you're hunting for an invite you're sure someone sent, the answer usually depends on how they sent it. Facebook has three ways to invite people to a group, and each one lands differently. Here's what Facebook's help pages say about each, so you know where to look.
Where your invite shows up
| How you were invited | Where you'll find it | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| From the group (a friend picked you) | Your Facebook notifications, once the invite is approved | You can preview the group, then decide whether to join |
| By email (admins only) | Your email inbox, with a link to the group | Only you can use that link. Public and private visible groups approve you automatically; private hidden groups need an admin to approve you |
| By link (private hidden groups only) | Wherever the link was shared, on or off Facebook | You request to join and an admin has to approve you |
Notice the words "once the invite is approved" in the first row. If an admin or moderator has to approve invites in that group, nothing reaches you until they do. That's the most common reason an invite seems to have vanished: it's sitting in the admin's queue, not in your notifications.
What preview mode lets you do
When you open an invite from a notification, you're in preview mode. It's a look-before-you-join stage, and Facebook sets clear limits on it:
- You can see the group's posts and its members list.
- You can react to posts.
- You can't post, and you can't comment on other people's posts.
- You can't invite anyone else to the group.
- Members can see you're previewing in the members list. People outside the group can't.
- You aren't counted in the group's total member number.
Preview mode doesn't apply to everyone. If you were invited by email, or by link to a private hidden group, you don't get a preview: you go straight to joining or requesting to join.
How long an invite lasts
Once your invite is approved, you can stay in preview mode for 28 days. If you interact with posts in the group during that time, preview mode is extended by another 28 days. If you don't interact with the group's posts for 28 days, the preview expires. Email invites have their own clock: the link in the email expires after 28 days.
So if a friend invited you weeks ago and you ignored it, the preview may simply have run out. Ask them to invite you again, or search for the group and ask to join.
Organising a gathering of your own? See how to make a Facebook event private.
Why someone can't send you an invite
If a friend says they've tried to invite you and it isn't working, Facebook gives a few reasons it can happen:
- Members and admins can only invite their Facebook friends from inside the group. If you aren't friends, an admin can invite you by email, or by link if it's a private hidden group.
- There's a daily cap on how many people each admin or member can invite.
- Facebook Pages can't be invited to join groups as members.
- If you've blocked someone, they can't invite you to events or groups.
If you run a group yourself and want to get people in, my guide on inviting people to a Facebook group covers the admin side, including email and link invites.
Joined but can't post? You might be a limited member
Some large private visible groups use a setting called limited membership. You can join without waiting for approval, see all the content and members, react and even invite others, but you can't post, comment or chat until an admin approves your request to participate. You may be asked participation questions first. If that's you, you haven't done anything wrong: the admins just haven't reviewed you yet, and Facebook notifies you when they approve the request.
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Once you're in, how to tag everyone in a Facebook group is the next thing people ask.
Looking for event invites instead?
Event invites are handled separately, in Facebook's Events section. I've explained how to reach them in my guide to finding events on Facebook, including the ones you've been invited to.
My advice
Check your notifications first, then your email if the group admin said they'd invite you directly. If neither has it, the invite is probably waiting for an admin, or it's expired after 28 days. For business owners joining groups to meet customers, I'd preview before joining every time: 28 days of reading is plenty to see whether a group's active, friendly and full of the people you want to reach. And if you're thinking about how private your own group should be, here's how to make a Facebook group private.
I keep every related walkthrough in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find group invites on Facebook?
Group invites arrive as a Facebook notification once the invite is approved. Email invites arrive in your inbox with a link, and link invites to private hidden groups come wherever the link was shared.
How long does a Facebook group invite last?
After your invite is approved you can preview the group for 28 days, extended by another 28 days if you interact with posts. Email invite links expire after 28 days.
Why didn't I get a Facebook group invite?
The invite may be waiting for an admin or moderator to approve it, the sender may have hit the daily invite limit, or one of you may have blocked the other.
Can I comment while previewing a Facebook group?
No. In preview mode you can see posts and the members list and react to posts, but you can't post, comment or invite others.
