As of Nov 2026, WhatsApp Help says a community can hold up to 100 groups plus an Announcements group that's created for you, and up to 2,000 members across everything inside it. You can't currently create a community on the WhatsApp Business app, although you can own one there in two specific cases.
A community is an umbrella that sits over a set of related groups, with one announcement space where admins can message every member at once. That's the only background you need. What trips people up is the detail: the limits, who's allowed to do what, and a couple of settings you can't take back once they're set.
The numbers that cap a community
Here's every limit WhatsApp Help gives, in one place. The one people misread is the member cap. It's 2,000 for the whole community, not 2,000 per group. WhatsApp counts everyone in the sub-groups and the announcement group together.
| Limit | Number, as of Nov 2026 | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Groups per community | Up to 100 | Plus the Announcements group, which WhatsApp creates automatically |
| Members per community | Up to 2,000 | Counted across every sub-group and the announcement group |
| Members per group | 1,024 | 1,025 if you include the person who created the group |
| Community name | 100 characters | The description and icon are optional |
| New group name | 100 characters | The name is required when you add a group |
When a community hits 2,000, nobody new can be added. WhatsApp's answer is blunt: anyone who can't get in has to wait until someone leaves. If a single group fills up at 1,024, people can ask to join once a member leaves or is removed.
Setting one up in five steps
These follow WhatsApp's own instructions. Menu names shift a little between Android, iPhone and the web, so look for the same words rather than the same position on screen.
- Go to the Chats tab and tap the new chat button.
- Choose New community.
- Type the community name, up to 100 characters.
- Add a description if you want one, so people know what the community is for. Add an icon by choosing Take photo, Upload Photo, Emoji and Sticker, or Web Search.
- Confirm, and WhatsApp creates the community with its Announcements group already in place. Then add your first groups.
To add groups later, open Communities, pick the community, tap Add group, then choose Create new group or Add existing group. You'll review the group's permissions before you tap Add to community.
Owner, admin or member: who can do what
Three roles, and the lines between them matter more than they look. This table pulls together the ownership, admin and member pages from WhatsApp Help.
| Task | Owner | Admin | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send announcements to everyone | Yes | Yes | No |
| Create a new group in the community | Yes | Yes | Yes by default, unless admins limit it to admins |
| Add an existing group | Yes | Yes | No, but can suggest one for approval |
| Promote or dismiss admins | Yes | Yes | No |
| Edit the name, description and photo | Yes | Yes | No |
| Remove groups, report and remove abusive accounts | Yes | Yes | No |
| Deactivate the whole community | Yes | Only the admin who created it | No |
| Transfer ownership | Yes, to another admin | No | No |
| Discover and join groups | Yes | Yes | Yes, with Join group or Request to join |
The member column is the one I'd read twice. By default, any member can create a brand new group inside your community. If you'd rather keep things tidy, admins can change the settings so only admins add new groups. Existing groups are different: only admins can add them, and members can only suggest them for approval. Suggestions waiting on you sit at the top of the community under Pending groups.
There's one ownership rule worth writing down somewhere. If the owner deletes their WhatsApp account and there are no other admins, the community is deactivated. So don't run a business community with a single admin. Add at least one more person you trust, or transfer ownership if you're stepping back.
Hidden groups and the setting you can't undo
When you add a group, you choose whether it's Visible or Hidden. Visible groups are open to everyone in the community. Hidden groups are only for invited members and community admins, and they show an eye icon with a line through it. Every community admin can see every group, hidden or not, whether they're in it or not.
Here's the catch. Once a group is in the community, you can't change its visibility. To switch it, you have to remove the group and add it again. So decide before you add a VIP or staff-only group, not after.
Business accounts and communities
WhatsApp Help is clear that you can't currently create a community on the WhatsApp Business app. You can still own one there in two ways: if ownership was transferred to you by someone using the regular WhatsApp app, or if you created the community on the regular app and then registered that number as a business.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
If you're weighing a community against a single big group, this comparison of a community and a group covers the trade-offs. If your real goal is one-way updates to customers, the channel versus community breakdown is the better read.
Small snags that catch admins out
- You can't add a group to a community while it has pending member requests. Open the group, tap its name and clear the requests first.
- WhatsApp may block you from adding a group for a few hours, and up to 24 hours in some cases, as a security measure. Spam reports from members or a group with lots of recently added people can trigger it.
- Members see groups listed newest first, then by number of members, then any groups they've requested to join.
- Each group still needs a clear purpose. A good group description saves you answering the same question every week.
WhatsApp's own tips for owners are sensible: clear out old groups and members so there's room for new ones, use the announcement group for important updates, set clear rules, and review settings regularly. The Help pages don't say anything about reach or how many people read announcements, so treat any claims you see about that with caution.
How I'd run one for a business
I'd start with the announcement group plus three or four groups with obvious jobs, such as customer questions, an events group and a hidden staff group. Set the hidden ones up as hidden from day one. I'd switch group creation to admins only, add a second admin straight away, and write the rules into each group description.
Skip the community altogether until you've got enough people to fill more than one group. A single well-run group is easier to manage, and you can move it into a community later as an existing group.
If you want WhatsApp to work as a customer channel instead of a growing pile of chats, planning the structure behind that channel is work I help businesses with. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
How many members can a WhatsApp community have?
As of Nov 2026, up to 2,000 members in total. WhatsApp counts everyone across the sub-groups and the announcement group, so it isn't 2,000 per group.
How many groups can be in a WhatsApp community?
Up to 100 groups, plus the Community Announcements group that WhatsApp creates automatically when you set the community up.
Can I create a WhatsApp community on the Business app?
Not currently. You can own one on the Business app if ownership was transferred to you, or if you created it on the regular app and then registered that number as a business.
Can I change a hidden group to visible later?
No. Once a group is added you can't change its visibility. You'd need to remove the group from the community and add it again with the new setting.
What happens to a community if the owner deletes their account?
If there are no other admins, the community is deactivated. Adding a second admin, or transferring ownership before you leave, avoids that.
