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How do I make my WhatsApp community private?

WhatsApp has become an incredibly popular messaging platform, allowing people to easily communicate with friends, family, coworkers, and more. One of the newer features is the ability to create WhatsApp communities, which are like group chats but on a larger scale. If you’ve created a WhatsApp community, you may want to make it private so only approved members can join. Here’s what you need to know about making your WhatsApp community private.

Set the Community to “Invite Only”

The easiest way to make a WhatsApp community private is by changing its settings to “Invite Only.” Here are the steps:

  1. Open the WhatsApp community you want to make private.
  2. Tap the Community name at the top of the screen to open the Community Info screen.
  3. Tap the menu icon (3 vertical dots) in the top-right corner.
  4. Tap Community settings > Privacy.
  5. Tap Invite only. This prevents people from joining without an invite link.

That’s all there is to it! Now only users who have the invite link can join your community. Keep in mind that existing members can still invite others to join.

Revoke Invite Links

In addition to making the community invite-only, you can revoke any active invite links to prevent new people from joining. Here are the steps:

  1. Follow steps 1-3 above to access the Community Info screen.
  2. Tap Invite links.
  3. Tap the X icon next to any link to revoke it. Repeat for all active invite links.

Revoking all active invite links will prevent anyone new from joining via invite. Existing members will still be able to create new invite links, so be sure to monitor those if you want to maintain tight control over membership.

Limit Who Can Send Messages

Along with controlling who can join, you can limit who is allowed to send messages in your private WhatsApp community.

By default, all members can send messages. But community admins can restrict sending privileges to just admins or select members. Here’s how:

  1. Open the Community Info screen > Community settings.
  2. Tap Message permissions.
  3. Select one of the options:
    • Everyone – All members can send messages (default)
    • Only admins – Only community admins can send messages
    • Only selected members – Only specific members approved by admins can send messages

Limiting who can send messages in your private WhatsApp community can help prevent unwanted content from being posted.

Remove Members

If certain members no longer need access to your private community, admins can remove them at any time:

  1. Open the Community Info screen > Members.
  2. Tap the member you want to remove.
  3. Tap Remove [member name].
  4. Confirm by tapping Remove [member name].

The selected members will immediately be removed from the community and won’t be able to access any previous messages.

Turn Off ‘Add Participants’ Option

By default, any member of a WhatsApp community can add new participants by tapping the “Add Participants” option in the chat screen. If you want tight control over who joins your private community, turn off this capability:

  1. Open Community Info > Community settings.
  2. Turn off Add participants.

This will remove the “Add Participants” option from the chat screen for all members. Only admins will still be able to add new participants through the Community Info screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I prevent existing members from adding new people?

Unfortunately there is no setting to prevent existing members from using invite links or the “Add Participants” option (if enabled) to add new members. Community admins will need to closely monitor membership and remove any unwanted additions.

What happens if I remove an admin from the community?

Removing an admin from the community will revoke their admin privileges. They will become a regular member and won’t be able to access any admin features.

Can I prevent members from leaving the community?

There is no way to prevent members from voluntarily leaving a WhatsApp community. The best you can do is frequently engage members with interesting content to encourage them to stick around.

If I delete a community, will former members retain the chat history?

If you delete a WhatsApp community, it will be permanently deleted for all members. No one will be able to access the previous chat history or join the community again.

Best Practices for Private WhatsApp Communities

Here are some tips for maintaining effective private WhatsApp communities:

  • Carefully vet any new members before approving invites or additions.
  • Establish community guidelines and remove anyone who violates rules.
  • Frequently engage members by sharing valuable content.
  • Limit off-topic conversations to keep community focused.
  • Designate several trustworthy members to help with moderation.
  • Don’t add too many people at once – grow the community slowly.
  • Consider turning off “Add Participants” option to restrict additions.
  • Periodically review all active invite links and revoke any unneeded ones.
  • If community is very private, remind members not to screenshot content.

Conclusion

WhatsApp communities provide a powerful platform for communication and collaboration. Making those communities private allows you to maintain strict control over membership and content. The tips in this guide will help you transform any public WhatsApp community into a secure, private environment. Just be sure to establish guidelines, limit invites, revoke links, remove problematic members, and frequently engage participants.

With the right settings and moderation, your private WhatsApp community can thrive. Users will feel more open to share if they know the environment is secure. Maintain your community’s privacy and it can facilitate meaningful conversations for a long time.