Messenger groups are a great way to communicate with multiple people at once. Although the app offers many great features, one of its downsides is that anyone can add you to a group chat without asking for your approval. Luckily, Messenger lets you leave a group chat whenever you want.
If you want to know how to leave a group in Messenger, we're here to help. This article will cover everything you need to know about leaving a group chat, including what happens after you leave, as well as other options for ending participation that you might find interesting.
How to Leave a Messenger Group on the iPhone
Messenger is available on computers and mobile phones. If you're using the app on your iPhone and want to leave a group chat, follow the steps below:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Enter the group chat you want to leave.
- Tap the group name.
- Scroll down and tap "Leave Chat".
- Press "Exit".
Keep in mind that other participants will see that you have left the chat. If you don't want this, there is another option. You can mute the group instead, which will prevent you from receiving notifications. Other party members can't see that you've muted it, so it's a great alternative if you're tired of receiving messages but don't want your absence to be noticed immediately.
Follow these instructions to deactivate a Messenger group:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Find the group you want to mute and swipe left.
- Press the 3 dots.
- Choose if you want to mute messages and/or calls and for how long.
While other people won't know you've muted the group, they might notice that you haven't read any messages. If you don't want them to ask you where you are, make sure to open the chat from time to time to stay in the know.
You can use a third method to hide group notifications and make sure the chat doesn't stay in your inbox without leaving it. Messenger lets you ignore a group, moving it to your spam folder. You will not receive any notification and other participants will not be informed of your action. If you ever decide to move the chat to your inbox, just send a message.
Here's how to mute a group using an iPhone:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Locate the group you want to ignore and swipe left.
- Tap the three dots.
- Tap "Ignore group".
- Tap "Ignore".
How to Leave a Group Messenger on an Android Device
Here's how Android users can leave Messenger groups:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Go to the chat you want to leave.
- Tap the "i" button in the top right corner or tap the group name.
- Tap "Leave Group".
- Tap "Leave Group".
Each participant in the group chat will see that you have left and you will no longer be able to send or read messages. If you don't want others to ask you why you left, you can turn off notifications. Follow these instructions to do so:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Open the group chat.
- Tap the group name or the "i" button on the right.
- Tap "Notifications & Sounds".
- Choose between turning off all notifications, including calls, reactions, messages, and mentions, or turning off some of them. Toggle the button next to "On" to disable all notifications.
The other participants will not know that you have cut the chat. But it will stay in your inbox and you can open it whenever you want.
If you want to forget a group chat but don't want to leave it, there's another option: ignore it. Here's how:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Select the group you want to ignore.
- Tap the group name or the “i” button.
- Scroll down and tap "Skip group".
- Tap "Ignore".
Doing this will move the group to your spam folder. Unless you decide to message the group, you won't see any notifications and the chat will be removed from your main inbox. This is a great option if you often get added to random groups with dozens or hundreds of members.
How to Leave a Messenger Group on a PC
Messenger is also available on your computer. If you prefer to use it on your PC, you'll be happy to know that leaving a party is just as easy as it is on the mobile versions.
Follow these steps to leave a group if you're using the web version of Messenger.
- Go to Messenger website.
- Hover over the chat and tap the three dots.
- Tap "Leave Group".
- Confirm by tapping “Leave Group” again.
If you're using the desktop app, follow the steps below:
- Open the app.
- Select the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Double-tap "Leave Chat."
Once you leave the group, all participants will be notified. If you want to avoid having to explain why you left a group, you can always mute it. This way you will remain a member but will not receive any notifications. Whenever you want, you can reactivate the chat or send messages when it is muted.
Here's how to mute a group using the website:
- Go to the website.
- Hover over the chat you want to mute and tap the three dots next to it.
- Tap "Mute conversation." »
- Choose how long you want them off and tap “Mute”.
If you're using the Messenger desktop app, follow the steps below to turn off a group chat:
- Open the app.
- Select the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Tap "Mute notifications".
- Select the preferred period and press "Mute".
The third option is to ignore a group chat. Once you ignore it, the chat will be moved to the spam folder and you will not receive any notification. If you decide to put it back in your inbox, send a message and the conversation will automatically come back.
If you want to mute a group chat using your PC, you will need to visit the website as this option is not available in the desktop app:
- Go to the website.
- Open the chat you want to ignore.
- Select the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Tap "Privacy and support".
- Select "Ignore Messages" twice.
How to Leave a Group Messenger on an iPad
If you're using an iPad and want to leave a Messenger group chat, follow these steps:
- Launch the Messenger app.
- Select the group chat you want to leave.
- Tap the group name at the top.
- Tap "Leave chat".
- Press "Exit" to confirm.
When you leave a group chat, other members will receive a notification that you have left. If you want to stop receiving notifications without leaving the group, you can always turn them off. In this case, no one will be informed:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Find the group you want to disable, press and hold it.
- Tap "Mute" and select the duration of the silent period.
If you keep getting added to the same groups but want to avoid explaining why you left, there's a third option: ignore it. The ignored chat will be moved to your spam folder, which means you can completely forget about it. Whenever you decide to get it back, just send a message and it will automatically come back to your inbox.
Here's how to ignore a group chat on an iPad:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Find the group you want to ignore, select it and hold it.
- Select “Ignore group”.
- Tap "Ignore".
Additional FAQs
Are other members notified when you leave a group?
Yes, other members are notified when you leave a group chat. It's not a push notification, but whenever attendees open the app, they'll be able to see who's gone. Unfortunately, it is not possible to leave a group without informing the other members.
As mentioned earlier, you can avoid this by disabling chat instead. Other members are not notified of your deactivation, but you must remember that they can see the messages you have opened. If there are only a few members in the group, they will notice that you are not active.
Another option is to ignore the group. We recommend doing this if you continue to be added to large groups.
Leaving without leaving
If you don't want to be part of a Messenger group chat, there are several options available to you. You can leave it, turn off notifications, or ignore it. When you leave, keep in mind that all participants will be notified.
We hope this article has given you some insight into how Messenger groups work and what happens when you leave them.
Are you often added to Messenger groups? How do you handle chats you don't want to participate in? Tell us in the comments section below.
