WhatsApp groups are useful for so many reasons – for planning events, discussing work issues, chatting among friends, and more. They can be as small as three people, or as large as two-hundred-and-fifty-six. The only issue is that only the group’s admin(s) can admit people, or kick them; add them, or remove them.
You’re here because you want to know how you can add someone to a WhatsApp group you’re in, without being an admin. Unfortunately, the answer is that it is simply not possible. Only admins have the power and the right to add and remove members of the WhatsApp group. (To find out why, and more, check out our FAQ section below).
However, there is one thing you can do, which is to ask the admin of your group to generate an ‘Invite Link’ – with which other people can join the group – and have them send it to you for you to send to the people you want to bring into the group. Of course, this all depends on whether the admin is happy to do so, or not.
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How to add someone to a WhatsApp group with an admin ‘Invite Link’
- Open the WhatsApp app on your device, and then locate the group you wish to add members to
- Click or tap to open up the group, and then click/tap on the group’s name at the top of the chat screen to open ‘Group Info’
- Scroll down to the list of participants at the bottom of the next page; the group’s admin will be highlighted with a green ‘Admin’ badge to the right of their name
- Tap/click on the admin’s name, and select ‘Message [Name]’ from the pop-up menu
- Next, message the admin and ask them to generate an ‘Invite Link’ for the group in question, and ask them to then send it to you. If they agree to do so, but don’t know how, tell them:
- To navigate to ‘Group Info’ like you just have
- Scroll down to the ‘Participants’ section
- Tap/click on ‘Invite via link’
- Then ‘Copy link’ or ‘Send link via WhatsApp’
- Lastly, to send the link to you over WhatsApp
- Finally, once you’ve received the link, copy and paste it in a message to each of the people you want to add as participants to your group chat.
And there you have it! The only way to add people to a WhatsApp group you’re not the admin of. If you have any other questions, or would like further insight into the topic, please see our FAQ section below.
FAQs
Why can’t I add people to my WhatsApp group?
WhatsApp, owned by social media giant Meta, is an end-to-end encryption messaging service, used by almost everyone with a smartphone, all over the world. As such, it has to be pretty strict with its privacy rules and terms of service.
One of the greatest perks to WhatsApp versus traditional messaging means (such as email, text, and phone), is that the app allows you to create groups of multiple (up to 256) people, who can all send in messages to the group – a bit like a chatroom of old.
However, groups require admins – people to look after the group, and decide who should and should not be allowed to participate. This is for everyone’s best interests: it means that anyone being rude or offensive, or abusing another member of the group, can be removed by the admin. It also means that the group will remain at an elected size, retaining the privacy of all individuals involved, rather than become a huge group of too many people.
If you can’t add people to your WhatsApp group, then chances are you are not an admin. You can check who is admin by tapping on the name of the group once you’ve opened it, and scrolling down to the list of participants at the bottom. The title ‘Admin’ will be attached to one or more participants. Only the admins can add or remove people from the WhatsApp group.
How do I make myself the admin of a WhatsApp group?
You cannot simply make yourself the admin of a WhatsApp group. If you could, it would defeat the whole purpose of having administrators in the first place. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be allowed to become the admin of a WhatsApp group.
If you want to be made an admin of a WhatsApp group, then the first step is to message the current admin of the group. To do so, first find out who the admin is by tapping the group’s name at the top of the chat screen. Next, scroll to the list of participants at the bottom. The admin will have the title ‘Admin’ in green next to their name. Tap on the name of the admin, and select ‘Message [Name]’ from the pop-up menu.
Now all that’s left to do is to send the admin a message requesting that they make you another admin of the group in question. Be polite, state your case, and hopefully, the admin will do as you ask. Once you’re admin, you’ll have the power to add or remove other group participants.
Is there any way to add participants to a WhatsApp group without being admin?
Whilst there is no way to independently add participants to a WhatsApp group without being admin, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still take part in the process. It all depends on whether the admin is happy to provide you the tools to do so, or not.
In the latest versions of the WhatsApp app, there is now an ability for the admin to generate an ‘Invite Link’, which they can send to anyone they like. This link allows WhatsApp and non-WhatsApp users to join the admin’s group if they so desire. All they have to do is click on the link.
This same method, however, can also allow non-admin group-participants a measure of control over who is or isn’t invited to join the group. What you must do first is message your group’s admin. You can find out who the admin is by tapping the group’s name at the top of the chat screen. Next, scroll to the list of participants at the bottom. The admin will have the title ‘Admin’ in green next to their name.
Message the admin, and ask them if they would be happy to generate an ‘Invite Link’ and post it in the group chat, or send it to you specifically. Once you have the link, you can send it to all of the people you wish to add to the group, therefore enjoying admin privileges without being an admin.
How do I remove participants from a WhatsApp group without admin?
Unfortunately, just as you cannot add participants to a WhatsApp group without first being made admin, neither can you remove participants without administrative power. There are lots of reasons you might feel the need to remove someone: they are being offensive, abusive, or abusing the privacy and trust of the group.
If you wish to kick someone out of a WhatsApp group, but you are not the group admin, then your best recourse is to message the actual admin of the group. You can find out who the admin is by tapping the group’s name at the top of the chat screen. Next, scroll to the list of participants at the bottom. The admin will have the title ‘Admin’ in green next to their name.
Message the admin and tell them who you want removed from the group and why. If they agree, they will then remove that member from the group, and your problem is solved! If they don’t agree, then consider leaving the group and starting your own one (of which you’d be the admin), with only the people you want in it.
