How to See New Members in a Facebook Group

Finding the newest members of your Facebook group doesn't have to feel like a tedious task. Knowing who just joined is the first step to creating a welcoming and engaging community right from the start. This guide will walk you through the various ways to see new members in your group, and more importantly, show you how to leverage that information to build a stronger community.

Why Paying Attention to New Members Matters

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Tracking and welcoming new members is one of the most powerful habits a group admin can build. That initial interaction sets the tone for their entire experience. A warm welcome can turn a passive lurker into an active contributor. It immediately makes them feel seen and valued, increasing the likelihood that they will stick around, post their own content, and engage with others.

Furthermore, new members offer a fresh perspective. They joined your group for a specific reason - maybe they’re looking for advice, seeking a community, or are passionate about your group's topic. By paying attention to the answers they provide to your membership questions, you get a continuous stream of insights into what your audience wants and needs. This is invaluable data for planning your content, creating products, or simply steering the community conversation in a more valuable direction.

Ultimately, a steady flow of new members is the lifeblood of a growing group. Ignoring them is a missed opportunity. Making them feel like part of the community from day one boosts your engagement metrics, improves retention, and helps build the organic, self-sustaining community every admin dreams of.

Method 1: Use the "New Members" Notification Feed

Facebook provides a dedicated, easy-to-find feed that aggregates all the members who have recently joined your group. This is the fastest and most direct method for seeing who's new.

On a Desktop Computer:

1. Navigate to Your Group: Open Facebook and go to your group's main page.
2. Find the Admin Tools Menu: On the left-hand sidebar, look for the "Admin Tools" section. Within this, you'll see a variety of options. Click on "New Members". This is often one of the first few items in the list.
3. Review the New Member Feed: Clicking this will take you to a dedicated page showing a summary of the new members who have joined within a specific timeframe (usually the past week). Facebook typically groups them together and presents them in a format that makes it easy to write a single welcome post. You’ll see a prompt like, "Write a welcome post for your 18 new members."

This view is perfect for creating a collective welcome. When you click to write the welcome post from this prompt, Facebook automatically generates a post that tags all of the new members listed. This saves you the trouble of manually tagging dozens or even hundreds of people.

On the Facebook Mobile App:

1. Open Your Group: Launch the Facebook app and navigate to your group.
2. Access Admin Tools: Tap the shield-shaped Admin Tools badge usually located at the top right of your screen.
3. Select "New Members": On the Admin Tools home screen, you'll see a tile or list item labeled "New Members" or something similar, like "Welcome new members." Tap on it.
4. View and Welcome: This will bring up a list of your most recent members, much like the desktop version. You'll have an option to write a welcome post that automatically tags everyone, making the process quick and efficient from your phone.

Method 2: Sort the Full "Members" List

If you want a more comprehensive or chronological list of everyone who has ever joined, or if you need to go back further than a week, sorting the full member list is the best approach. This method gives you a clean, simple list of names and join dates without the feed layout.

On a Desktop Computer:

1. Go to the "Members" Tab: From your group's main page, look at the main navigation menu just below the group's cover photo. Click on the "Members" tab.
2. Locate the Sort Function: On the Members page, you'll see a full list of everyone in your group. By default, this list might be sorted alphabetically. Look for a small dropdown menu or button, usually near the top right of the list, that says "Alphabetical" or "Joined Group."
3. Sort by "Newest Members": Click this dropdown and select "Newest Members" or "Date Joined." The list will immediately re-sort, placing the most recent joiners at the top. You can scroll down to see a chronological record of everyone who has joined your community.

This method is particularly useful for getting a headcount of how many people joined over a specific period or for finding a member who joined on a particular day.

On the Facebook Mobile App:

1. Go to the "Members" Screen: In your group, you'll see a summary of members and information at the top. Tap on this area, or find the "Members" tab in the group's navigation menu.
2. Find the Sorting Option: At the top of the members list, you'll often see a small "Sort" icon or text. Tap it.
3. Choose "Newest First": A menu will appear with sorting options. Select "Newest First" or a similar option. The list will reorder to show you new members at the top.

Method 3: Review Your Member Approval Queue & Log

For groups where admins must manually approve every new member (or use Admin Assist to do so), the approval queue and activity log serve as another record of who has recently joined.

1. Go to Admin Tools: Navigate to your group's Admin Tools section on desktop or mobile.
2. Find "Member Requests": Within Admin Tools, select "Member Requests". This shows who is currently pending approval.
3. Check the Admin Activity Log: For a record of who you've already approved, go to the Admin Activity Log. You can filter this log by action type. Select filters like "Approved member request" or "Membership changes" to see a chronological list of recently approved members. If you use Admin Assist, there's a dedicated activity log for it that shows every action it has taken, including auto-approving new members based on your criteria.

This method is less about welcoming members and more about auditing your new member flow and double-checking that approvals are happening as expected.

Actionable Strategies for Welcoming Your New Members

Seeing your new members is only half the battle. The real magic happens when you use that information to create a fantastic onboarding experience. Here are a few high-impact strategies:

1. Create a Rock-Solid Weekly Welcome Post

Using the "New Members" feed to generate an automated welcome post is efficient and effective. Don't just stick with the generic text - customize it!

• Tag Everyone: The best part of this feature is the automatic tagging. It sends a notification to every new member, drawing them back into the group.
• Ask an Engaging Question: Encourage replies by asking simple, low-effort questions. Examples include, "Where are you joining us from?" or "What's the #1 thing you hope to learn in this group?"
• Link to Important Resources: Use the welcome post to direct new members to your group's rules, a pinned welcome guide, or a valuable piece of content that newbies would find helpful.

2. Send a Personalized Welcome DM (When Possible)

For smaller, high-touch communities or coaching groups, a personal message can make a huge impact. You don’t need to do this for a group with thousands of new members a week, but for a group getting 10-20 new members a day, it's manageable and highly effective.

Keep it simple and direct. Something like, "Hey [Name], just wanted to personally say welcome to the group! We're glad to have you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. P.S. We'd love for you to introduce yourself on our pinned intro post!" This human-to-human connection is becoming rare and can set your community apart.

3. Use Their Member Questions for Content Ideas

When new members join, their answers to your membership questions are a goldmine of information. Are you seeing trends in the problems they say they're struggling with? Are many of them coming from the same background or asking for the same type of help?

Dedicate time each week to review these answers. If 20 new people all say they're struggling with "finding new clients," that's a perfect topic for your next Facebook Live, poll, or series of posts. Responding directly to your members' stated needs makes them feel heard and makes your group incredibly valuable.

Final Thoughts

Consistently identifying and welcoming new members is a foundational practice for building a thriving Facebook group. By using the dedicated new member feed, sorting your master list, or reviewing your approval logs, you have multiple ways to keep track of a community influx. Making that initial welcome experience engaging and personal will pay dividends in long-term member activity and retention.

As you welcome waves of new members, the initial engagement can quickly become a lot to manage. A well-crafted welcome post often generates dozens of comments, replies, and even DMs from people excited to be there. Instead of trying to keep up by jumping between Facebook notifications and your inbox, we built Postbase with a unified inbox that brings all your comments and DMs from Facebook and your other social platforms into one clean view. It makes reacting to and managing that initial influx of community engagement feel organized and manageable, so you never miss a chance to connect.