How additional profiles work in Facebook groups
Anyone on Facebook can create additional Facebook profiles
under their main account. Each profile has its own @username, Feed, friends list, Pages it follows, and groups it participates in. You can switch between profiles without logging in and out of Facebook
.
Someone may want to create an additional profile for joining or managing a group if:
The group is about something private and they don’t want to join or participate under the name they use in everyday life.
They want to join groups, follow Pages, post, and/or become friends with people around a specific topic or interest, and they want to contain that activity to a different profile.
They want to manage the group with a dedicated profile in order to contain their admin activities, Feed, notifications, and more to a different profile.
Limits on additional profiles in groups
Up to two profiles from the same account can join/participate in the same group. For example, someone with two additional profiles has three profiles total (their main profile and two additional profiles), but only two of their profiles can join/participate in the same group.
Only one profile can interact with a single group post. For example, if you post in a group, you can’t comment or reply on that post with a different profile.
Membership/participation approvals for additional profiles
In groups where approvals are required ( private groups and any public group that requires participant approval
), each profile has to be approved. For example, if a member of a private group creates an additional profile in order to post in the group with a different name, that additional profile will have to request to join/participate.
Additional profiles are considered to have joined Facebook at the same time as the account. For example, if someone joined Facebook five years ago then later creates an additional profile and requests to join a group, Admin Assist
will consider the profile to have joined Facebook five years ago.
To see if someone is using an additional profile, go to their profile and look for an @username.
Effects of suspending, banning and removing a profile
Admin/moderator action on a member’s profile
Suspend
Effect on that profile
Cannot
participate in the group until the suspension ends
Effect on any of their profiles NOT in the group (main profile or additional profile)
Cannot
see, join or participate in the group until the suspension ends
Effect on any of their other profiles already in the group (main profile or additional profile)
No effect. Can
still see and participate in the group.
Admin/moderator action on a member’s profile
Ban
Effect on that profile
Cannot
find the group in search, see any of its content, or be invited to the group again
Effect on any of their profiles NOT in the group (main profile or additional profile)
Cannot
find the group in search, see any of its content, or join/participate
Effect on any of their other profiles already in the group (main profile or additional profile)
No effect. Can
still find the group in search, see its content, and participate in the group. Note that up to two profiles from the same account can join/participate in the same group.
Admin/moderator action on a member’s profile
Remove
Effect on that profile
Can
find the group in search, re-join and then participate
Effect on any of their profiles NOT in the group (main profile or additional profile)
No effect.
Can find the group in search, join and participate. Note that up to two profiles from the same account can join/participate in the same group.
Effect on any of their other profiles already in the group (main profile or additional profile)
No effect
Admins can also prevent someone they banned from joining again under a different account
.
Misuse of additional profiles
Keeping Facebook safe is a top priority. We have policies for additional profiles
, and our Community Standards
apply to all profiles. If someone goes against our standards from any of their profiles, it will affect their Facebook account. People who violate our policies or take other actions that threaten the safety or well-being of others may become ineligible to create additional profiles. If someone repeatedly or egregiously violates our policies while using their additional profiles, one or more of their profiles (including their main profile) may be disabled.
If you’re concerned about additional profiles in a group you manage, consider:
Allowing anonymous posts in your group
. People concerned about privacy might choose to post anonymously instead of creating an additional profile
Options for managing membership
(for private groups)
Options for managing posts/participation
Setting up Admin Assist
to make approvals easier
Tools that can catch spam in your group
More information
Create an additional profile and switch between your profiles
Delete, deactivate or reactivate an additional Facebook profile
Privacy for additional profiles
The difference between your Facebook account and profile
