Google Groups Quick Start Guide


Google Groups Quick Start Guide

Overview

This guide covers how to manage Google Groups at UCSD. It includes steps for accessing, adding, and removing members, adjusting permissions, and handling common questions.

Critical Concepts

Accessing the Groups You Own or Manage

  1. Go to https://groups.google.com/my-groups.
  2. You will see all of your groups listed. Click a group name to open it.
  3. To open settings for a specific group, click the gear icon to the right of the group name, or navigate into the group and click Group settings at the bottom of the left panel.

Adding Members or Owners to a Group

  1. Sign in to Google Groups with your UCSD account.
  2. Click My groups on the left (if not already selected).
  3. Click on the group you want to manage.
  4. On the left panel under People, click Members.
  5. At the top, click the Add Members button.
  6. Enter the email addresses of the people to add.
  7. Enter a welcome message (optional).
  8. Set how members will receive email from the group (subscription settings).
  9. Click Add Members.

Note: You can add up to 200 members at once after completing the CAPTCHA. For more details, see Google's documentation on adding and inviting members.

Removing Members from a Group

  1. Sign in to Google Groups with your UCSD account.
  2. Click My groups on the left.
  3. Click on the group you want to manage.
  4. On the left panel under People, click Members.
  5. Check the box next to the member(s) you want to remove.
  6. Click the Remove member button (person icon with a minus sign) at the top of the list.
  7. Confirm the removal.

Changing Posting Permissions (Who Can Send to the Group)

  1. Sign in to Google Groups with your UCSD account.
  2. Click My groups on the left.
  3. Click on the group, then click Group settings at the bottom of the left panel.
  4. Under Posting policies, scroll to Who can post and select the appropriate permission.

Moderate Messages

  1. Sign in to Google Groups with your UCSD account.
  2. Click My groups on the left.
  3. Click on the group, then click Group settings at the bottom of the left panel.
  4. Under Posting policies, scroll to Message moderation and select the appropriate setting.

Note: Once moderation is enabled, pending messages can be approved by clicking the Pending folder in the left panel.

Allow People to Join or Subscribe to a Group

  1. Sign in to Google Groups with your UCSD account.
  2. Click My groups on the left.
  3. Click on the group, then click Group settings at the bottom of the left panel.
  4. Under Member privacy, set Who can see group to the desired visibility:
    • Organization members — anyone at UCSD can find the group
    • Anyone on the web — anyone on the internet, including personal Gmail accounts, can find the group
  5. Under Membership, set Who can join the group:
    • Organization users only — limits joining to @ucsd.edu addresses
    • Anyone on the web can request to join — you will be notified when someone requests to join, and can approve them
  6. Share your group's subscription link. The format is always: https://groups.google.com/a/ucsd.edu/g/[group-address] Replace [group-address] with your group's address, without the @ucsd.edu part.
  7. When a subscriber navigates to that URL, they will see a Join Group or Request to Join button depending on your settings.
    • If the subscriber is not signed into a Google account, they will need to sign in or create a Google Groups membership. (Anyone can create a Google Groups membership even without a Gmail address.)

Heads up — Upcoming Change (Q2 2026): Google is rolling out stricter internal/external member classifications. Groups with "Allow members outside your organization" turned off will be restricted to org members only. If your group currently allows external members, review your settings after this change goes into effect.

FAQ

Q: Mailman allowed me to add "non-members who can still post to the group." How do I do this in Google Groups?

Google Groups does not have this exact feature, but you can achieve the same result by adding these senders as members with email delivery turned off:

  1. Follow the Adding Members steps above to add the person.
  2. Once added, navigate to Members and check the box next to that member.
  3. Click the delivery setting dropdown (it will show Each Email by default) and set it to No Email.

Q: Mailman allowed me to modify the display name of my list members. But Google is only showing the email address for some members.

Google Groups only shows the full name for addresses that have an identity registered in Google. For internal @ucsd.edu addresses, make sure the member's email is set to their primary address (not an alias). For external addresses, you cannot change the display name — only the member can do that from their own account.

Members can update their own display name by following these steps:

  1. Go to https://groups.google.com/my-groups.
  2. Click on the group name.
  3. In the left panel, click My membership settings.
  4. Update the Display name field and click Save.

Q: How do I leave or unsubscribe from a group?

  1. Go to https://groups.google.com/my-groups.
  2. Find the group you want to leave.
  3. Click the gear icon to the right of the group name.
  4. Select Leave group and confirm.

Alternatively, members can unsubscribe by replying to any group email with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line, or by clicking the unsubscribe link in the email footer if present.

If you still have questions or need additional assistance, please get in touch with the ITS Service Desk: