Create a group in Yammer

Note: This topic describes features in classic Yammer. For information on using this feature in new Yammer, see Join and create a community in Yammer.

Groups in Yammer make it easy to work together on projects and events by providing a central place for your conversations, files, and updates. When you create a group, you automatically become an owner of the group. To learn how to manage your group, see Manage a group in Yammer.

Click the Yammer tile in Microsoft 365.
At the bottom-left corner of the screen, select Create a new group.
Choose one of the following:

Note: If you can't create external groups, either because your admin has turned off this feature, or because your Yammer Enterprise network is in the EU Geo, you'll only see the Internal Group option.

Select Internal Group to collaborate with people inside your company.

Select External Group to collaborate with people who work at other companies.
Under Group Name, enter the name of your group.
Tips:
- Use a short name so that it is easy for people to scan the list of groups. Your company may have group naming conventions to follow. Look at other group names in your organization to see the names other people have used, and to make sure the group you want to create doesn't already exist.
- If your organization uses Microsoft 365 connected groups and has a group naming policy, a prefix and or a suffix will be automatically added. If needed, a Yammer admin can override the group naming policy. For more information, see the Microsoft 365 Groups Naming Policy.
Under Group Members, enter the names or email addresses of anyone you want to add to the group.
Under Who can view conversations and post messages, select one of the following:
- Public Access: Anyone on your network can view the content posted to this group, and can join this group.
- Private Access: Only approved members of this group can view the content and a group admin must approve people who request to join this group. If you want this private group to be discoverable, select List this group in our network's group directory and search results.
If your group is a Microsoft 365 connected group, you'll also see a Classification section. The default classification is displayed. To change it, click Edit, and select the classification from the drop-down list.
Select Create Group.

FAQ

Q. When should I create a new group?

A. Here are some suggestions for when to create a group:

You know some people who want to participate in a community.
You have content to contribute and can devote some time to managing the community.
You understand that if you create it, you own it.

Q: Can I choose whether to create a regular Yammer group or a Microsoft 365 connected group?

A: No. The type of Yammer group your organization uses is determined by your IT staff: all new groups created in Yammer are either regular Yammer groups or Microsoft 365 connected Yammer groups. To see which type of Yammer group your organization uses, create a group and see if there is an Office 365 Resources section on the right pane of the group page. For more information, see Is my group in Yammer connected to Microsoft 365?.

Q: What features do I get if I'm using a Microsoft 365 connected group?

A: Your Microsoft 365 connected group in Yammer also gets a SharePoint site, a SharePoint document library, a OneNote notebook, a plan in Microsoft Planner, and a group that can be accessed in Outlook and in the Global Address Book.

Q: Can I create a Microsoft 365 connected Yammer group that uses existing Microsoft 365 group resources?

A: No. When a new Microsoft 365 connected Yammer group is created, it gets a new SharePoint site, SharePoint document library, OneNote notebook, plan in Microsoft Planner, and shows up in the Global Address Book.

Q: Why don't I have the option to create a community?

A: When an admin applies a group creation policy, only permitted users will see the option to create a community.

Q: Why do I get the error message: "Name is in use by an existing group, user, or invited user."

A: For Yammer groups, if another group either currently exists, or if a user or someone who has been invited to your Yammer network has the same name as your proposed group name, you can't use the name.

For Microsoft 365 connected groups, if a group that has been recently deleted has the same name as your proposed group name, the name can't be reused until the group is permanently deleted. For more information, see Permanently delete a Microsoft 365 group.

Q: Why can't I create private unlisted groups, allow member approval in private groups, or require approval to join a public group?

A: Beginning in January 2017, there were changes to Yammer group types. These changes only impact new groups: existing groups with closed membership or team approval settings are not changed.

Public Groups - the option for closed memberships is no longer be available
Private Groups (Listed) - only group admins can grant approvals to new members
Private Groups (Unlisted) - only group admins can grant approvals to new members

Group type	Before January 2017	After January 2017
Public Group	The option for closed membership (requiring approval of either the admin of the group or member to join) was still available.	The option for closed memberships (requiring approval of either the admin of the group or member to join) is no longer available; Public groups do not require any approvals going forward.
Private Group	Need approval - admin of the Yammer group or any member can approve.	Only the admin of the Yammer group can grant approvals.
Private Group (Unlisted))	Need approval - admin of the Yammer group or any member can approve.	Only the admin of the Yammer group can grant approvals.

Create a group in Yammer