Address the external members warning

You might see this warning if a member’s account is not part of your Google Workspace account. For example, the member’s email address could be external to your domain or in a split delivery scenario with your domain.

Split delivery example 

Say example.com is part of your Google Workspace account that also uses Microsoft Office 365 (split delivery). You add an Office 365 user ([email protected]) to [email protected] in Google Groups. The user has your domain (example.com) and is internal to your domain, but their address is not part of Google Workspace because they’re an Office 365 user. Therefore, [email protected] is marked as an external user and you get a warning. 

More about external members

If a group or subgroup includes deactivated members (such as for violating Google's user agreement) or those from a different organization, the system recognizes these members as external. Also, if a member has an error or extra characters in their email address, they’re considered an external member. For example, if an admin adds [email protected] to a group as [email protected], then Groups tags this member as external. In these cases, you get a warning.

Take care when sharing confidential information

External members have an External tag next to their name in your member list. If a group includes such members, information that you share with that group might not stay private. Be cautious about sharing confidential information with a group that has external members. The banner itself does not prevent members from sharing confidential information with the group. 

Filter external members

The banner appears whether an external user is in the group or a subgroup, but the steps below display external members only in the specific group you select. 

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click the name of a group.
3. Choose an option: 
   • On the left, click Members.
   • Go to subgroup’s member list.
     If you don't have Who can view members permission for a subgroup, contact that group's owner. 
4. Click Filter external members for a list of external group members.

Remove the external member warning banner

If all members of your groups and subgroups are active internal members, the banner might be appearing because of a typo in a member's email address. You can take steps to remove the banner in this situation, but you can also ignore this warning. 

Remove external member tags or the warning banner by ensuring that all member email domains match one of your organization’s domains or alias domains exactly. If you have the Who can manage members permission, you can delete members from the group and then add them again with an accurate internal email address.  

Related topics

• View or edit group details
• Delete a group or stop members from posting
• View, add, or remove group members