Create an external group

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Create an external group

1 min read

I. Intro

In Lark, groups can be internal or external. Internal groups are for organization members, whereas external groups are for communicating and collaborating with people outside your organization. External groups have a External tag next to their names to help you identify them.

II. Steps

Create an external group

When creating a group, click External Contacts in the New Group window.

Select one or more external contacts and create an external group.

Note: Both external contacts and organization members can join external groups.

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Create external groups with people nearby

You can also create groups with people nearby. Doing this will create an external group by default.

Invite external contacts to an external group

You can with those you want to invite. Alternatively, if they are not yet one of your contacts, you can add them as an external contact and then add them as a group member.

Note: To have someone join your group as an external contact, they must first download and sign up for Lark before they can join the group.

III. FAQs

Can external contacts be added to an internal group?

No. If you try to add an external contact to an internal group, you'll be given the option to create a new external group. This new group will include both the external contact and the existing members of the internal group. Additionally, you can decide whether to transfer the chat history from the internal group to the newly created external group.

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Can an external group be converted to an internal group?

No.

Can the external group owner transfer ownership to an external contact in the group?

No. The group owner can only be transferred to internal company members within the group.

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When the owner of an external group leaves without transferring ownership, who will become the new group owner?

There are two scenarios:

If there are still internal members from the same company as the group owner in the external group, the first internal member who joined the external group excluding the group owner will become the new group owner.

If there are no longer any internal members from the same company as the group owner in the external group, the external group will automatically dissolve.