# Verifying and removing members

> Confirm that someone who joined by link really belongs to a group, or remove them. Removed members can't rejoin that group with a link on their own.

Source: https://milvao.com/help/community/verifying-members · Updated 2026-11-05

## Key takeaways

- Members who join through a link start as Joined by link, because links can be forwarded.
- Verify the ones you know belong to the group, and remove the ones who don't.
- Joining again never undoes a removal or a verification. Only your team can add a removed member back.
- Removing someone from one group doesn't touch their other groups or their profile.

Join links can be forwarded, so a join only tells you which link someone used, not that they really belong to the group. Verifying records that your team confirmed it. Removing takes someone out of a group they shouldn't be in and stops them rejoining it with a link. Owners and operators can both verify and remove.

## Membership states

Each member has a separate state for every group they joined:

| State | What it means | Can change to |
|---|---|---|
| **Joined by link** | Joined using that group's link. Not confirmed by your team | Verified, Removed |
| **Verified** | Someone on your team confirmed they belong. Shows who verified and when | Removed |
| **Removed** | Your team removed them from this group. Shows the date | Verified, by your team only |

## Verify a member

1. Open **Members** and click the member.
2. Under **Groups**, find the group.
3. Click **Verify**.

The badge changes to **Verified**, with your name and the date. Verifying is a single click because it's easy to undo by removing.

> [!TIP]
> To verify many members of one group, open **Groups and links**, click the group's member count, and work down the filtered list.

## Remove a member from a group

1. Open **Members** and click the member.
2. Under **Groups**, find the group and click **Remove**.
3. Confirm with **Remove from group**.

The badge changes to **Removed**. From then on:

- If they send that group's JOIN code again, Milvao doesn't add them back. They get the reply: "An organiser removed you from "[group]", so this link can't add you back. Ask an organiser of the group to re-add you."
- They no longer count when you filter **Members** by that group, in the group's member count on **Groups and links**, or in **Members by group** on **Overview**.
- Their profile, their other groups and their choices about introduction requests stay as they are.

Removing someone from a group in Milvao doesn't remove them from the WhatsApp group. Do that in WhatsApp if you need to.

## Add a removed member back

1. Open the member and find the group under **Groups**.
2. Click **Verify**.
3. Confirm with **Verify again**.

They're now **Verified** in that group. Joining again with the group's link never does this on its own.

## Good to know

- Every verify and remove is recorded in Milvao's audit log with who made the change and when.
- If someone else on your team changed the same membership a moment before you, Milvao shows "This membership changed since you loaded the page. Refresh and try again." instead of overwriting their change. Refresh the page and check the new state.
- A member who is removed from every group still has a profile. To remove their personal data completely, see [Your data and how long we keep it](/help/privacy-and-security/data-and-retention).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I have to verify everyone?
No. Verifying is optional. It helps your team see at a glance who you know belongs, which matters most when a link may have been shared outside the group.

### Does verifying change what the member sees?
No. Members aren't told when they're verified or removed. A removed member only finds out if they send that group's JOIN code again.

### Can a removed member still ask for introductions?
Removing affects only that group. Their profile stays active, so they can still use Milvao. To stop someone using Milvao entirely, contact Milvao.