Premium and Enterprise groups can lock their group, as well as any subgroups, which preserves the archive on Groups.io but prevents members from posting messages to it or making changes to any other group content such as files, photos, and databases.

To lock a group or subgroup:

1. Desktop browser: In the left menu on the group’s website, select Admin > Preferences > Settings.
   Mobile device: At the bottom of a group page, tap the More icon, then select Admin > Preferences > Settings on the More menu.  
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page and click or tap the Lock Group button.
3. When the Verify Lock confirmation popup appears, click or tap Yes.

If you decide to unlock the group or subgroup:

1. Desktop browser: In the left menu on the group’s website, select Admin > Preferences > Settings.
   Mobile device: At the bottom of a group page, tap the More icon, then select Admin > Preferences > Settings on the More menu.  
2. On the Settings page, click or tap the Unlock Group button.
3. When the Verify Unlock confirmation popup appears, click or tap Yes.

Note: Groups.io automatically locks any subgroups that were created in:

• A Free group that was created after January 15, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time, then upgraded to Premium, then later downgraded back to Free
• A trial Premium group that is downgraded to a Free group

Those subgroups are locked until the Free group is upgraded again.