How do I remove an old role from a group or online community?

Start by identifying the exact community and account, then note the role currently shown and what you believe it should be. Check whether the role is still needed—for example, whether the person’s responsibilities have changed—rather than treating a title that looks old as proof that it should be removed.

Next, find the platform’s current member or role settings and check who is allowed to make that change. Permissions are platform-specific. For example, Google Groups for work or school uses owner, manager, and member roles, with different permissions; organization administrators may also affect available permissions.[S1] In Slack, managing other members’ roles is restricted to workspace or organization owners and admins, with permissions varying by plan and organizational level.[S2]

If you cannot confirm that you have permission, don’t try another person’s account or look for a workaround. Ask the appropriate owner or administrator to review the role.

Keep the request factual and focused on access, not the person. Include the community name, the account or member identifier needed to distinguish the record, the role currently displayed, and the change you are asking the authorized manager to consider. Give a short reason, such as “this role appears connected to a project that has ended,” only if that is what you know.

Copy and adapt this:

Subject: Please review a community role Community: [community name] Member/account: [name or account identifier] Role currently shown: [role] Requested change: [remove role / change to role] Reason: [brief, factual context] Could an authorized owner or administrator confirm whether this change is appropriate and let me know when it has been reviewed?

Use the community’s established support or admin channel. Don’t include passwords, sign-in codes, or unrelated personal details.

Use the platform’s official settings, and pause to verify the target account and requested role before saving. Read the confirmation text carefully: “remove role,” “change role,” and “remove member” may be different actions. Choose only the change you intend, and avoid changing broader access or membership as a substitute.

Check whether the action has limitations before proceeding. Slack notes that role-change permissions differ by plan and workspace versus organization level, and an administrator may not be able to demote someone after promoting them, depending on the role.[S2] Google’s documented role controls apply to Google Groups for work or school; they do not establish how unrelated platforms work.[S1] If the available control or consequence is unclear, consult that platform’s current help information or another authorized administrator before saving.

For a request, ask for confirmation from the authorized person and check the role through the community’s normal member view, if you can access it. For a change you made, revisit the relevant settings and verify the intended account and role—not just a notification that something was saved. If it still appears unchanged, note what you see and when, then ask an owner or platform support to review it. Don’t repeatedly submit changes or broaden the action to remove the member unless that is explicitly the intended, authorized decision.