For a few years, the obvious answer to "how do I run a members-only group on X?" was Communities: a shared timeline with its own rules, moderators and join settings. That answer no longer works. X announced on April 23, 2026 that it was ending Communities, and the feature shut down in May 2026, with the migration deadline extended to May 30.
X's head of product, Nikita Bier, gave two reasons in his announcement: very few people used Communities (under 0.4% of users, by his count), and they were tied to a large share of the spam, scam and malware reports on the platform. X pointed admins to group chats instead.
So where does a members-only group live now? There's no single feature that does everything Communities did. There are four pieces you can combine.
Option 1: a joinable group chat
This is the replacement X itself recommended, and for most groups it's the core of the setup.
How it works. You create a group in XChat, switch on its invite link, and share the link wherever prospective members will find it. People who open the link see the group name and member count and can request to join. Admins accept or reject each request. Our group chat guide covers the steps.
What it does well. It's genuinely members-only. Nobody gets in without approval, and outsiders can't read along. Conversation is fast and replies stay attached to the message they answer. XChat groups are encrypted and hold hundreds of members (500 at the time Communities closed, with X aiming for 1,000).
What it lacks. Nothing in a chat is searchable from outside or visible to newcomers. Old messages scroll away, so anything that should last, like rules, a schedule or a resource list, gets buried. Large chats also get noisy, and there's no equivalent of a Community's topic tabs.
Use it for: day-to-day conversation, quick announcements, questions.
Option 2: Spaces for live sessions
Spaces are live audio rooms. A host can have up to two co-hosts, and X's help center allows up to 11 people with speaking rights including the host; everyone else listens. Anyone on X can listen to a public Space, so a Space is not members-only by itself. But it's how many groups hold their regular meeting: a weekly call where members raise their hand to speak.
What it does well. It's live, it's voice, and it brings people back at a set time. You can schedule a Space up to 14 days ahead so members get a reminder, and you can record it for people who missed it.
What it lacks. Spaces are public, and they're temporary unless recorded. Accounts with protected posts can't host them.
Use it for: a regular meeting, office hours, an AMA with a guest.
Option 3: a protected account as a broadcast channel
If you need a members-only feed rather than a chat, a separate protected account does the job. When an account protects its posts, only followers it approves can see them. Members request to follow; you approve them; they see your posts in their timeline like any other account.
What it does well. Announcements stay organized and in order, and the account's profile becomes the archive. You can pin rules or a welcome post at the top. Only you post, so the feed stays quiet.
What it lacks. Members can't post into it; it's one-way. Posts from protected accounts can't be reposted, which is the point, but it also means members can't share an announcement with a friend who should join. And as noted, protected accounts can't host Spaces, so you'd run those from your main account.
Use it for: paid or invite-only updates, a committee's announcements, anything that should be read but not discussed in public.
Option 4: a List as the group's public face
A public List of your members gives the group a shared, followable timeline of everything members post publicly. It doesn't replace a private space. What it gives you is something Communities had and group chats don't: a place where outsiders can see what the group is about. Put the chat's invite link in the List description, and the List becomes your front door. Details are in using X Lists to reach a group.
Putting it together
Here's a setup that covers most of what a Community gave a mid-sized group:
| Need | Tool |
|---|---|
| Private conversation | XChat group with invite link and approval |
| Rules and welcome info | Pinned post on your profile (or the protected account) |
| Announcements | Public post, pinned, plus one message in the chat |
| Regular meetings | Scheduled Space, recorded |
| Showing the group to outsiders | Public List of members who agreed to be on it |
Give one person the job of approving join requests and another the job of moderating the chat. Once a group grows past a few dozen people, that job sharing matters more than any feature.
If X isn't enough
Some groups left X entirely when Communities closed, and for large groups that depended on threads, topics and long-lived posts, that's a reasonable choice. A forum or a dedicated chat app does those things better than a social network does. Many groups now keep their discussion elsewhere and use X for what it's good at: public announcements, Spaces, and being findable. If you go that way, write your announcements with the broadcast planner so each one fits the places people still read you on X.
Questions
Are X Communities still available?
No. X announced on April 23, 2026 that it would end Communities, closed them in May 2026, and gave admins until May 30 to move members. X suggested group chats in XChat as the replacement.
What is the closest replacement for an X Community?
A group chat with an invite link and admin-approved join requests. It gives you a private, members-only conversation. Pair it with a public post or List for anything you want non-members to see.
Can I make a private broadcast channel on X?
A protected account works as one: only followers you approve can see its posts. The tradeoffs are that posts can't be reposted and protected accounts can't host Spaces.
PubliciTweet is independent and not affiliated with X Corp. Features on X change often; if something here no longer matches what you see in the app, tell us.