# Find and join a yard

> Tap Explore beside your yards on HOME, look inside an open yard before you join, then tap Join — or ask to join when a yard needs approval.

Section: Yards · Updated: 2026-10-12
URL: https://commonyard.app/guides/find-and-join-a-yard/

A yard is a community inside CommonYard: a school, a church or mosque, a family, a team, a group of friends. Each has its own posts, chat and events.

## Steps

1. On **HOME**, tap **Explore** (*Find a yard to join*) beside your yards. If you have swiped up to the posts, tap the small arrow beside the yard's name first to go **Back to all your yards**.
2. The **Find a yard** page lists open yards you could join. Narrow the list with **Schools**, **Faith** or **Other**, or search for a yard by name.
3. Tap a yard to look inside before you join: you can read its posts and chat. At the top it says you are looking around.
4. Tap **Join** on the list, or **Join yard** inside the yard. If a yard needs approval, you ask to join instead: an owner or admin lets you in, and you get a notification when they do.

![The Find a yard page: a search box, the kinds of yard, then open yards with their members and a Join button each](https://commonyard.app/guides/img/find-yard.webp "Read about a yard, or open it, before you join.")

![A yard you are not in yet: a banner saying you are looking around, with a Join yard button, above the yard's posts](https://commonyard.app/guides/img/yard-visit.webp "Look around first. Join yard is at the top.")

Further down, **Liveliest this week** shows the yards with the most going on. Can't find yours? The last thing on the page is the way to make one. See [Make a yard](/guides/make-a-yard/).

## Joining from a link

If a friend sends you a yard's link, open it and you land in that yard, ready to join.

## After you join

- The yard joins your yards on HOME straight away. Tap it to see that yard's posts. For the whole Yard, swipe up and tap **CommonYard**, the first tile.
- CommonYard asks whether the yard can reach you with notifications. See [Turn on notifications](/guides/turn-on-notifications/).
- If the yard has [sub yards](/guides/sub-yards/) — a class, a club, a hall — they are listed near the top of the yard for you to join too.
- Joining a yard earns 10 points.

## Leaving

Open the yard, tap its name at the top, and tap **Leave yard** at the bottom of its page. CommonYard asks once more: tap **Leave**, or **Stay** if you changed your mind.