Facebook doesn't like it when you make too many friend requests at once. Trying to expand your network too quickly could get you blocked from adding more Facebook friends. Perchance it already happened to you lot, and y'all can't friend someone on Facebook?

Innocent mistakes and ignorance of essential Facebook etiquette can atomic number 82 to consequences like these. Only with our tips on how to manage Facebook friend requests, yous can avoid facing unintentional punishment or lift an existing block and continue making many new friends.

How to Add together Friends on Facebook

Here is a little refresher on the basics of adding friends for those of you not too familiar with Facebook. Everyone else, please skip alee.

When logged into Facebook, you can find your awaiting friend requests under Menu (3x3 dots icon) > Friends. Facebook no longer highlights awaiting friend requests, but you volition see a note in your Facebook notifications.

Expanded Facebook Menu with Friends option selected.

On your Facebook Friends page, you'll see a summary of pending friend requests and a list of people you lot may know in the left-hand sidebar. Click a person'south name on the left to see their total profile on the correct.

Select Confirm to add together a friend or Delete Request to deny the request. The sender won't exist notified.

Overview of received friend requests and people you may know on Facebook.

How to Transport and Abolish a Friend Request on Facebook

You lot can also search for people you know, open their profiles, and, if they accept friend requests from the public or friends of friends, add them by clicking the Add Friend button located right adjacent to the Message button.

Facebook Add Friend button on a person's profile page.

To cancel a friend request, go back to their profile, click that same button, which now reads Cancel Asking.

You tin as well remove a friend via your Friends listing. Facebook does non notify people if you remove them. Nonetheless, it is possible to track your Facebook friends with third-party tools and receive alerts when people remove yous. An example of such a tool is Who Deleted Me.

Unfollowing vs. Unfriending

Rather than unfriending people who are flooding your News Feed with featherbrained posts, endeavour unfollowing them instead. That way you can maintain your digital sanity, without risking the loss of a real-life friendship. For more information, read our primer on following and unfollowing on Facebook.

From your Feed (Dwelling) find a post from your overactive friend, click the arrowhead in the superlative right to expand the post bill of fare, and click Unfollow. If yous think the hyperactivity is merely temporary, you can also snooze their messages for 30 days.

Facebook on-post menu to unfollow or snooze a friend.

Alternatively, head to your friend'south contour, expand the carte du jour right next to your friendship status, and select Unfollow from the bottom.

Unfollow a Facebook friend from their profile page.

Unwritten Facebook Friend Asking Rules

Now that yous understand the basics of how to add friends on Facebook, let's review some finer details of managing Facebook friend requests.

1. Only Add People You Know

Facebook only wants you to add people y'all know in real life. If your friend requests frequently remain unanswered or even if just i person reports your friend request as unwanted, Facebook may conclude that you have sent friend requests that violate its Customs Standards.

Consequently, Facebook might block yous from sending friend requests for some fourth dimension.

To avert existence blocked from adding friends, make it piece of cake for people to recognize you. Here are some guidelines:

  • Use your real name or the name you apply in your everyday life, and set a genuine profile photograph.
  • Attempt to add only people with whom you have common Facebook friends.
  • Transport your desired contact a message introducing yourself before you add together them.

In other words: don't expect similar a faux account, don't add random strangers, and don't be a stranger yourself.

ii. Add Friends Conservatively

You will often want to add a new friend immediately, even though you don't have mutual friends on Facebook. And it might be more awkward to send a message showtime than to add them direct. That's cool.

But exist certain you lot don't add together too many people without common friends at once but to expand your Facebook accomplish.

Faceboook Follow Option

If you don't know someone, only just desire to know what they mail service on Facebook, and if there is an option to follow them, rather cull that selection. From their profile, click the three-dot menu, and select Follow. This allows y'all to run across what they are up to, merely your timeline is not shared with them.

three. Report Spammy Friend Requests

When you delete a friend request, Facebook promises that the sender won't exist notified. Only they might transport you a new asking. If you can't go rid of them, you can utilise either the Find support or report offline or Block options, available from the three-dot menu, to foreclose further friend requests from that person.

Block person after unsolicited friend request on Facebook.

Employ the get-go option to report false accounts, strangers, or people who harass you.

Report an unwelcome friend request on Facebook.

Keep in mind that if you practice this, the person may be penalized.

4. Review Friend Requests Yous Accept Sent

Feeling self-conscious most maybe having sent as well many friend requests yourself? Become alee and double-check.

Become to Friends > Friend Requests > View Sent Requests. From here, you can cancel pending requests.

Cancel Facebook friend requests you've sent.

5. Block Friend Requests From Strangers

Facebook allows you lot to restrict who can send you a friend asking. Not setting that limit is an open invitation for anyone to request your friendship.

If you're receiving too many friend requests from strangers, hither's how you lot can stop it.

Expand the Account menu (arrowhead icon) in the top right and click through to Settings & privacy > Settings > Privacy. Under How People Detect and Contact You find the Who tin can send yous friend requests? option and click Edit. Your choices are Anybody or Friends of friends.

Facebook friend request settings in the Privacy section.

6. Hibernate Your Friends List

Allowing everyone to see who y'all've friended could cause some people to exist jealous and subject your friends to unsolicited friend requests. It'southward best to restrict who tin can run across your Friends listing and friend activity.

To hibernate your Friends listing, head to How People Observe and Contact You on your Settings page. Notice the choice Who can run across your friends list? and click edit.

Here, you can farther refine your privacy settings past choosing who can see your Friends list.

Choose who can see your Facebook friends list.

Yous can likewise admission all friends-related settings from your (existing) Facebook friends page. From your contour page, click Encounter all friends, then click the iii-dot menu adjacent to Find Friends and choose Edit Privacy.

Edit your Facebook friends privacy.

Why Tin't I Friend Someone on Facebook?

If you can't seem to friend someone on Facebook, here are the most likely reasons...

i. You lot Sent an Unsuccessful Friend Asking

Yous already sent a friend request, and information technology's either notwithstanding awaiting or the recipient deleted it. Now, the Add Friend button doesn't show up, so you tin can't ship a new friend request.

If your asking was deleted, Facebook has blocked you from sending that person another friend request for one whole twelvemonth. The only way to get around this is to ask the other person to send you a friend request.

If your request is still awaiting (follow our instructions under "Review Friend Requests You lot Take Sent" above), you lot could send your friend-to-be a message and inquire them to corroborate your asking.

2. You Blocked the Other Person

You lot tin can't friend someone you've blocked. See if you can unblock them so try sending a new friend asking.

3. They Don't Let Friend Requests From Strangers

As outlined above, Facebook allows you to restrict who tin can send you a friend request. If that's the reason you can't friend someone, ask them to send you a friend request instead.

4. Someone Has Likewise Many Friends Already

Neither you, nor your friend-to-exist, can have more than than 5,000 friends. If one of you lot has crossed that limit, yous tin can't ship each other friend requests.

If you accept too many friends, consider turning your account into a Facebook Page.

5. Facebook Blocked You From Sending Friend Requests

This can happen if you send also many friend requests at in one case, take many unanswered friend requests, or if several people marked your requests equally spam.

According to the Facebook Help Center, Facebook cannot elevator a cake early, merely fortunately, it's only temporary and will expire within a few days.

Follow our guidelines above to avoid this from happening again.

Principal Your Facebook Friendships

Friend requests on Facebook remain awkward. Whether you add your best friend, someone y'all know from schoolhouse, your mom, or your dominate, every bit far equally Facebook is concerned everyone is a "friend."

Still, Facebook does acknowledge various levels of friendship. After all, yous tin can sort your friends into shut friends, family, acquaintances, or any other custom list you create.

How to See Friendship and Human relationship History on Facebook

Yous can utilize a unproblematic URL to see the friendship and relationship history betwixt you and others on Facebook.

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