Facebook doesn't like it when you make too many friend requests at once. Trying to expand your network as well apace could get you lot blocked from adding more Facebook friends. Maybe information technology already happened to yous, and you can't friend someone on Facebook?

Innocent mistakes and ignorance of essential Facebook etiquette can pb to consequences like these. But with our tips on how to manage Facebook friend requests, you can avoid facing unintentional penalty or lift an existing block and go on making many new friends.

How to Add Friends on Facebook

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

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

Expanded Facebook Menu with Friends option selected.

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

Select Ostend to add a friend or Delete Request to deny the request. The sender won't be notified.

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

How to Send and Cancel a Friend Request on Facebook

You 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 correct side by side to the Message button.

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

To abolish a friend request, go dorsum to their profile, click that aforementioned push, which at present reads Cancel Request.

You tin also remove a friend via your Friends list. Facebook does not notify people if you remove them. However, 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 silly posts, try unfollowing them instead. That fashion you can maintain your digital sanity, without risking the loss of a real-life friendship. For more than information, read our primer on following and unfollowing on Facebook.

From your Feed (Home) find a mail service from your overactive friend, click the arrowhead in the summit right to expand the post carte du jour, and click Unfollow. If you think the hyperactivity is just temporary, you can too snooze their messages for 30 days.

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

Alternatively, caput to your friend's profile, expand the menu correct next to your friendship condition, and select Unfollow from the bottom.

Unfollow a Facebook friend from their profile page.

Unwritten Facebook Friend Request Rules

At present that yous understand the nuts of how to add friends on Facebook, allow's review some finer details of managing Facebook friend requests.

1. Only Add together People You Know

Facebook only wants you to add people you know in existent life. If your friend requests oft remain unanswered or even if just ane person reports your friend request as unwanted, Facebook may conclude that you lot have sent friend requests that violate its Community Standards.

Consequently, Facebook might cake you from sending friend requests for some fourth dimension.

To avert being blocked from adding friends, make it easy for people to recognize you. Hither are some guidelines:

  • Use your real name or the name you apply in your everyday life, and set a genuine profile photo.
  • Try to add merely people with whom yous have mutual Facebook friends.
  • Send your desired contact a message introducing yourself before you add together them.

In other words: don't look similar a fake business relationship, don't add random strangers, and don't be a stranger yourself.

2. Add Friends Conservatively

Yous volition often desire to add a new friend immediately, even though y'all don't have common friends on Facebook. And it might be more bad-mannered to send a message first than to add them direct. That'due south cool.

Just be sure you lot don't add too many people without common friends at one time merely to aggrandize your Facebook accomplish.

Faceboook Follow Option

If yous don't know someone, but just want to know what they post on Facebook, and if there is an option to follow them, rather choose that option. From their profile, click the three-dot carte du jour, and select Follow. This allows you to run into what they are upwardly to, just your timeline is not shared with them.

3. Report Spammy Friend Requests

When you delete a friend request, Facebook promises that the sender won't exist notified. But they might send you a new asking. If you tin't get rid of them, you can use either the Find support or report offline or Block options, available from the iii-dot carte, to forbid further friend requests from that person.

Block person after unsolicited friend request on Facebook.

Apply the beginning option to report faux accounts, strangers, or people who harass you.

Report an unwelcome friend request on Facebook.

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

4. Review Friend Requests You Take Sent

Feeling self-witting virtually perchance having sent also many friend requests yourself? Get ahead and double-check.

Go to Friends > Friend Requests > View Sent Requests. From hither, y'all can cancel pending requests.

Cancel Facebook friend requests you've sent.

v. Block Friend Requests From Strangers

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

If you're receiving too many friend requests from strangers, hither's how you tin cease it.

Aggrandize the Account carte du jour (arrowhead icon) in the top right and click through to Settings & privacy > Settings > Privacy. Under How People Notice and Contact You find the Who can ship yous friend requests? option and click Edit. Your choices are Everyone or Friends of friends.

Facebook friend request settings in the Privacy section.

6. Hide Your Friends List

Assuasive everyone to see who you've friended could cause some people to be jealous and subject your friends to unsolicited friend requests. It'south all-time to restrict who can see your Friends list and friend activity.

To hide your Friends list, head to How People Find and Contact You on your Settings page. Notice the option Who tin can see your friends list? and click edit.

Here, you can further refine your privacy settings by choosing who can come across your Friends list.

Choose who can see your Facebook friends list.

You tin also access all friends-related settings from your (existing) Facebook friends page. From your contour page, click Run into all friends, and then click the three-dot menu next to Find Friends and choose Edit Privacy.

Edit your Facebook friends privacy.

Why Can't I Friend Someone on Facebook?

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

1. Yous Sent an Unsuccessful Friend Asking

You already sent a friend request, and it's either still pending or the recipient deleted it. Now, the Add Friend button doesn't show up, and then you can't send a new friend asking.

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

If your request is all the same pending (follow our instructions nether "Review Friend Requests Y'all Take Sent" to a higher place), you could send your friend-to-be a message and enquire them to approve your request.

2. You Blocked the Other Person

You tin can't friend someone you've blocked. See if you can unblock them and then effort sending a new friend request.

3. They Don't Permit Friend Requests From Strangers

Equally outlined above, Facebook allows you to restrict who can ship you lot a friend request. If that'due south the reason you can't friend someone, ask them to send you lot a friend request instead.

4. Someone Has Likewise Many Friends Already

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

If yous have too many friends, consider turning your account into a Facebook Folio.

5. Facebook Blocked Y'all From Sending Friend Requests

This can happen if you send as well many friend requests at once, have many unanswered friend requests, or if several people marked your requests as spam.

Co-ordinate to the Facebook Assistance Middle, Facebook cannot elevator a block early on, just fortunately, information technology's only temporary and volition expire within a few days.

Follow our guidelines above to avoid this from happening again.

Master Your Facebook Friendships

Friend requests on Facebook remain awkward. Whether you add your all-time friend, someone you know from school, your mom, or your boss, as far equally Facebook is concerned anybody is a "friend."

Notwithstanding, Facebook does acknowledge various levels of friendship. Subsequently all, y'all can sort your friends into close friends, family, acquaintances, or any other custom list you create.

How to See Friendship and Relationship History on Facebook

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