Facebook doesn't similar it when yous brand too many friend requests at once. Trying to expand your network too quickly could go yous blocked from adding more than Facebook friends. Maybe it already happened to you lot, and you can't friend someone on Facebook?

Innocent mistakes and ignorance of essential Facebook etiquette tin can lead to consequences like these. But with our tips on how to manage Facebook friend requests, you lot tin can avoid facing unintentional punishment or elevator an existing cake and go along 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 non too familiar with Facebook. Anybody else, please skip ahead.

When logged into Facebook, you lot tin can find your pending friend requests nether Carte du jour (3x3 dots icon) > Friends. Facebook no longer highlights awaiting 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'll see a summary of pending friend requests and a listing of people you may know in the left-mitt sidebar. Click a person'due south proper name on the left to see their full profile on the right.

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

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

How to Send and Cancel a Friend Request on Facebook

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

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

To cancel a friend request, become back to their profile, click that aforementioned button, which at present reads Abolish Request.

You tin as well 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 tertiary-party tools and receive alerts when people remove you. 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 way you tin can maintain your digital sanity, without risking the loss of a real-life friendship. For more information, read our primer on post-obit and unfollowing on Facebook.

From your Feed (Home) observe a mail from your overactive friend, click the arrowhead in the pinnacle right to expand the post card, and click Unfollow. If yous remember the hyperactivity is but temporary, you tin also snooze their messages for 30 days.

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

Alternatively, head to your friend'due south profile, expand the menu right adjacent to your friendship condition, and select Unfollow from the lesser.

Unfollow a Facebook friend from their profile page.

Unwritten Facebook Friend Asking Rules

At present that you empathize the basics of how to add friends on Facebook, allow's review some finer details of managing Facebook friend requests.

ane. Only Add People You Know

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

Consequently, Facebook might cake yous from sending friend requests for some time.

To avoid being blocked from adding friends, make information technology like shooting fish in a barrel for people to recognize you. Hither are some guidelines:

  • Use your real name or the proper name you lot employ in your everyday life, and set a genuine profile photo.
  • Effort to add but people with whom you take mutual Facebook friends.
  • Send your desired contact a message introducing yourself before you lot add them.

In other words: don't look like a fake account, don't add random strangers, and don't be a stranger yourself.

2. Add Friends Conservatively

You will often want to add a new friend immediately, fifty-fifty though you don't have mutual friends on Facebook. And information technology might be more awkward to send a message beginning than to add them direct. That'southward absurd.

Just be certain y'all don't add besides many people without common friends at in one case simply to expand your Facebook reach.

Faceboook Follow Option

If you don't know someone, but just want to know what they mail service on Facebook, and if there is an option to follow them, rather choose that pick. From their profile, click the three-dot menu, and select Follow. This allows you to see what they are up to, but your timeline is not shared with them.

3. Study Spammy Friend Requests

When you delete a friend asking, Facebook promises that the sender won't be notified. But they might transport you a new request. If you can't get rid of them, you lot tin can use either the Discover support or study offline or Block options, available from the 3-dot menu, to prevent further friend requests from that person.

Block person after unsolicited friend request on Facebook.

Apply the first selection to written report fake accounts, strangers, or people who harass you.

Report an unwelcome friend request on Facebook.

Keep in heed that if y'all practice this, the person may be penalized.

4. Review Friend Requests Yous Have Sent

Feeling self-conscious almost peradventure having sent too many friend requests yourself? Go ahead and double-check.

Go to Friends > Friend Requests > View Sent Requests. From here, yous tin cancel pending requests.

Cancel Facebook friend requests you've sent.

5. Block Friend Requests From Strangers

Facebook allows you to restrict who can transport you lot a friend request. Non setting that limit is an open invitation for anyone to request your friendship.

If you lot're receiving too many friend requests from strangers, here's how y'all can finish it.

Expand the Business relationship menu (arrowhead icon) in the superlative correct and click through to Settings & privacy > Settings > Privacy. Nether How People Observe and Contact Y'all find the Who can send you friend requests? option and click Edit. Your choices are Anybody or Friends of friends.

Facebook friend request settings in the Privacy section.

6. Hide Your Friends List

Assuasive everyone to see who y'all've friended could crusade some people to be jealous and field of study your friends to unsolicited friend requests. It's best to restrict who can come across your Friends list and friend activeness.

To hibernate your Friends list, head to How People Find and Contact You on your Settings page. Find the selection Who can encounter your friends list? and click edit.

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

Choose who can see your Facebook friends list.

You can also access all friends-related settings from your (existing) Facebook friends page. From your profile page, click See all friends, and then click the three-dot menu side by side 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. You lot Sent an Unsuccessful Friend Request

You already sent a friend request, and it's either still pending or the recipient deleted it. Now, the Add together Friend button doesn't evidence up, so you can't transport a new friend request.

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

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

ii. You lot Blocked the Other Person

You can't friend someone you've blocked. Meet if y'all can unblock them and then try sending a new friend asking.

three. They Don't Permit Friend Requests From Strangers

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

4. Someone Has As well Many Friends Already

Neither you lot, nor your friend-to-exist, tin accept more than five,000 friends. If one of you has crossed that limit, y'all can't transport each other friend requests.

If you have as well many friends, consider turning your account into a Facebook Page.

5. Facebook Blocked You From Sending Friend Requests

This tin happen if you send too many friend requests at one time, have many unanswered friend requests, or if several people marked your requests as spam.

According to the Facebook Aid Center, Facebook cannot lift a block early on, but fortunately, it's only temporary and will expire within a few days.

Follow our guidelines above to avert this from happening once again.

Master Your Facebook Friendships

Friend requests on Facebook remain awkward. Whether yous add your all-time friend, someone y'all know from schoolhouse, your mom, or your boss, every bit far as Facebook is concerned anybody is a "friend."

However, Facebook does acknowledge diverse levels of friendship. After all, you can sort your friends into close friends, family unit, acquaintances, or whatever other custom list you create.

How to See Friendship and Relationship History on Facebook

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