Facebook doesn't like it when you make too many friend requests at in one case. Trying to expand your network also apace could get yous blocked from calculation more Facebook friends. Maybe it already happened to you, and y'all can't friend someone on Facebook?

Innocent mistakes and ignorance of essential Facebook etiquette tin lead to consequences like these. But with our tips on how to manage Facebook friend requests, yous tin avoid facing unintentional penalty or lift an existing block and continue 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 lot can find your awaiting friend requests under Card (3x3 dots icon) > Friends. Facebook no longer highlights pending friend requests, just you volition come across 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 yous may know in the left-manus sidebar. Click a person's proper name on the left to run across their full profile on the right.

Select Ostend to add a friend or Delete Asking to deny the asking. 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 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 together Friend button located correct adjacent to the Message button.

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

To abolish a friend request, get back to their profile, click that same button, which at present reads Cancel Request.

You can also remove a friend via your Friends list. Facebook does not notify people if you remove them. Nonetheless, it is possible to track your Facebook friends with 3rd-political party tools and receive alerts when people remove you. An instance of such a tool is Who Deleted Me.

Unfollowing vs. Unfriending

Rather than unfriending people who are flooding your News Feed with giddy 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 post-obit and unfollowing on Facebook.

From your Feed (Home) discover a mail service from your overactive friend, click the arrowhead in the top right to expand the post menu, and click Unfollow. If you think the hyperactivity is simply temporary, you lot tin can besides snooze their messages for 30 days.

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

Alternatively, head to your friend's profile, expand the carte right next to your friendship status, and select Unfollow from the bottom.

Unfollow a Facebook friend from their profile page.

Unwritten Facebook Friend Request Rules

Now that you empathize 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 you know in real life. If your friend requests oftentimes remain unanswered or even if just one person reports your friend request equally unwanted, Facebook may conclude that you have sent friend requests that violate its Community Standards.

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

To avert being blocked from adding friends, get in easy for people to recognize you. Here are some guidelines:

  • Employ your real name or the proper noun you employ in your everyday life, and set a 18-carat profile photo.
  • Attempt to add only people with whom you lot have mutual Facebook friends.
  • Send your desired contact a message introducing yourself before you add them.

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

two. Add together Friends Conservatively

You volition often want to add together a new friend immediately, even though you don't have mutual friends on Facebook. And it might exist more awkward to send a message offset than to add them directly. That's absurd.

Just exist sure y'all don't add too many people without common friends at in one case only to expand your Facebook reach.

Faceboook Follow Option

If you don't know someone, but simply want to know what they post on Facebook, and if in that location is an choice to follow them, rather choose that option. From their profile, click the three-dot menu, and select Follow. This allows you lot to see what they are up to, but your timeline is non shared with them.

3. Report Spammy Friend Requests

When you delete a friend request, Facebook promises that the sender won't be notified. But they might ship y'all a new request. If you can't get rid of them, you can use either the Find support or written report offline or Block options, bachelor from the 3-dot carte du jour, to prevent further friend requests from that person.

Block person after unsolicited friend request on Facebook.

Utilise the first option to report imitation accounts, strangers, or people who harass you.

Report an unwelcome friend request on Facebook.

Continue in listen that if yous do this, the person may exist penalized.

4. Review Friend Requests Yous Have Sent

Feeling self-witting almost maybe having sent too many friend requests yourself? Go 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. Cake Friend Requests From Strangers

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

If yous're receiving too many friend requests from strangers, here's how y'all can end it.

Expand the Account card (arrowhead icon) in the superlative correct and click through to Settings & privacy > Settings > Privacy. Under How People Find and Contact Yous find the Who can send you 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 Listing

Allowing everyone to encounter who you've friended could cause some people to exist jealous and subject your friends to unsolicited friend requests. It's all-time to restrict who can see your Friends list and friend activeness.

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

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

Choose who can see your Facebook friends list.

You can likewise access all friends-related settings from your (existing) Facebook friends page. From your contour page, click See all friends, and then click the 3-dot menu next to Detect 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 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 bear witness upwards, so yous tin can't transport a new friend request.

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

If your request is still pending (follow our instructions under "Review Friend Requests Yous Have Sent" above), you could ship your friend-to-be a message and ask them to corroborate your request.

2. Y'all Blocked the Other Person

Y'all can't friend someone you've blocked. See if you tin can unblock them and so try sending a new friend request.

3. They Don't Allow Friend Requests From Strangers

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

iv. Someone Has Too Many Friends Already

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

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

v. Facebook Blocked Y'all From Sending Friend Requests

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

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

Follow our guidelines above to avoid this from happening again.

Main Your Facebook Friendships

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

All the same, Facebook does admit various levels of friendship. After all, you 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

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