Facebook doesn't similar information technology when you brand too many friend requests at once. Trying to expand your network also quickly could go you blocked from adding 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 pb to consequences like these. But with our tips on how to manage Facebook friend requests, you can avoid facing unintentional punishment or elevator an existing block and go along making many new friends.

How to Add together Friends on Facebook

Here is a piddling refresher on the basics of adding friends for those of you non besides familiar with Facebook. Anybody else, please skip alee.

When logged into Facebook, you lot can find your pending friend requests under Carte (3x3 dots icon) > Friends. Facebook no longer highlights pending friend requests, only y'all volition see a notation in your Facebook notifications.

Expanded Facebook Menu with Friends option selected.

On your Facebook Friends page, you'll encounter a summary of pending friend requests and a list of people you may know in the left-hand sidebar. Click a person's proper noun on the left to see their total profile on the right.

Select Confirm 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 Transport and Cancel a Friend Request on Facebook

You can also search for people yous know, open up their profiles, and, if they have friend requests from the public or friends of friends, add them by clicking the Add together Friend push button located right next to the Bulletin push button.

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

To cancel a friend asking, go dorsum to their profile, click that same button, which now 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 runway your Facebook friends with third-political party tools and receive alerts when people remove y'all. An instance 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 lot tin 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 (Habitation) observe a post from your overactive friend, click the arrowhead in the meridian correct to expand the mail service menu, and click Unfollow. If you remember the hyperactivity is simply temporary, y'all tin as well snooze their messages for xxx days.

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

Alternatively, caput to your friend's profile, expand the bill of fare right adjacent to your friendship condition, and select Unfollow from the bottom.

Unfollow a Facebook friend from their profile page.

Unwritten Facebook Friend Request Rules

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

1. Only Add People Y'all Know

Facebook simply wants you to add people y'all know in real life. If your friend requests frequently remain unanswered or even if only 1 person reports your friend request as unwanted, Facebook may conclude that you have sent friend requests that violate its Customs Standards.

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

To avert being blocked from adding friends, make information technology easy for people to recognize yous. Here are some guidelines:

  • Use your real name or the name you lot use in your everyday life, and set a genuine profile photo.
  • Try to add only people with whom you lot have common Facebook friends.
  • Send your desired contact a bulletin introducing yourself before you add them.

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

2. Add together Friends Conservatively

Yous will often want to add together a new friend immediately, fifty-fifty though y'all don't have common friends on Facebook. And it might be more than awkward to send a message first than to add together them directly. That's cool.

Just be certain you don't add besides many people without common friends at once simply to expand your Facebook reach.

Faceboook Follow Option

If you don't know someone, just just want to know what they post on Facebook, and if in that location is an option to follow them, rather choose that choice. From their profile, click the 3-dot menu, and select Follow. This allows you to see what they are upwards to, but your timeline is non shared with them.

three. Report Spammy Friend Requests

When y'all delete a friend request, Facebook promises that the sender won't be notified. But they might send y'all a new request. If you can't become rid of them, you tin use either the Notice back up or report offline or Block options, available from the three-dot menu, to prevent farther friend requests from that person.

Block person after unsolicited friend request on Facebook.

Apply the beginning option to written report faux accounts, strangers, or people who harass y'all.

Report an unwelcome friend request on Facebook.

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

4. Review Friend Requests You Have Sent

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

Go to Friends > Friend Requests > View Sent Requests. From hither, you can cancel awaiting requests.

Cancel Facebook friend requests you've sent.

5. Block Friend Requests From Strangers

Facebook allows you to restrict who can ship you lot a friend request. Non 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 tin can cease it.

Expand the Account menu (arrowhead icon) in the top correct and click through to Settings & privacy > Settings > Privacy. Under How People Detect and Contact Y'all discover the Who can send you friend requests? choice and click Edit. Your choices are Everyone or Friends of friends.

Facebook friend request settings in the Privacy section.

half dozen. Hide Your Friends List

Allowing everyone to come across who you've friended could cause some people to be jealous and subject your friends to unsolicited friend requests. It'southward best to restrict who can see your Friends list and friend activity.

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

Here, you tin further refine your privacy settings past choosing who can see 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 profile page, click See all friends, and then click the iii-dot bill of fare next 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, hither are the near 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 Friend push doesn't show up, and then you can't send a new friend request.

If your asking was deleted, Facebook has blocked y'all from sending that person another friend request for one whole year. The only manner to go effectually this is to inquire the other person to transport you a friend request.

If your request is still pending (follow our instructions under "Review Friend Requests You lot Take Sent" above), you could ship your friendhoped-for a message and ask them to corroborate your request.

ii. You Blocked the Other Person

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

three. They Don't Permit Friend Requests From Strangers

As outlined above, Facebook allows you lot to restrict who tin can send y'all a friend asking. If that'south the reason you can't friend someone, ask them to send yous a friend request instead.

4. Someone Has Besides Many Friends Already

Neither yous, nor your friend-to-be, can have more than than 5,000 friends. If 1 of you has crossed that limit, you lot can't send each other friend requests.

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

5. Facebook Blocked Y'all From Sending Friend Requests

This can happen if y'all send too many friend requests at in one case, have many unanswered friend requests, or if several people marked your requests as spam.

According to the Facebook Help Centre, Facebook cannot lift a cake early, but fortunately, it'south simply temporary and will 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 yous add together your best friend, someone you lot know from schoolhouse, your mom, or your dominate, as far as Facebook is concerned anybody is a "friend."

However, Facebook does acknowledge various levels of friendship. Afterward all, you tin can sort your friends into close friends, family, acquaintances, or whatsoever other custom list you lot create.

How to See Friendship and Relationship History on Facebook

You can utilise a simple URL to run into the friendship and human relationship history between y'all and others on Facebook.

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