You can cancel a friend request you sent before the other person accepts it
If you sent a friend request and want to take it back, Facebook lets you cancel it in a few taps. The person won't get a notification that you cancelled it — the request just disappears from their inbox. Once they accept your request, you can't cancel it anymore; you'd have to unfriend them instead.
Cancelling a request is useful if you sent it by accident, changed your mind about connecting with someone, or realized you don't actually know them. It's a cleaner move than letting a request sit there unanswered for months.
Key Takeaways
- You can cancel a friend request only before the other person accepts it; after that, you have to unfriend them instead.
- The person won't see a notification that you cancelled the request — it straightforward vanishes from their pending list.
- On mobile, go to your profile, tap "Friends," find the pending request, and tap "Cancel Request."
- On a computer, visit the person's profile, hover over the "Cancel Request" button, and click it.
- If you can't find the cancel option, the person may have already accepted your request or deleted it themselves.
How to cancel a request on your phone
Open the Facebook app and go to your own profile by tapping your name or the profile icon at the bottom. Tap "Friends" to see your friend list and pending requests. Look for the section that says "Friend Requests Sent" or scroll down until you see requests you've sent that haven't been accepted yet.
Find the person whose request you want to cancel. Tap the button that says "Cancel Request" — it's usually next to their name. The request disappears when ready. You won't see a confirmation message, but the request is gone from their inbox.
How to cancel a request on a computer
Go to the person's Facebook profile by searching for their name or clicking their profile from a message or comment. Look for a button that says "Cancel Request" — it usually appears where a "Add Friend" button would normally be. Hover your mouse over it and click.
The request cancels right away. If you don't see a "Cancel Request" button, it means either the person already accepted your request, they deleted it themselves, or you never sent one to them in the first place.
What happens after you cancel
The person won't know you cancelled the request unless they happened to see it in their pending list and noticed it's gone. Facebook doesn't send them a notification. If you change your mind later, you can always send a new request — there's no penalty for cancelling and resending.
If the person had already accepted your request before you tried to cancel, you'll see an "Unfriend" button instead. Cancelling and unfriending are different: cancelling stops a request before it becomes a connection, while unfriending removes an existing friendship.
If you can't find the cancel button
If you're looking at someone's profile and don't see a "Cancel Request" button, check whether you actually sent them a request. Search your own profile's "Friend Requests Sent" section to confirm. It's possible you sent a request to someone with a similar name, or the request was already accepted without you noticing.
Another reason the button might not appear: the person may have deleted your request themselves. When someone deletes a pending request, it's gone from both sides, and you won't see a cancel option anymore. If you want to connect with them, you can send a new request.
Cancelling requests vs. unfriending
These are two separate actions. Cancelling a request means taking back a friend request before the person accepts it. Unfriending means removing someone who is already your friend. If someone has already accepted your request, the "Cancel Request" button changes to "Unfriend," and clicking it removes them from your friends list instead.
If you're trying to remove someone you're already connected with, look for the three dots on their profile or next to their name in your friends list, then select "Unfriend." That's a different process from cancelling a pending request.
Why you might want to cancel a request
You sent a request to the wrong person. You realized you don't actually know them or don't want to stay in touch. You sent it by accident while scrolling. You want to avoid an awkward situation where someone ignores your request for weeks. All of these are normal reasons to cancel.
Cancelling is also a way to clean up your account without drama. Instead of leaving a request hanging indefinitely, you can quietly take it back. The person won't feel obligated to respond, and you won't have to wonder whether they saw it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?
No. Facebook doesn't send a notification when you cancel a request. The person will only know if they happened to check their pending requests and noticed it disappeared. Most people don't check that section regularly, so they likely won't notice at all.
Can I cancel a request after someone accepts it?
No. Once someone accepts your request, you're friends, and the cancel option is gone. To remove them, you have to unfriend them instead. Unfriending is a different action — find their profile, tap the three dots, and select "Unfriend."
What if I cancel a request and want to send one again later?
You can send a new request anytime. There's no waiting period or penalty. Just go to their profile and tap or click "Add Friend" again. They'll see it as a fresh request, not a resubmission of the old one.
Can I see a list of all the requests I've sent?
Yes. On your phone, go to your profile, tap "Friends," and look for "Friend Requests Sent." On a computer, click your profile picture, select "Friends," then look for the sent requests section. This shows everyone you've sent a request to who hasn't accepted yet.
What if someone deletes my request before I cancel it?
If they delete it, the request disappears from both your profiles. You won't see a cancel button anymore because there's nothing to cancel. You can send a new request if you want to try again, but there's no way to know whether they deleted it or just haven't responded yet.