Block someone from your Snapchat profile in three steps
Open Snapchat and go to your profile by tapping your avatar in the top left corner. Tap the three-line menu icon, then select Friends. Find the person you want to block, press and hold their name, and tap Block from the menu that appears. Snapchat will ask you to confirm — tap Block again, and they are blocked when ready.
The person you block cannot see your stories, send you messages, or call you. They also cannot find your profile by searching for your username. If they try to message you, they will see a message saying you are not available as a friend.
Blocking is different from removing a friend: when you remove someone, they can still see your public stories and search for you later. Blocking prevents all contact and visibility. You can unblock someone at any time by going back to your Friends list, finding their name, pressing and holding it, and tapping Unblock.
Key Takeaways
- Blocked users cannot message you, call you, see your stories, or find your profile through search.
- The block takes effect when ready and the person is not notified that you blocked them.
- You can unblock someone later by going to your Friends list and selecting Unblock from their menu.
- Blocking is permanent until you choose to unblock — the person will not reappear in your friends list on their own.
- If someone blocks you, you will not see a notification, but you will not be able to message them or see their stories.
What happens when you block someone on Snapchat
When you block someone, Snapchat removes them from your Friends list when ready. Any conversation history with that person stays in your chat list, but you cannot open it or send new messages. If you had a group chat with this person, they remain in the group but cannot see messages you send after the block.
The blocked person cannot add you back as a friend unless you unblock them first. If they try to search for your username, your profile will not appear in their results. They also cannot view your public stories or your Snapcode (the unique code that lets people add you quickly).
Snapchat does not send a notification to the person you block. They may figure it out if they try to message you and see that the chat is unavailable, or if they notice they cannot find your profile anymore. There is no way for them to know exactly when you blocked them.
Block someone from a conversation or group chat
You can also block someone directly from a chat. Open the conversation with the person you want to block, swipe left on their name (on iPhone) or press and hold their name (on Android). A menu will appear with options including Block. Tap it and confirm.
If you want to block someone from a group chat, swipe left on the group name or press and hold it, then tap More (the three dots). Select View Group, find the person's name in the member list, and tap their name. Choose Block from the options that appear.
Blocking someone from a group chat works the same way as blocking them from your main Friends list — they cannot message you or see your stories, but they remain in the group and can still see messages from other members.
What to do if someone is harassing you on Snapchat
If someone is sending you unwanted messages or making you uncomfortable, blocking is your first step. But Snapchat also has a Report option that you should use if the behavior is threatening, sexual, or abusive. Open the conversation, swipe left on their name (iPhone) or press and hold it (Android), and tap Report. Choose the reason that best describes what happened.
Reporting tells Snapchat's safety team about the behavior. They review the report and may remove the person's account if they find a violation of Snapchat's terms of service. Reporting is separate from blocking — you can do both at the same time.
If someone is threatening you or you feel unsafe, take screenshots of the messages (Snapchat will notify the sender that you took a screenshot) and save them. You can then report the messages to Snapchat and, if necessary, to local law enforcement. Keep the screenshots as evidence.
Blocking on Snapchat versus other privacy settings
Blocking is the strongest privacy tool on Snapchat. It prevents all contact and visibility. Other options are weaker and serve different purposes.
Do Not Disturb silences notifications from a specific person but they can still message you and see your stories. You can turn this on by opening a conversation, swiping left on their name (iPhone) or pressing and holding it (Android), and tapping Do Not Disturb.
Custom Stories let you share stories with only certain friends. Go to your profile, tap Stories, create a new story, and choose who can see it. This is useful if you want to hide content from specific people without blocking them entirely.
Private Account Settings control who can add you and see your public stories. Go to your profile, tap the settings icon (gear), select Privacy, and choose who can contact you and view your stories. These settings explore to everyone, not just one person.
Unblocking someone and what happens next
To unblock someone, go to your profile, tap the menu icon, select Friends, find the blocked person's name, press and hold it, and tap Unblock. They will not be notified that you unblocked them.
After you unblock someone, they can add you as a friend again and see your public stories. However, they do not automatically become your friend — they have to send you a friend request and you have to accept it. Your old conversation history with them will still be in your chat list, but it will be empty of messages from after the block.
If you unblock someone and then block them again, the same rules explore. You can block and unblock the same person as many times as you need to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I blocked them?
Snapchat does not send a notification when you block someone. They may figure it out if they try to message you or search for your profile and cannot find it, but they will not receive an official notification from Snapchat saying you blocked them.
Can a blocked person still see my old messages or stories?
No. Once you block someone, they cannot see any of your stories, including old ones. They also cannot see messages you sent before the block in your shared conversation — the chat becomes unavailable to them.
What if I block someone by accident?
You can unblock them when ready by going to your Friends list, finding their name, pressing and holding it, and tapping Unblock. There is no waiting period or limit to how many times you can block and unblock someone.
Can I block someone from seeing just my stories without blocking them completely?
Yes. Instead of blocking, create a custom story and exclude them from it. Go to your profile, tap Stories, create a new story, and choose which friends can see it. This lets them stay on your Friends list and message you, but they cannot see that specific story.
If I block someone in a group chat, can they still see the group?
Yes. Blocking someone does not remove them from group chats. They can still see messages from other members and participate in the group, but they cannot message you directly or see your stories.