You can stop unwanted friend requests in two ways: block the person so they cannot send one, or change your settings so only people you already know can request you
Facebook gives you two separate tools. The first is blocking, which stops a specific person from sending you a request in the first place — they cannot see your profile, message you, or find you in search. The second is a privacy setting that limits who can send requests at all, letting only friends of friends or people in your networks reach you.
Which one you use depends on whether you want to stop one person or change the rules for everyone. If someone is already bothering you, block them. If you are tired of requests from strangers, tighten your settings. You can do both at the same time.
Key Takeaways
- Blocking a person stops them from sending you a friend request and hides your profile from them entirely — they cannot search for you or see your posts.
- You can change your friend request settings so only friends of friends or people in your networks can send requests, which stops most strangers without blocking anyone.
- Blocking is reversible: you can unblock someone later, but they will not know you blocked them unless they try to find you.
- If someone sends you a request you do not want, you can delete it without blocking them, but they can send another one later.
- Your settings are in Privacy, under "Who can send you friend requests" — the exact location depends on whether you use Facebook on a phone or computer.
How to block someone from sending you a friend request
To block a specific person on a computer: go to their profile, click the three dots in the top right corner of their cover photo, and select "Block." Facebook will ask you to confirm. Once you do, that person cannot send you a request, see your profile, or message you.
On a phone, the steps are the same. Find their profile, tap the three dots (usually in the top right), and choose "Block." The confirmation screen will appear, and once you confirm, the block is active.
If someone has already sent you a request that you want to block them over, you can block them directly from the request notification. Open your friend requests (the icon that looks like a person with a plus sign), find their name, and tap the three dots next to their request. Choose "Block," and they will be blocked — the request will disappear at the same time.
How to change who can send you friend requests
On a computer, click the down arrow in the top right corner of your Facebook page, then select "Settings and privacy," then "Settings." On the left side, click "Privacy." Look for the section called "Who can send you friend requests?" and click the dropdown next to it. Your options are usually "Everyone," "Friends of friends," or "People on your networks" (if you added a school or workplace).
On a phone, tap the three horizontal lines (the menu) at the bottom right, scroll down to "Settings and privacy," then tap "Settings." Scroll down to "Privacy," then find "Who can send you friend requests?" Tap it and choose your preferred setting.
Changing this setting does not block anyone who has already sent you a request — it only affects new requests going forward. If you want to reject requests you have already received, you will need to delete them one by one or block those people individually.
The difference between blocking and deleting a request
When you delete a friend request, you straightforward say no to that one request. The person can see that you did not accept it, and they can send you another request later. Deleting is the gentler option if you just do not want to be friends with someone but do not need to hide from them.
When you block someone, you hide your entire profile from them. They cannot see your posts, photos, or friends list. They cannot search for you and find you. If they try to visit your profile directly, they will see a message saying the content is not available. Blocking is stronger and more final-feeling, even though you can unblock someone later.
If someone is harassing you or making you uncomfortable, blocking is the right choice. If you just do not want to be friends with an acquaintance or someone you do not know well, deleting the request is usually enough.
What happens when you block someone
The person you block will not receive a notification saying you blocked them. However, if they try to visit your profile, search for you by name, or look at your mutual friends, they will notice something is wrong — they will not be able to find you or see your information.
Blocking also removes any existing friendship between you. If you were already friends with someone and then block them, the friendship ends when ready. Any messages between you will still exist in your message history, but they will not be able to send you new messages or see when you are online.
If you block someone and then later change your mind, you can unblock them from the same Privacy settings. Go to "Settings and privacy," then "Settings," then "Privacy," then scroll down to "Blocked people" and find their name. Click "Unblock" next to their name. Once you unblock them, they can send you a friend request again.
Why you might want to limit friend requests instead of blocking
Blocking works well if you have a specific person bothering you, but if you are getting requests from many strangers, changing your settings is faster and less personal. Setting your friend requests to "Friends of friends" means only people who share a mutual friend with you can send requests. This cuts out most random people while still letting genuine connections reach you.
If you added a school or workplace to your profile, you can also choose "People on your networks," which limits requests to people who went to the same school or work at the same company. This is useful if you want to stay connected to your community but do not want requests from the general public.
The downside is that some people you might want to hear from — a distant relative, someone from an old job, a friend of a friend you have not met yet — will not be able to send you a request. You can always change the setting back to "Everyone" if you find it too restrictive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if I blocked them?
They will not get a notification, but they can figure it out if they try to find you. If they search for your name and cannot find you, or if they try to visit your profile and see an error message, they will know something is wrong. Some people will correctly guess that you blocked them.
If I block someone, will they see my old messages?
Yes. Blocking does not delete your message history. They can still read messages you sent them before the block, but they cannot send you new messages or see when you are online. If you want to delete messages, you have to do that separately.
What if someone keeps trying to contact me after I block them?
If they use a different account to message you or send requests, blocking one account will not stop the other. If the harassment continues, you can report the behavior to Facebook. Go to their profile or message, click the three dots, and select "Report." Facebook takes repeated harassment seriously.
Can I block someone without them knowing I blocked them?
They will not get a notification, but if they try to find you or visit your profile, they will realize something is off. There is no way to block someone completely invisibly, but most people will not notice unless they specifically try to contact you.
If I change my settings to "Friends of friends," will my current friends still be able to send me messages?
Yes. Changing your friend request settings does not affect people who are already your friends or their ability to message you. It only controls who can send you new friend requests.