Disable friend requests entirely or limit who can send them

You can prevent strangers from sending you friend requests by changing one setting in Facebook's privacy controls. The simplest option blocks all friend requests from people you are not already connected to. If you want to keep the door open for some people — coworkers, distant relatives, people in your town — you can instead limit requests to friends of friends, or to people in specific networks like your school or workplace.

Facebook does not call this "disabling friend requests". The setting lives under "Who can send you friend requests" in your privacy menu, and the options range from "Everyone" (the default) down to "Friends of friends" or "No one". This guide walks you through each choice and shows you where to find the setting on phone and desktop.

Key Takeaways

  • The "Who can send you friend requests" setting is in Facebook's privacy menu and takes 30 seconds to change on any device.
  • Choosing "No one" blocks all incoming requests; choosing "Friends of friends" lets only people connected to your existing friends send requests.
  • Changing this setting does not remove friend requests you have already received — you still need to decline those manually.
  • People can still message you, tag you in posts, or comment on your public content even if they cannot send you a friend request.
  • You can change the setting back at any time if you want to receive requests again.

How to change the setting on desktop

Open Facebook in a web browser and click the downward arrow in the top right corner of the page. This opens a menu with your account options. Look for "Settings & privacy" near the top and click it, then click "Settings" from the submenu that appears.

On the left side of the Settings page, you will see a list of categories. Click "Privacy" to open the privacy controls. Scroll down until you find "Who can send you friend requests" — it is usually near the top of the Privacy section. Click the dropdown next to it and choose your preference: "Everyone", "Friends of friends", or "No one". Facebook saves the change when ready; you do not need to click a separate Save button.

How to change the setting on iPhone or Android

Open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) in the bottom right corner. Scroll down and tap "Settings & privacy", then tap "Settings" from the menu that appears.

Tap "Privacy" in the list of settings categories. Scroll down to find "Who can send you friend requests" and tap it. A new screen will show your options: "Everyone", "Friends of friends", or "No one". Tap the option you want. The change takes effect right away.

What each setting does

Everyone is Facebook's default. Anyone on Facebook can send you a friend request, whether you know them or not. This is the most open setting and the one that typically leads to unwanted requests from strangers, bots, or people with unclear intentions.

Friends of friends means only people who are already friends with someone on your friend list can send you a request. This is a middle ground — it narrows the pool significantly but still allows requests from people you may have never met. It works well if you want to stay reachable to people in your social circles without opening the door to complete strangers.

No one blocks all incoming friend requests. Nobody can send you a request, period. If someone wants to connect with you, they can still message you (if you allow messages from non-friends), comment on your public posts, or tag you in photos. You can always send requests to other people yourself. This is the most restrictive option and the best choice if you want to control exactly who appears on your friend list.

What happens to requests you have already received

Changing this setting does not automatically delete or decline friend requests sitting in your inbox right now. You still need to handle those manually. Open your friend requests by clicking the friend icon in the top menu (desktop) or tapping the people icon (mobile), then click or tap "Friend Requests". You will see a list of pending requests with options to accept or decline each one.

If you have a large backlog of unwanted requests, you can decline them one at a time, or you can ignore them and they will eventually disappear from your active list. Facebook does not send reminders about old requests, and they do not clutter your inbox the way messages do. Declining requests takes only a few seconds per person, and you can work through them at your own pace.

Other ways people can still reach you

Turning off friend requests does not stop all contact. Someone who cannot send you a friend request can still send you a message if you have allowed messages from non-friends. They can also comment on any of your posts that are set to public, tag you in their own photos or posts, or mention you in a comment. If you want to be completely unreachable to strangers, you will need to adjust those settings as well — but that is a separate task from disabling friend requests.

If a specific person is harassing you through messages or comments, you can block them entirely, which prevents them from seeing your profile, sending messages, or interacting with your posts in any way. Blocking is stronger than just turning off friend requests and is the right move when someone is being persistent or unwelcome.

Changing your mind later

You can switch back to "Everyone" or "Friends of friends" at any time by returning to the same privacy setting and choosing a different option. There is no penalty for changing it back and forth. Some people turn off requests during stressful periods and turn them back on when things calm down. Others leave it on "Friends of friends" as a permanent compromise between privacy and reachability.

If you do decide to reopen friend requests, the change takes effect when ready, just like turning them off. You do not need to notify anyone or take any additional steps — the setting is the only thing that matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I turned off friend requests?

No. Facebook does not notify people when you change this setting, and there is no way for someone to see what your friend request setting is. If someone tries to send you a request and cannot, they will just see an error or a message saying the request could not be sent, but Facebook does not explain why.

Can I set different rules for different people?

Not with the friend request setting itself — it is all or nothing for each option. However, you can block specific people entirely, which prevents them from sending requests and also stops them from seeing your profile. You can also use Facebook's "Close Friends" and "Acquaintances" lists to control who sees your posts, which is a different layer of privacy.

What if someone I want to be friends with cannot send me a request?

You can send them a friend request yourself — the setting only controls incoming requests, not outgoing ones. Search for their name, visit their profile, and click "Add Friend". They will receive your request and can accept it.

Does turning off friend requests stop spam or fake accounts?

It reduces the volume significantly, but it is not a complete solution. Bots and spam accounts can still message you, comment on public posts, or interact with you in other ways. If you are getting harassed by a specific account, blocking that account is more effective than just turning off friend requests.

Can I see who tried to send me a request after I turned it off?

No. Facebook does not keep a log of blocked requests. Once the setting is active, you will not see a record of people who could not send you a request because of your privacy setting.