When you block someone on Facebook, they can no longer see your profile, send you messages, or find you in search results

Blocking is Facebook's strongest privacy tool. The person you block cannot see your posts, photos, or friend list. They cannot message you, tag you, or add you as a friend. If you were already friends, the friendship ends when ready and silently — they will not receive a notification that you blocked them, but they will notice you are no longer on their friend list if they check.

Facebook does not tell the blocked person why they were blocked or even that a block happened. They may figure it out by trying to visit your profile and seeing a message that says the profile is not available, or by noticing you have vanished from their friend list. Some people will try alternate accounts or ask mutual friends to check on you, so blocking is not a may provide of no contact — it is a barrier that requires them to actively work around it.

Key Takeaways

  • A blocked person cannot see your profile, posts, photos, or friend list, and cannot message or tag you.
  • Facebook does not notify the blocked person that you blocked them, but they will see that you are no longer their friend.
  • Blocking is permanent until you unblock them; there is no time limit or automatic expiration.
  • You can block someone from their profile, from a message thread, or from your settings, depending on where you encounter them.
  • If you later unblock someone, you do not automatically become friends again — you start from zero.

How to block someone from their profile or a message

The fastest way to block someone is from their profile. Open their profile, tap or click the three dots (more options) in the top right corner, and select "Block." On mobile, this menu appears at the top of their profile. On desktop, it is in the same location. Facebook will ask you to confirm; select "Block" again.

If someone is messaging you and you want to block them without visiting their profile, open the message thread, tap or click the person's name at the top, and look for a "Block" option. The exact location varies slightly between the Facebook app, Messenger app, and desktop, but the option is always in the conversation settings. After you block them, that message thread remains in your inbox but they cannot send new messages to it.

How to block someone from your settings

You can also block someone through your privacy settings without visiting their profile. On mobile, open the menu (three horizontal lines), scroll to "Settings & Privacy," then "Settings," then "Privacy," then "Blocked." On desktop, click the down arrow in the top right, select "Settings & Privacy," then "Settings," then "Privacy," then "Blocked." In both cases, you will see a search box where you can type the person's name and select them from the results.

This route is useful if you want to block someone but do not want to visit their profile — for instance, if you are worried they might see that you viewed it, or if you are not sure of their exact profile name. The result is identical: they are blocked when ready.

What a blocked person can and cannot do

A blocked person cannot see your profile when they search for you or click a link to it. They cannot see your posts, photos, videos, or stories. They cannot see your friend list, your "About" section, or any information you have shared. They cannot message you through Messenger or through Facebook's message requests. They cannot tag you in posts or photos, and they cannot comment on anything you post.

They also cannot see mutual friends' posts that mention you or tag you, though they may still see posts from mutual friends that do not involve you. If you are in a Facebook group together, they will see that you are a member, but they cannot interact with you in that group — your comments will be invisible to them, and they cannot message you through the group.

Blocking versus unfriending and muting

Blocking is stronger than unfriending or muting. When you unfriend someone, they can still see your public posts and your profile (unless you have set it to private). They can still message you. They just cannot see your friend list or posts you have marked as "friends only." Muting is even weaker — the person remains your friend, but their posts stop appearing in your feed. You can still see their profile and message them if you want to.

Use unfriending if you want distance but not a complete wall. Use muting if you want to stay friends but do not want to see their posts. Use blocking only when you want no contact and no visibility. Blocking is also the right choice if someone is harassing you, because it prevents them from messaging you or seeing your activity.

What happens if you unblock someone later

Unblocking someone removes the block, but it does not restore your friendship or undo anything that happened while they were blocked. You do not automatically become friends again. The next time they search for you, they will find your profile. They can send you a friend request, and you can accept or decline it like any other request.

If you unblock someone and then block them again, Facebook treats it as a new block. There is no penalty or limit to how many times you can block and unblock the same person, but doing so repeatedly may be a sign that you need a different solution — like reporting them to Facebook if they are harassing you, or straightforward staying unfriended instead of blocking.

When blocking is not enough

Blocking stops someone from seeing your profile and contacting you through Facebook, but it does not stop them from creating a fake account to contact you, or from asking friends to relay messages. If someone is harassing you, threatening you, or impersonating you, blocking alone may not be enough. In those cases, report them to Facebook using the report button on their profile or in a message thread. Facebook can remove accounts that violate its policies, which is stronger than a block.

You can also block someone on Instagram and WhatsApp separately — blocking on Facebook does not block them on those platforms, even though Facebook owns them. If someone is harassing you across multiple platforms, block them on each one and report them to each platform's support team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I blocked them?

Facebook does not send a notification, but they will notice if they try to visit your profile or search for you and cannot find you. They may also notice you disappeared from their friend list. Some people will try to message you or check from a different account to confirm they are blocked.

If I block someone, can they still see old comments I made on mutual friends' posts?

No. Once you block someone, they cannot see any of your past comments or posts, even on mutual friends' profiles. However, if a mutual friend quotes or screenshots your comment, the blocked person could see it that way — blocking only controls what they see directly through Facebook.

What if I block someone and then they message me from a different account?

If they create a new account and message you, that is a separate account and the block does not explore to it. You can block the new account as well. If this happens repeatedly, report it to Facebook as harassment or impersonation rather than just blocking each account individually.

Can I block someone without them seeing that I viewed their profile?

Yes. Blocking through your settings (rather than from their profile) means you never visit their profile page, so there is no view to see. Even if you block from their profile, Facebook does not notify them that you viewed it — but they may suspect it if you block when ready after viewing.

If I unblock someone, will they know?

Facebook does not send a notification when you unblock someone. However, if they try to message you or search for you while they are blocked and then try again after you unblock, they will notice the block is gone. They have no way to know exactly when you unblocked them.