You can delete a friend from Facebook in seconds, and they won't get a notification

When you delete someone as a friend on Facebook, they do not receive a message telling them you did it. They straightforward stop seeing your posts in their feed, and you stop seeing theirs. If they visit your profile directly, they will see that you are no longer friends — but Facebook does not send them an alert saying "Priya removed you." The deletion is quiet.

This is different from blocking, which prevents someone from finding your profile at all. Unfriending is the gentler option if you want to distance yourself from someone without making a statement.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a friend on Facebook is when ready and silent — the person does not receive a notification.
  • The person can still see your profile and old posts you made while you were friends, unless you change your privacy settings.
  • You can delete a friend from their profile, from your friends list, or by unfriending them from a post or comment they made.
  • If you want to hide their posts without ending the friendship, you can unfollow them instead of deleting them.
  • Blocking is stronger than unfriending — it prevents someone from finding your profile, messaging you, or seeing your posts at all.

How to delete a friend from your friends list

Open Facebook on a computer or phone. Go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture. Click the "Friends" section to see your full friends list.

Find the person you want to delete. Hover over their name (on a computer) or tap their profile (on a phone). A button will appear that says "Friends" with a checkmark. Click or tap that button. A menu will pop up with the option "Remove Friend." Click it. The person is now deleted, and the action is complete.

On a phone, the steps are the same but the button may appear as three dots instead of "Friends." Tap it and select "Remove Friend."

How to delete a friend from their profile

You can also delete someone by visiting their profile directly. Open their profile, and look for the "Friends" button near the top. Click or tap it, and select "Remove Friend" from the menu that appears.

This method is useful if you are already looking at someone's profile and want to unfriend them without going back to your own friends list.

What the person can still see after you delete them

Deleting someone as a friend does not erase your history with them. They can still see posts you made before you unfriended them, unless you changed the privacy settings on those posts to "Friends Only" or "Only Me." They can also still see comments you made on public posts or shared photos.

If you want to hide older posts from someone, you have two options: change the privacy setting on each post individually, or go through your timeline and adjust past posts. This is time-consuming, so most people do not do it. The simpler approach is to change your privacy settings going forward so that new posts are visible only to friends, or to a custom list that excludes the person.

If you are concerned about what someone can see, blocking is more effective than unfriending, because blocking prevents them from viewing your profile at all.

Unfollowing instead of deleting

If you want to stop seeing someone's posts without ending the friendship, you can unfollow them instead. When you unfollow someone, their posts no longer appear in your feed, but you remain friends. They cannot tell that you unfollowed them.

To unfollow someone, visit their profile and click the "Following" button (which appears when you are friends with them). Select "Unfollow." You can refollow them at any time by clicking "Follow" on their profile.

Unfollowing is useful when you want to reduce the amount of content from someone without creating awkwardness by deleting them entirely.

The difference between unfriending, blocking, and restricting

Facebook offers three levels of distance, and they work differently. Unfriending removes someone from your friends list but allows them to see your public posts and visit your profile. Blocking prevents someone from finding your profile, messaging you, or seeing any of your posts or information. Restricting is a middle ground — the person remains your friend, but their posts appear lower in your feed, and they cannot see when you are online or whether you have read their messages.

Use unfriending when you want distance but do not need to hide from the person. Use blocking when you want to cut off contact entirely. Use restricting when you want to stay technically friends (perhaps for professional reasons) but limit what they see.

What happens if you delete someone and then want to be friends again

If you delete someone and later change your mind, you can send them a friend request just as you would with anyone else. They will receive the request as normal. Deleting someone does not prevent you from sending them a request later — there is no waiting period or penalty.

The person will not know that you deleted them previously unless you tell them. Facebook does not keep a record that you were once friends, visible to them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I deleted them?

No. Facebook does not send a notification when you unfriend someone. They may notice over time that they no longer see your posts, or they may discover it if they visit your profile and see that you are not friends. But they will not receive an alert.

Can I delete someone without them seeing that I did it?

Yes. The deletion is when ready and silent. The only way they find out is if they check your profile or notice your posts stopped appearing in their feed.

What if I delete someone by accident?

You can send them a friend request again. There is no undo button, but unfriending is reversible — just send a new request, and if they accept, you are friends again.

If I delete someone, can they still message me?

Yes, unless you have also blocked them. Unfriending only removes them from your friends list. They can still send you a message, though it may go to your message requests folder instead of your main inbox, depending on your settings. If you want to prevent them from messaging you, you need to block them.

Does deleting a friend delete our old messages?

No. Your message history with that person remains in your inbox even after you unfriend them. You can still read old conversations. If you want to delete the messages, you have to do that separately.