The difference between unfriending, blocking, and restricting
Facebook gives you three separate tools to control who sees your posts and who can contact you. Unfriending removes someone from your friends list — they can no longer see your posts marked "Friends only," and you will no longer see their posts in your feed. They can still message you, find your profile, and see anything you have marked public. Blocking is stronger: a blocked person cannot message you, cannot find your profile through search, and cannot see your posts or comments anywhere on Facebook. Restricting is weaker — a restricted person stays on your friends list but can only see posts you mark public, and they cannot see when you are online or when you last used Facebook.
Most people unfriend when they want to end a connection but do not need to hide from that person. You block when you want to cut off all contact. You restrict when you want to keep someone on your list but limit what they see — useful for coworkers, distant relatives, or people you are not close to but do not want to offend.
Key Takeaways
- Unfriending removes someone from your friends list but they can still message you and see your public posts.
- Blocking prevents someone from messaging you, finding your profile, or seeing any of your activity on Facebook.
- Restricting keeps someone as a friend but hides your posts, online status, and last-active time from them.
- The person you unfriend or block is not notified, but they may notice your profile is no longer visible to them.
- You can undo an unfriend or block at any time by adding them back or unblocking them.
How to unfriend someone on Facebook
On a computer, go to the person's profile, hover over the "Friends" button near the top, and click "Unfriend" from the dropdown menu. On a phone or tablet, tap their profile, scroll down, tap "Friends," and then tap "Remove Friend." The person will not receive a notification that you unfriended them, but if they visit your profile or search for you, they will see that you are no longer connected.
You can also unfriend someone from your friends list without visiting their profile. On a computer, go to your own profile, click "Friends," find the person, hover over their name, and click the three dots that appear, then select "Unfriend." On a phone, tap "Friends," find the person, tap the three dots next to their name, and tap "Remove Friend."
How to block someone on Facebook
Go to the person's profile. On a computer, click the three dots in the top right corner of their profile and select "Block." On a phone, tap the three dots and tap "Block." A window will appear asking you to confirm — tap or click "Block" again. Facebook will ask whether you also want to block them on Instagram (which is owned by the same company); you can choose to block on both or Facebook only.
Once you block someone, they cannot message you, see your profile, find you in search, or see your comments on other people's posts. If you change your mind, you can unblock them the same way — go to their profile, tap the three dots, and select "Unblock." You can also manage your blocked list from your settings: on a computer, click the menu icon, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then scroll to "Blocking" and click "Block list" to see everyone you have blocked.
How to restrict someone on Facebook
Go to the person's profile. On a computer, click the three dots in the top right and select "Restrict." On a phone, tap the three dots and tap "Restrict." You will see a confirmation message. A restricted person stays on your friends list, but they can only see posts you mark public, they cannot see when you are online, and they cannot see your last-active time. They also cannot start a conversation with you — if they message you, the message goes to your message requests folder instead of your main inbox.
Restricting is useful when you want to stay connected to someone but do not want them to see your activity. Unlike unfriending or blocking, the person will not notice anything has changed — they will just see fewer of your posts. You can unrestrict someone by going back to their profile, clicking or tapping the three dots, and selecting "Unrestrict."
What the other person sees after you unfriend or block them
If you unfriend someone, they will not get a notification. However, if they visit your profile or search for you, they will see that you are no longer friends. They can still see posts you marked public and can still message you. If they look at a post you both commented on before you unfriended them, they will still see your comment, but they cannot click on your name to visit your profile.
If you block someone, they will not get a notification either, but they will notice much more. When they search for you, your profile will not appear. If they try to visit a link to your profile, they will see a message saying the page is not available. They cannot see any of your posts, comments, or activity anywhere on Facebook. If you had mutual friends, they will not see you in that mutual friends list anymore.
Undoing an unfriend or block
You can add someone back as a friend at any time after unfriending them. Go to their profile and click or tap "Add Friend." They will receive a friend request, just as if you were adding them for the first time. They can accept or decline. If you blocked someone and want to unblock them, go to their profile (or search for them), click or tap the three dots, and select "Unblock." Once you unblock them, they can message you and see your profile again, but you will not automatically be friends — they will need to send you a friend request.
If you cannot find the person's profile to unblock them, you can manage your blocked list from your settings. On a computer, click the menu icon, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, scroll to "Blocking," and click "Block list." You will see everyone you have blocked. Click or tap "Unblock" next to their name. On a phone, go to Settings, tap "Privacy," then "Blocked people," and tap "Unblock" next to the person's name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know if I unfriend them?
Facebook does not send a notification when you unfriend someone. However, they may notice if they visit your profile or search for you and see that you are no longer connected. If you have mutual friends, they might also notice you are no longer in their mutual friends list.
Can I unfriend someone without them seeing?
Yes. Unfriending is private — no notification is sent. The person will only know if they actively check your profile or notice you are missing from their friends list. If you want to hide your posts from them without unfriending, you can restrict them instead.
What happens to old messages after I unfriend or block someone?
Your message history with that person stays in your inbox. If you unfriended them, you can still see the old messages and they can still message you. If you blocked them, old messages remain in your inbox, but they cannot send you new messages — new messages from them will go to your message requests folder.
Can I block someone without unfriending them first?
Yes. Blocking automatically removes them from your friends list, so you do not need to unfriend first. When you block someone, Facebook handles both steps at once.
If I restrict someone, can they tell I restricted them?
No. A restricted person will not receive a notification or see any indication that they are restricted. They will straightforward see fewer of your posts — only the ones you mark public. They may not even notice the change.