Where to find your sent friend requests

Facebook stores the friend requests you have sent in a separate section of your profile, not in your main notifications. To see them, open Facebook and click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "Friends" from the dropdown menu. On your profile page, look for a section labeled "Friend requests sent" — this appears as a separate tab or link near your friends list, depending on whether you are using Facebook on a computer or phone.

On a computer, you will see this option in the left sidebar under your profile information. On a phone, you may need to scroll down past your friends list to find it. The page shows every person you have sent a request to who has not yet responded, along with the option to cancel any request you no longer want to send.

Key Takeaways

  • Your sent friend requests live in a separate section of your profile, not in your notifications or messages.
  • You can see the full list by going to your profile, clicking Friends, and looking for "Friend requests sent" in the sidebar or by scrolling down on mobile.
  • Facebook does not tell you when someone has seen your request — only whether they have accepted, declined, or left it pending.
  • You can cancel a sent request at any time by clicking the X or "Cancel request" button next to that person's name.
  • The person who received your request will not be notified if you cancel it, though they may have already seen it in their own requests list.

What happens after you send a request

When you send a friend request, the other person sees it in their own "Friend requests" section. They can accept it, decline it, or ignore it — and Facebook does not tell you which one they chose unless they take action. If they accept, you become friends and can see each other's posts and profiles according to your privacy settings. If they decline, the request disappears from both your sent list and their received list.

If they do nothing, the request stays pending indefinitely. Facebook does not expire friend requests or send reminders to either person. This means a request you sent months ago could still be sitting in someone's queue, and you would have no way to know whether they have seen it, forgotten about it, or are deliberately ignoring it.

Canceling a request you no longer want to send

You can remove any pending request from your sent list by going back to that section and clicking the X or "Cancel request" button next to the person's name. Once you cancel, the request disappears from your profile when ready. The other person will not receive a notification that you canceled it, though if they had already seen your request in their queue, they will notice it is gone if they check.

Canceling a request does not prevent you from sending another one later. You can send a new request to the same person after a waiting period, which is usually a few days. Facebook enforces this delay to prevent spam, but the exact timing varies.

Why you might not see a request you thought you sent

If you cannot find a request in your sent list, the most common reason is that the person already responded to it. Once someone accepts or declines your request, it no longer appears in your "Friend requests sent" section — it either moves to your friends list (if accepted) or disappears entirely (if declined). Check your friends list first to confirm whether they accepted without you noticing.

Another possibility is that you never actually sent the request. If you clicked the button but your internet connection dropped or the page did not load fully, the request may not have gone through. Try sending it again. If Facebook shows an error message, wait a few minutes and try once more, as temporary server issues are common.

Differences between sent requests and pending notifications

Your sent requests are different from notifications. When you send a request, you see it in your "Friend requests sent" list. When someone sends you a request, you see it in your "Friend requests" inbox. These are two separate places, and checking one does not show you the other. Many people confuse the two and think they are looking at requests they received when they are actually looking at requests they sent, or vice versa.

To avoid confusion, remember that "Friend requests sent" is always found on your own profile page. "Friend requests received" is found by clicking the friend icon or notification bell at the top of Facebook and looking for the requests section there.

What information the other person sees when you send a request

When you send a friend request, the other person sees your name, profile picture, and a brief preview of your profile. They do not see a message from you unless you use Facebook's "Add a note" feature, which appears on some requests and lets you write a short line explaining why you want to be friends. If you did not add a note, they straightforward see your name and picture with the option to accept or decline.

Facebook does not show them that you have looked at their profile, sent them messages before, or taken any other action. They only see the request itself and whatever information is public on your profile. Once they respond, the request disappears from their view as well.

Managing requests when you have sent many

If you have sent requests to many people, your "Friend requests sent" list can become long and hard to navigate. Facebook does not sort this list by date or let you search within it, so you may need to scroll through the entire list to find a specific person. The requests appear in the order you sent them, with the most recent at the top.

If you want to clean up your sent requests, go through the list and cancel any you no longer want to send. This is useful if you sent requests to people you no longer want to connect with, or if you sent requests so long ago that you have forgotten why you sent them. Canceling old requests also makes room for new ones and keeps your profile cleaner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the other person see that I sent them a friend request?

Yes. When you send a request, it appears in their "Friend requests" section, and they can see your name and profile picture. They will not see a notification that you sent it unless Facebook sends them a notification email or app alert, which depends on their notification settings.

What does it mean if a request stays pending for months?

It means the person has not responded — they have not accepted or declined. They may not have seen it, may have forgotten about it, or may be choosing not to respond. Facebook does not expire requests, so it will stay there until one of you takes action.

If I cancel a request, can I send another one right away?

No. Facebook usually requires you to wait a few days before sending another request to the same person. The exact wait time varies, but it is Facebook's way of preventing spam. If you try to send too soon, you will see a message telling you to wait.

Why does my sent requests list show people I am already friends with?

This should not happen. Once someone accepts your request, they move to your friends list and disappear from your sent requests. If you see someone in both places, refresh the page — the list may not have updated yet.

Can I see when someone read my friend request?

No. Facebook does not tell you when someone has seen your request. You only know they have responded if they accept or decline. If they do nothing, you have no way to know whether they have looked at it.