Removing a friend from Facebook takes 10 seconds and they won't get a notification
When you remove someone from your Facebook friends list, Facebook does not send them a message saying you did it. They will not see a notification. However, they may eventually notice on their own — if they visit your profile, they will see that you are no longer friends, and if they were paying attention to your posts before, those posts will stop appearing in their feed.
The person you remove can still see your public posts and your public profile information unless you have blocked them separately. Removing a friend is different from blocking: removing just ends the friendship connection, while blocking prevents someone from seeing your profile, messaging you, or finding you in search.
You can remove a friend from your phone, your computer, or the Facebook website. The steps are the same on all three.
Key Takeaways
- Removing a friend does not send them a notification, but they may notice if they check your profile or look for your posts in their feed.
- A removed friend can still see your public posts and public profile unless you block them separately.
- You can remove someone in three clicks from your friends list or from their profile.
- If you want to hide someone's posts without removing them, you can unfollow them instead — they stay your friend but their posts stop showing in your feed.
- Removing a friend does not delete old messages or comments between you; those stay on both your accounts unless you delete them yourself.
How to remove a friend from your friends list
Go to your own profile and click or tap "Friends" to see your full friends list. Search for the person's name in that list or scroll to find them. Click the three dots next to their name, then select "Remove Friend" from the menu that appears.
On a phone, the three dots may appear when you tap the person's name or may be visible next to it already. The exact location changes slightly depending on whether you are using the Facebook app or the mobile website, but the "Remove Friend" option is always in that menu.
How to remove a friend from their profile
Go to the person's profile page. Near the top, you will see a button that says "Friends" with a checkmark. Click or tap that button, and a menu will appear with the option to "Remove Friend." Select it.
This method is faster if you are already looking at someone's profile and do not want to navigate back to your own friends list.
What happens to your messages and comments after you remove someone
Removing a friend does not delete your message history with them. Old messages, comments, and photos you shared together will still be there on both accounts. If you want those conversations gone, you have to delete them yourself — there is no automatic cleanup when you remove a friend.
If you want to delete a conversation with someone, open your Facebook messages, find the conversation, and look for a delete or trash option. On the website, right-click the conversation. On a phone, swipe left on it (iPhone) or long-press it (Android). You can also delete individual messages from inside a conversation if you do not want to remove the whole thread.
The difference between removing, unfollowing, and blocking
These three actions do different things and are straightforward to mix up. Removing a friend ends the friendship — you are no longer connected, and they cannot see your friends list or send you friend requests without you accepting. Unfollowing keeps you as friends but hides their posts from your feed; they stay your friend and can still see your posts. Blocking prevents them from seeing your profile, messaging you, or finding you in search, and it also removes them from your friends list automatically.
Use removing when you want to end a friendship but do not need to hide from the person. Use unfollowing when someone's posts bother you but you want to stay connected. Use blocking when you want to cut off contact entirely or when someone is harassing you.
Whether the person can tell you removed them
Facebook does not notify the person, so they will not get a message or alert. However, they can figure it out if they look. If they visit your profile, they will see that the "Add Friend" button has returned instead of "Friends," which tells them you removed them. If they were used to seeing your posts in their feed, they may notice those posts stopped appearing.
Some people check their friends list regularly and will notice a missing name. Others may not notice for months or may never notice at all. There is no way for them to know exactly when you removed them — only that you are no longer friends at some point.
What information they can still see after removal
After you remove someone, they can still see anything you have marked as public. This includes public posts, your public profile photo, your public bio, and any public pages you follow or like. They cannot see your friends list, your private posts, your photos marked as private, or posts you have shared only with friends.
If you want to prevent a removed friend from seeing even your public information, you need to block them instead. Blocking is more restrictive and is the right choice if you want to cut off contact completely or if someone is bothering you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove someone and then add them back later?
Yes. After you remove someone, they can send you a new friend request, and you can accept it. There is no waiting period or penalty. You can also send them a friend request yourself if you change your mind.
Will they know if I remove them and then add them back?
They will see that you sent them a friend request, but they will not know you removed them first. Facebook does not tell them about the removal, only about the new request.
What if I remove someone by accident?
Go back to their profile and send them a friend request. They will receive it like any other request. You can also search for them in your friends list — if you removed them very recently, they may still appear in a "Recently Removed" section, though this varies by device.
Does removing a friend delete our shared photos?
No. Photos you are both tagged in stay on both accounts. Photos you uploaded that they are tagged in stay on your profile. You can untag them from photos if you want, but removing the friendship does not do that automatically.
Can I remove someone without them seeing that I unfollowed them first?
Unfollowing and removing are separate actions. If you unfollow someone, they cannot see that you did it. If you then remove them, they also will not be notified. You can do both without them knowing.