Finding and sending a friend request on Facebook

To send a friend request on Facebook, search for the person's name or profile using the search bar at the top of your feed, click on their profile, and look for the "Add Friend" button — usually near their cover photo or in the top right of their profile. On mobile, the button appears in the same area. Once you click it, Facebook sends them a notification that you've requested to connect, and they can accept, decline, or ignore the request.

The person you're requesting won't see your request disappear into a void. Facebook stores it in their "Friend Requests" section until they act on it. If they decline, you won't be notified, but you can send another request after some time has passed. If they accept, you both become friends and can see each other's posts, photos, and other shared content based on your privacy settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Search for someone's name in the Facebook search bar, open their profile, and click "Add Friend" to send a request.
  • The person receives a notification about your request and can accept, decline, or leave it pending indefinitely.
  • Once someone accepts your request, Facebook may suggest them to other people you know, and both of you can see each other's activity depending on privacy settings.
  • If someone declines your request, you can send another one later, but Facebook may limit how often you can request the same person.
  • Your friend requests are visible to you in your own "Friend Requests" section, where you can see pending requests you've sent and received.

What Facebook does with your friend request information

When you send a friend request, Facebook records that action and stores data about it: who you requested, when you sent it, and whether they accepted or declined. This information stays in Facebook's systems even if the request is deleted. Facebook uses this data to build a map of your social connections and to train its recommendation algorithms — the system that suggests friends to you and to others.

Facebook also uses friend request patterns to infer relationships and interests. If you send requests to people in a particular city, profession, or hobby group, Facebook notes that pattern. This information can be used to target you with ads related to those groups or to suggest similar people to you later. The company does not sell this raw data to third parties, but it does use it internally to refine what it shows you and what it shows advertisers about you.

How friend requests affect what others see about you

When you send a friend request, the recipient can see your profile — or at least the parts you've made visible to "Everyone" or "Friends of Friends." They can view your profile picture, cover photo, and any posts you've marked as public. If your profile is set to private, they see less, but they can still see enough to decide whether to accept your request.

Once someone accepts your request, they gain access to more of your information based on your privacy settings. By default, Facebook friends can see your posts, photos, birthday, and relationship status. If you've customized your privacy settings to hide certain posts or information from specific people, those rules still explore — but most people use the default, which means new friends see most of what you share.

Controlling who can see your friend requests

You cannot hide the fact that you've sent a friend request from the recipient — they will be notified. However, you can control who sees your full friend list. Go to your profile, click "Friends," and then click the privacy icon (the three dots or gear icon) to change who can see your list. You can set it to "Friends Only," "Only Me," or "Public." This setting does not affect individual friend requests, only your complete list of connections.

You also cannot prevent Facebook from suggesting you to other people based on your friend requests and connections. If you request someone, Facebook may suggest you to their friends, and vice versa. This is part of how Facebook's recommendation system works. If you want to limit how often you send requests or how visible your social activity is, the main tool is adjusting your overall privacy settings and limiting what you share publicly.

What happens if someone declines or ignores your request

If someone declines your friend request, you won't receive a notification about it. The request straightforward disappears from their queue. You can send another request to the same person, but Facebook may slow down or block repeated requests to the same person if you send too many in a short time. The exact limits are not public, but sending multiple requests to someone who has declined is flagged as potential spam behavior.

If someone ignores your request — meaning they don't act on it — it stays in their pending requests indefinitely. They may see it later and accept it, or they may never address it. There is no time limit on how long a request can sit pending. You can cancel a request you've sent by going to your own "Friend Requests" section and clicking "Cancel Request."

Privacy risks of sending friend requests to people you don't know

Sending requests to strangers or people you barely know carries a small privacy cost. When you request someone, they can see your profile and learn information about you — where you live, where you work, your interests, and your other friends. If your profile is mostly public, they learn quite a bit. If you send requests to many people you don't know, you're also creating a record in Facebook's systems that could be used to infer things about you (your interests, your location, the groups you're trying to join).

There is also a social engineering risk: scammers sometimes create fake profiles and send friend requests to gather information about real people, or to build trust before attempting fraud. If you receive requests from people you don't recognize, you can decline them without consequence. You can also report profiles that seem fake or suspicious by clicking the three dots on their profile and selecting "Report."

How to manage pending and sent friend requests

To see friend requests you've sent, click on your profile picture in the top right, select "Friends," and look for a section showing your sent requests. From there, you can cancel any request you've sent. To see requests you've received, go to "Friends" and look for the "Friend Requests" tab — this shows people who have requested to connect with you.

You can also adjust who can send you friend requests in your privacy settings. Go to Settings, then Privacy, and look for "Who can send you friend requests?" You can set this to "Everyone" or "Friends of Friends" — the latter means only people who share a mutual friend with you can request to connect. This setting does not prevent people from viewing your public profile or messaging you, only from sending friend requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I've looked at their profile before sending a request?

No. Facebook does not notify people when you view their profile, and it does not tell them how many times you've looked at it. They will only know you've sent a request once you actually click "Add Friend." Viewing a profile leaves no trace that the recipient can see.

What information does Facebook share about my friend requests with advertisers?

Facebook does not sell your friend request data directly to advertisers, but it uses patterns in your requests and connections to build a profile of your interests and social groups. Advertisers can then target you based on those inferred interests. You cannot opt out of this entirely, but you can limit it by adjusting your ad preferences in Settings.

If I send a request and then delete my account, does the request disappear?

The request disappears from the recipient's view, but Facebook keeps records of it in its systems for a period of time. Deleting your account does not erase all data Facebook holds about you — some information is retained for legal and operational reasons.

Can I send a friend request to someone who has blocked me?

No. If someone has blocked you, you cannot send them a request, view their profile, or contact them through Facebook. You will not see them in search results. If they unblock you later, you can send a request then.

Does sending a friend request let Facebook know I'm interested in someone romantically?

Facebook's systems may infer interest based on patterns — for example, if you send requests to many people in a particular location or age group, or if you interact heavily with someone's posts before requesting them. This information can be used to refine what Facebook shows you, but it is not shared with the other person.