Cancel a pending friend request you sent
If you sent a friend request and want to take it back before the other person accepts it, you can cancel it in a few taps. The request stays pending until they respond, so cancelling stops them from ever seeing it — they won't get a notification that you withdrew it.
Open Facebook and go to your profile by tapping your name at the bottom of the screen (on mobile) or clicking your name in the top right (on desktop). Scroll down to find the person's profile or search for them using the search bar at the top. When you're on their profile, look for a button that says "Cancel request" — this appears where the "Add Friend" button normally is. Tap or click it, and the request is gone.
If you can't find the button, the person may have already accepted your request, deleted their account, or blocked you. In those cases, cancelling is not an option.
Key Takeaways
- A pending friend request you sent can be cancelled from the person's profile by tapping the "Cancel request" button.
- Cancelling a request sends no notification to the other person — they straightforward won't see the request.
- Once someone accepts your request, you cannot cancel it; you can only unfriend them later.
- If the "Cancel request" button does not appear, the request may have already been accepted, or the person may have blocked you.
Find pending requests you've sent
If you've sent several friend requests and can't remember who you sent them to, Facebook keeps a list of all pending requests. On mobile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right, then scroll down and tap "Friends." Look for "Friend requests sent" — this shows everyone you've asked to be friends with who hasn't responded yet.
On desktop, click the friends icon (two people) in the top navigation, then click "Friend requests" at the top left. Switch to the "Sent" tab to see requests you've sent that are still waiting. From this list, you can cancel any request by clicking the "Cancel request" button next to their name.
What happens when you cancel a request
When you cancel a friend request, the other person's inbox clears of that request. They won't receive a message saying you cancelled it, and they won't see it in their pending requests anymore. If they check your profile later, they'll see the "Add Friend" button again, as if you never sent a request at all.
Cancelling is different from blocking or unfriending. If you've already become friends with someone and want to remove them, you'll need to unfriend them instead — that's a separate action. Cancelling only works on requests that haven't been accepted yet.
Reasons to cancel a friend request
You might cancel a request if you sent it by accident, changed your mind about connecting with that person, or sent it to the wrong profile. You may also cancel if you realize you don't actually know the person or if you sent it while angry and now regret it. Since the other person won't know you cancelled it, there's no social awkwardness — it straightforward disappears.
Another common reason is sending a request to someone you're already friends with. This can happen if you don't realize you're already connected. In that case, the "Cancel request" button won't appear because you're already friends, and you don't need to do anything.
If someone sent you a friend request you don't want
If you received a friend request from someone else and don't want to accept it, you have two choices: decline it or ignore it. Declining sends no notification to them — the request straightforward disappears from your inbox. Ignoring leaves it in your requests list but doesn't accept it.
To decline a request on mobile, go to the menu, tap "Friends," then "Friend requests." Swipe left on the request (or tap the X button) and choose "Delete." On desktop, click the friends icon, go to "Friend requests," and click the X next to their name. The request is gone, and they won't know you declined it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?
No. Cancelling a request sends no notification. The person won't receive a message, and they won't see any sign that you cancelled it. It straightforward disappears from their pending requests as if it was never sent.
Can I cancel a friend request after they've accepted it?
No. Once someone accepts your request, you're friends. You can no longer cancel — instead, you can unfriend them by going to their profile and clicking "Unfriend." Unfriending does send a notification that you're no longer connected.
What if I can't find the "Cancel request" button?
If the button doesn't appear, the request may have already been accepted, the person may have blocked you, or their account may no longer exist. Try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the app. If it still doesn't appear after a refresh, one of those situations is likely the cause.
Can I cancel multiple friend requests at once?
Facebook doesn't have a bulk cancel feature. You'll need to cancel each request individually by visiting the person's profile or using the "Friend requests sent" list and clicking "Cancel request" next to each name.
If I cancel a request, can I send another one later?
Yes. Cancelling a request doesn't prevent you from sending another one in the future. You can send a new request anytime, though waiting a reasonable amount of time is considerate if the person declined or ignored your first request.