You can cancel a friend request you sent, but the steps depend on where you are when you notice it
To cancel a friend request on Facebook, find the person's profile or the notification you sent, then click the button that says "Cancel Request" instead of "Add Friend". The button appears in the same spot where "Add Friend" would normally be. Once you click it, the request disappears from their notifications and yours — they will not receive a message saying you cancelled it, and it will not show up in their activity log.
The process takes about five seconds. You do not need to message the person or explain yourself. If you change your mind later, you can always send a new request.
Key Takeaways
- The "Cancel Request" button appears on a person's profile in the same location where "Add Friend" normally shows, and clicking it removes the request when ready.
- The person you sent the request to will not be notified that you cancelled it, and the cancelled request will not appear in their notifications or activity log.
- You can cancel a request from your own notifications list by clicking the X next to the pending request you sent.
- If you cancel a request and later want to reconnect, you can send a new request at any time with no penalty.
Cancel a request from someone's profile
Open Facebook and search for the person's name in the search bar at the top of the page. Click on their profile when it appears in the results. Look at the button near the top of their profile — if you have sent them a request, it will say "Cancel Request" instead of "Add Friend".
Click "Cancel Request". The button will change back to "Add Friend" when ready, and the request is gone. That is all there is to it. The person will not see a notification about this.
Cancel a request from your notifications
If you remember sending the request but do not remember the person's name, you can cancel it from your own notifications. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right of your screen on mobile, or at the top right on a computer. Select "Friends" from the menu.
Look for a section that says "Friend Requests Sent" or similar wording — this shows all the requests you have sent that the other person has not yet accepted or declined. Find the person you want to cancel on, and click the X button next to their name. The request is cancelled when ready.
What happens after you cancel
Once you cancel a request, the other person will not see it in their notifications. If they already saw the notification before you cancelled it, the notification will disappear from their list. They cannot see a record of the cancelled request in their activity log or anywhere else on Facebook.
You will not see the cancelled request in your own notifications either. If you ever want to send a request to this person again, you can do so at any time — there is no waiting period or penalty for cancelling and resending.
The difference between cancelling and blocking
Cancelling a request is not the same as blocking someone. When you cancel a request, the person can still see your profile (unless your privacy settings prevent it), and they can send you a request later. When you block someone, they cannot see your profile at all, and neither of you can send requests to each other.
If you want to prevent someone from seeing your profile or contacting you, blocking is the stronger option. If you straightforward sent a request by mistake or changed your mind, cancelling is the right choice.
Why you might want to cancel a request
People cancel requests for many reasons. You might have sent a request to someone you do not actually know well, or you might have sent it to the wrong person by accident. You might have sent a request when you were angry and now regret it, or you might have found out the person is not who you thought they were.
Whatever the reason, cancelling takes the request back without any awkwardness. The person will not know you sent it unless they saw the notification before you cancelled it, and even then, they will not know why you cancelled.
What to do if you cannot find the cancel button
If you are looking at someone's profile and you see "Add Friend" instead of "Cancel Request", it means you have not sent them a request yet, or you already cancelled it. You might also see "Friends" if you are already connected, or "Message" if they have restricted who can send them requests.
If you are certain you sent a request and cannot find the cancel button, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening Facebook. Sometimes the page does not update right away. If the button still does not appear after refreshing, the person may have already declined your request, which means it is no longer pending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?
No. Facebook does not send a notification when you cancel a request. If the person saw your request notification before you cancelled it, they will see it disappear from their notifications, but Facebook will not tell them you cancelled it or why.
Can I cancel a request I sent a long time ago?
Yes. You can cancel a pending request at any time, no matter how long ago you sent it. As long as the person has not accepted or declined it, the "Cancel Request" button will be there.
What if I cancel a request and then want to send one again?
You can send a new request when ready. There is no waiting period. straightforward go to their profile and click "Add Friend" again.
Is cancelling a request the same as unfriending someone?
No. Unfriending removes someone you are already connected to. Cancelling removes a request that is still pending — the person has not accepted it yet. If you are already friends with someone, you will see "Friends" on their profile, not "Cancel Request".
Can I cancel multiple requests at once?
Facebook does not have a bulk cancel feature. You will need to cancel each request individually by visiting the person's profile or using the "Friend Requests Sent" section in your Friends menu.