Cancel a friend request before the other person accepts it

You can take back a friend request on Facebook at any time before the person accepts it. The person will not be notified that you cancelled it, and the request will disappear from their notifications. Once you cancel, they will not see that you ever sent one unless they were actively looking at their pending requests at that exact moment.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you are using Facebook on a computer or a phone, but the process takes about 10 seconds either way. You do not need to contact Facebook support or explain yourself to the other person.

Key Takeaways

  • You can cancel a pending friend request from your own profile, your friends list, or the other person's profile before they accept it.
  • On a computer, click the "Cancel request" button that appears next to their name; on a phone, tap the same button in the Friends section of their profile.
  • The other person will not receive a notification that you cancelled the request, and it will not appear in their activity log.
  • Once you cancel, you can send a new request to the same person later without any penalty or waiting period.

Cancel from your own profile on a computer

Open Facebook and go to your own profile by clicking your name or profile picture in the top left corner. Click the "Friends" section, then look for the tab that says "Friend requests sent" or "Pending" — the exact wording changes depending on your Facebook version. You will see a list of people you have sent requests to but who have not yet accepted.

Find the person whose request you want to cancel. Hover your mouse over their name or profile picture, and a button will appear that says "Cancel request". Click it. The request is now cancelled, and their name will disappear from the list.

Cancel from the other person's profile on a computer

Go to the profile of the person whose request you want to cancel. Near the top of their profile, you will see a button that says "Cancel request" or "Pending" with a checkmark. Click that button, and a menu will appear asking you to confirm. Select "Cancel request" from the menu.

The button will change back to "Add friend" once the request is cancelled. You can now send a new request to this person whenever you want.

Cancel on your phone or tablet

Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right of the screen. Tap "Friends", then look for a section labeled "Friend requests sent" or "Pending requests". Tap the person's name to open their profile.

At the top of their profile, you will see a button that says "Cancel request" or shows a checkmark with "Pending". Tap that button, and a confirmation menu will appear. Tap "Cancel request" to finish. The button will change back to "Add friend".

What happens after you cancel

Once you cancel a friend request, the other person will not see it in their notifications or pending requests. They will not receive a message telling them you cancelled it. If they check their pending friend requests list at that exact moment, they might notice it is gone, but Facebook does not send them an alert about cancellations.

You can send a new request to the same person at any time. There is no waiting period, and Facebook will not flag you for sending multiple requests to the same person. If you change your mind and want to be friends again, straightforward send a new request.

Difference between cancelling and blocking

Cancelling a friend request is not the same as blocking someone. When you cancel, the person can still see your profile (unless it is set to private), and they can send you a friend request later. When you block someone, they cannot see your profile, cannot message you, and cannot send you a friend request.

If you want to prevent someone from ever contacting you, blocking is the right choice. If you straightforward sent a request by mistake or changed your mind about being friends, cancelling is enough. You can also unfriend someone after they accept your request — that is a separate action from cancelling.

Why you might want to cancel a request

You might cancel a request if you sent it to the wrong person, if you no longer want to be connected to them, or if you sent it by accident while scrolling. Some people cancel requests if they realize they do not actually know the person well enough to be friends, or if they sent a request to someone they were angry with and now regret it.

There is no penalty for cancelling requests, and the other person will not hold it against you. If you later decide you do want to be friends, you can send a new request without any awkwardness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?

No. Facebook does not send a notification when you cancel a request. The person will not see it in their notifications or activity log. They will only know if they happened to be looking at their pending requests at the exact moment you cancelled it.

Can I cancel a request after someone accepts it?

No. Once someone accepts your friend request, you are friends. To end the friendship, you will need to unfriend them instead. Unfriending is a different action — you go to their profile and click "Unfriend" or remove them from your friends list.

What if I sent a request to someone and they have not responded in weeks?

You can cancel it at any time. There is no rule about how long a request can sit pending. If you want to try again later, you can cancel now and send a new request in a few weeks or months without any problem.

Does cancelling a request affect my account in any way?

No. Cancelling requests does not impact your account, your privacy settings, or your ability to send future requests. Facebook does not track or penalize you for cancelling requests.