You can cancel a friend request you sent before the other person accepts it
If you sent a friend request and want to take it back, Facebook lets you cancel it in a few taps. The person won't get a notification that you cancelled it — the request straightforward disappears from their pending list. Once someone accepts your request, you can't cancel it anymore, but you can unfriend them instead.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using Facebook on a phone or a computer, but both take less than a minute. Cancelling is different from blocking or unfriending, and it leaves no trace on the other person's account or notifications.
Key Takeaways
- You can only cancel a friend request before the other person accepts it; after they accept, you'll need to unfriend them instead.
- On a phone, go to your profile, tap "Friends," find the pending request, and tap "Cancel Request."
- On a computer, visit the person's profile, hover over "Friend Request Sent," and click "Cancel Request."
- The other person won't see a notification when you cancel a request, and it won't appear in their activity log.
- If you change your mind later, you can always send a new friend request to the same person.
How to cancel a friend request on your phone
Open the Facebook app and go to your own profile by tapping your name at the bottom of the screen. Tap "Friends" to see your friend list and pending requests. Look for the person whose request you want to cancel — they'll appear in a section showing requests you've sent that haven't been accepted yet.
Tap "Cancel Request" next to their name. The request disappears when ready. You can now send a new request to this person anytime if you change your mind. The button will return to "Add Friend" on their profile.
How to cancel a friend request on a computer
Go to the person's Facebook profile by searching for their name or clicking a link to their page. Look for a button that says "Friend Request Sent" — it usually appears near the top of their profile, often in blue.
Hover your mouse over "Friend Request Sent" and a small menu will pop up. Click "Cancel Request." The button will change back to "Add Friend," and the request is gone. You can send a new request whenever you want. The entire process takes just a few seconds.
What happens when you cancel a friend request
When you cancel a request, the other person won't receive a notification about it. The request straightforward vanishes from their pending friend requests list. They won't see it in their activity log or anywhere else on Facebook. No record of the cancellation appears on either account.
If you sent the request recently, they may have already seen it before you cancelled it — Facebook shows notifications when requests arrive. But once you cancel, there's no record left for them to find. If they try to look at your profile later, they'll see the "Add Friend" button again, just as if you'd never sent a request. This makes cancelling a low-stakes action with no social consequences.
The difference between cancelling and unfriending
Cancelling a request works only if the person hasn't accepted yet. If they've already accepted and you're now friends, you can't cancel — you have to unfriend them instead. Unfriending removes them from your friend list and you from theirs, but it's a different action than cancelling a pending request.
To unfriend someone, go to their profile, tap or click the "Friends" button (on a phone) or hover over "Friends" (on a computer), and select "Unfriend." Unlike cancelling a request, unfriending can sometimes trigger a notification depending on your privacy settings, though Facebook doesn't always notify the other person. Unfriending is permanent until you send a new request and they accept it again.
Why you might want 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 realized you don't actually know them well enough. Some people cancel requests if they sent them while emotional or upset and want to step back. Others cancel if they realize they already follow the person's public posts and don't need a direct connection.
There's no penalty for cancelling requests, and you can send as many as you want. Facebook doesn't limit how often you cancel and resend to the same person, though sending many requests in a short time to people who don't know you might trigger Facebook's spam filters. Cancelling is a normal part of managing your social connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?
No. Facebook doesn't send a notification when you cancel a request, and the cancelled request won't appear anywhere on their profile or activity log. If they saw the original notification when you sent it, they'll know a request came in, but they won't know you took it back.
Can I cancel a friend request after someone accepts it?
No. Once someone accepts your request, you're friends and can't cancel anymore. If you want to remove them, you'll need to unfriend them instead. Unfriending removes the connection on both sides.
What if I cancel a request and want to send it again later?
You can send a new request anytime. Go back to their profile and tap or click "Add Friend" again. There's no waiting period or limit on how many times you can send requests to the same person.
Does cancelling a request affect my privacy or account?
No. Cancelling requests is a normal part of using Facebook and doesn't change your privacy settings, account status, or anything else. It's a safe action with no side effects.
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 going to your Friends list or the person's profile. If you have many pending requests to cancel, you can do them one at a time in a few minutes.