Deleting a contact from Facebook removes them from your friends list

When you delete someone from Facebook, they can no longer see your posts, message you, or access your profile unless it is set to public. You are not notified to them as "deleted" — Facebook does not send a notification. They may notice over time that they cannot find you in their friends list, or they may not notice at all. Deleting is different from blocking: a deleted contact can still search for you and send a friend request again, while a blocked contact cannot.

The process takes about 10 seconds and works the same way on desktop, phone, and tablet. You do not need to go into settings or change any account permissions. Facebook keeps no record of the deletion on your profile.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a contact removes them from your friends list but does not notify them or prevent them from sending you a friend request later.
  • You can delete a contact from your friends list, from a conversation thread, or directly from their profile — all three methods take less than a minute.
  • Deleted contacts can still see posts you have marked as public and can still search for your profile by name.
  • If you want to prevent someone from contacting you entirely, blocking is stronger than deleting, though blocking is visible to them if they search for your name.

Delete a contact from your friends list on desktop

Open Facebook in a web browser and go to your profile by clicking your name in the top left corner. Click the "Friends" button below your cover photo. Scroll through your friends list until you find the person you want to delete. Hover your mouse over their name or profile picture — a three-dot menu will appear. Click it and select "Remove Friend" from the dropdown.

The contact is now deleted. They will no longer appear in your friends list, and you will no longer see their posts in your feed unless their profile is public.

Delete a contact from your friends list on mobile

Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Tap "Friends" to see your full friends list. Find the person you want to delete and tap their name to open their profile. Tap the "Friends" button (it will have a checkmark next to it). A menu will appear — tap "Remove Friend" and confirm.

On some versions of the app, the button may say "Following" instead of "Friends" if you have unfollowed them previously. Tapping it will still remove them from your friends list.

Delete a contact from a conversation

Open Facebook Messenger and find the conversation with the person you want to delete. Tap and hold on their name at the top of the conversation (on mobile) or right-click their name (on desktop). A menu will appear with the option to "Remove from Friends" or "Delete Chat." Tapping "Remove from Friends" deletes them from your friends list without deleting the conversation history.

If you want to delete both the friendship and the conversation, you can delete the chat separately after removing them as a friend. The conversation will move to your archived chats, and you can delete it from there if you choose.

Delete a contact from their profile

Search for the person's name in Facebook's search bar at the top of the page. Click on their profile. If they are your friend, you will see a "Friends" button with a checkmark. Click it and select "Remove Friend" from the dropdown menu. On mobile, tap the "Friends" button and confirm the removal.

This method is useful if you want to delete someone without going through your entire friends list, or if you want to check their profile first before deciding to delete them.

What happens after you delete a contact

After deletion, the person can no longer see posts you have marked as "Friends Only." They cannot message you through Messenger unless you have a mutual friend or they send you a message request (which you can ignore or decline). They can still see any posts you have marked as public, comment on public posts, or tag you in photos if those tags are set to public.

If you delete someone by mistake, you can send them a new friend request. They will receive it like any other request, and if they accept, you will be friends again. There is no "undo" button, but the process of re-adding them is straightforward.

Deleting versus blocking versus unfollowing

Deleting removes someone from your friends list but allows them to see your public posts and send you a new friend request. Blocking prevents them from seeing your profile, messaging you, or finding you in search — but if they search for your name directly, they may see that you have blocked them. Unfollowing keeps the friendship but removes their posts from your feed; they remain your friend and can still message you.

Choose deleting if you want to end the friendship but do not mind if they see your public content. Choose blocking if you want to prevent all contact and do not want them to know you have blocked them (though they may figure it out). Choose unfollowing if you want to stay friends but do not want to see their posts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I deleted them?

Facebook does not send a notification when you delete someone. They may notice over time that they cannot find you in their friends list, or they may not notice at all. If your profile is public, they can still search for you by name and see your public posts.

Can I delete someone without them being able to add me again?

No. Deleting only removes them from your friends list. If you want to prevent them from sending you a friend request, you need to block them instead. Blocking is stronger but may be visible to them if they search for your name.

What if I delete someone by accident?

You can send them a new friend request at any time. They will receive it like a regular request, and if they accept, you will be friends again. There is no automatic way to undo a deletion, but re-adding them takes about 10 seconds.

Can I delete multiple contacts at once?

Facebook does not have a bulk delete feature. You must delete contacts one at a time. If you need to remove many people, you can do it faster by opening each profile in a new tab and deleting them in sequence.

If I delete someone, can they still see my old posts?

They can see any posts you marked as public. They cannot see posts marked as "Friends Only." If you want to hide old posts from someone, you can change the privacy setting on individual posts after deleting them.