How to Block Someone From Sending Friend Requests on Facebook
Facebook makes it easy to connect with friends, family members, coworkers, and other people. However, you may sometimes receive repeated friend requests from someone you do not want to connect with. In that situation, simply deleting or ignoring the request may not be enough because the person may try to contact you again.
Fortunately, Facebook provides a Block feature that can prevent a specific person from interacting with you in several ways. When you block someone, they cannot send you a new friend request, find your profile through Facebook search in the normal way, or start new conversations with you. Facebook also does not send the person a notification telling them that you blocked them.
If you are receiving unwanted requests from many different people rather than one particular person, Facebook also provides a privacy setting that lets you limit friend requests to Friends of friends.
Let’s explore it in detail!
How to Block Someone From Sending Friend Requests on Facebook
To block someone from sending you friend requests on Facebook, open the person’s Facebook profile, select the three-dot menu, choose Block, and confirm the action. After you block the person, they cannot send you a new friend request or start a new conversation with you on Facebook. Facebook does not notify the person that you blocked them.
If you want to reduce friend requests from strangers generally, change Who can send you friend requests? to Friends of friends in your privacy settings.
Step 1: Open Facebook and Sign In to Your Account
First, open Facebook on your computer or launch the Facebook app on your Android phone or iPhone.
If you are using a computer, open your preferred web browser and visit Facebook. Sign in using the account where you are receiving the unwanted friend request.
If you are using a phone, open the Facebook app and make sure you are signed in to the correct account.
Before continuing, make sure you know the name of the person you want to block. If you already received a friend request from that person, you can also open the request and use it to locate their profile.
The important thing here is to block the correct profile. If several people have similar names or profile pictures, take a moment to check the person’s profile before blocking them.
Step 2: Find the Person Who Is Sending the Friend Request
Next, find the Facebook profile of the person you do not want to receive requests from.
If the person has already sent you a friend request, open your Friend Requests area and locate their name.
If you cannot find the request, use the Facebook search box. Type the person’s name and look through the results until you find the correct profile.
If possible, check the person’s profile picture, mutual friends, workplace, location, or other public information to make sure you have selected the right person.
This is particularly important when the person’s name is common. Blocking the wrong profile will not stop the person you actually want to block.
Step 3: Open the Person’s Facebook Profile
Once you find the correct account, select the person’s name or profile picture to open their Facebook profile.
Take a moment to confirm that this is the account you want to block.
On a computer, you will normally see profile controls near the person’s name and profile information. On the Facebook mobile app, the arrangement can look slightly different depending on the current version of the app.
Do not worry if your screen does not look exactly the same as another person’s Facebook screen. Facebook periodically changes the appearance and location of its menus, but the profile menu and blocking option remain the important parts to look for.
Step 4: Open the Three-Dot Menu
On the person’s profile, look for a three-dot menu.
This menu contains additional actions that Facebook allows you to perform on the profile. Select the three dots to open the menu.
You may see several options, depending on the type of profile and your relationship with that person. Look carefully for the option labeled Block.
If you cannot immediately see it, look through the menu rather than selecting another option by mistake.
The Block option is different from Unfriend, Report, or simply deleting a friend request. Blocking is the option you need when your goal is to prevent that particular person from contacting you through Facebook.
Step 5: Select Block
After opening the menu, select Block.
Facebook will usually display a confirmation window explaining what blocking the person will do.
This confirmation is useful because blocking affects more than just friend requests. Facebook’s blocking feature prevents many interactions between the two profiles. Meta explains that blocking can prevent the person from seeing things you post on your profile and from starting conversations with you through Facebook or Messenger.
Read the confirmation message carefully before continuing.
If you are certain that you want to stop this person from contacting you, continue with the blocking process.
Step 6: Confirm the Block
After selecting Block, Facebook will ask you to confirm your decision.
Select Block again to complete the process.
Once the action is confirmed, the person will be blocked from your Facebook account.
This means the person will no longer be able to send you a new friend request from that blocked profile. Blocking also prevents many other types of interaction between the two accounts.
Facebook does not send a notification saying that you blocked the person. However, the person may eventually realize that they cannot find or interact with your profile.
Step 7: Understand What Happens to the Friend Request
If the person had already sent you a friend request, blocking them takes care of the problem without requiring you to accept the request.
The important difference is that deleting or declining a request is not the same as blocking the person. If you only remove a request, you have not necessarily prevented that person from attempting to contact you again in the future.
Blocking is more appropriate when you do not want a particular person to contact you or interact with your Facebook profile.
It is also different from unfriending someone. If you unfriend a person, you remove the existing friendship, but unfriending alone does not provide the same level of restriction as blocking.
Step 8: Limit Friend Requests From Strangers
If your problem is not one particular person but rather a large number of unwanted requests, you can change Facebook’s friend request privacy setting.
Open your Facebook Settings & privacy, then open Settings. Look for Audience and visibility and select How people find and contact you.
Find Who can send you friend requests?
Facebook provides the option to limit this setting to Friends of friends instead of allowing requests from everyone.
When you choose Friends of friends, people who have no mutual Facebook friends with you will generally no longer have the normal ability to send you a friend request.
This is useful if you want to reduce random requests while still allowing people who are connected to your existing Facebook network to contact you.
Remember that this setting is different from blocking a particular person. Friends of friends changes who can send requests to your account generally, while blocking targets a specific profile.
Step 9: Check Your Blocking Settings
If you want to make sure the person has been blocked, you can review Facebook’s Blocking settings.
Facebook includes blocking among its privacy controls, alongside settings for posts, profile visibility, and how people can find and contact you.
Open Settings & privacy and then Settings. Look for the Blocking section.
Depending on your version of Facebook, the exact location or wording may differ slightly. Look for the list of profiles that you have blocked.
If the person’s profile appears there, the block is active.
This is particularly helpful if you block several people over time and later want to review who is currently blocked.
Unblock the Person If You Change Your Mind
You can also reverse the decision later if you decide that you no longer want the person blocked.
Open your Facebook Blocking settings and find the person’s profile in your blocked list. Select the option to unblock that person and confirm your choice.
Keep in mind that unblocking does not automatically restore a previous friendship. If you want to become Facebook friends again, you may need to send or receive a new friend request.
Therefore, only unblock someone when you are comfortable allowing that person to interact with your account again.
What Is the Difference Between Blocking and Limiting Friend Requests?
The two options solve different problems.
Blocking someone is the better choice when one particular person is repeatedly sending you friend requests, or you do not want that person to interact with you. Blocking restricts many interactions between the two profiles.
Changing Who can send you friend requests? to Friends of friends is better when you want to reduce requests from strangers generally.
Facebook confirms that this setting can be changed from the How people find and contact you section of your privacy settings.
FAQs
Can I block only friend requests from one person?
No. Facebook’s privacy setting does not provide a special switch that blocks only friend requests from one specific person while allowing all other interactions. If you want to stop a particular person from sending you requests, blocking that profile is the most direct option.
Will Facebook notify someone when I block them?
No. Facebook does not send the person a notification telling them that you blocked them. However, they may realize something has changed if they can no longer find or interact with your profile.
Can someone I blocked send me a friend request?
A person blocked through Facebook cannot send you a new friend request from that blocked profile. Blocking also prevents many other interactions between the two profiles.
Can I stop everyone from sending me friend requests?
Facebook’s standard privacy setting does not provide a No one option. Instead, you can change Who can send you friend requests? to Friends of friends, which is the more restrictive choice available in that setting.
What happens if I simply delete a friend request?
Deleting or declining a friend request is different from blocking someone. If you do not want a particular person to contact you again, blocking is the stronger option.
Can I block someone without being friends with them?
Yes. You do not need to be Facebook friends with someone before blocking them. You can open their profile and use the Block option.
Can I unblock someone later?
Yes. You can manage blocked profiles through Facebook’s Blocking settings and unblock a person later if you change your mind.
Summary
If one particular person keeps sending you unwanted Facebook friend requests, the simplest solution is to open their profile, select the three-dot menu, choose Block, and confirm the action. Blocking prevents that profile from sending you a new friend request and also restricts many other interactions with your account.
If you are mainly trying to stop random strangers from sending requests, change Who can send you friend requests? to Friends of friends under Facebook’s privacy settings. This allows you to keep receiving requests from people who share a connection with your existing Facebook friends while reducing requests from complete strangers.
For a specific unwanted person, however, blocking is the most effective option because it addresses that individual profile rather than changing your friend request settings for everyone.