Facebook doesn't like it when you make besides many friend requests at once. Trying to expand your network too quickly could get you blocked from adding more Facebook friends. Possibly it already happened to you, and yous tin't friend someone on Facebook?

On Facebook, innocent mistakes and ignorance of essential Facebook etiquette tin can lead to consequences like these. But with our tips on how to manage Facebook friend requests, yous tin can avoid facing unintentional punishment or elevator an existing cake and continue making many new friends.

How to Add Friends on Facebook

Hither is a petty refresher on the basics of calculation friends for those of you lot not also familiar with Facebook. Everyone else, delight skip ahead.

When logged into Facebook, you can find your pending friend requests under Menu (3x3 dots icon) > Friends. Facebook no longer highlights pending friend requests, merely you will see a note in your Facebook notifications.

On your Facebook Friends page, you'll see a summary of awaiting friend requests and a list of people you may know in the left-hand sidebar. Click a person's proper noun on the left to run into their full profile on the correct.

Select Ostend to add a friend or Delete Request to deny the request. The sender won't be notified.

How to Transport and Cancel a Friend Request on Facebook

Yous tin also search for people you know, open their profiles, and, if they accept friend requests from the public or friends of friends, add them by clicking the Add Friend push button located right next to the Bulletin push.

To cancel a friend asking, go back to their profile, click that same button, which now readsCancel Request.

Yous can likewise remove a friend via your Friends list. Facebook does not notify people if y'all remove them. However, it is possible to track your Facebook friends with third-party tools and receive alerts when people remove y'all. An example of such a tool is Who Deleted Me.

Unfollowing vs. Unfriending

Rather than unfriending people who are flooding your News Feed with airheaded posts, try unfollowing them instead. That way you lot can maintain your sanity, without risking the loss of a friendship. For more data, read our primer on following and unfollowing on Facebook.

From your News Feed (Home) observe a post from your overactive friend, click the arrowhead in the superlative right to aggrandize the post bill of fare, and click Unfollow. If you think the hyperactivity is simply temporary, y'all tin can also snooze their letters for thirty days.

Alternatively, head to your friend'due south profile, expand the bill of fare correct next to your friendship status, and select Unfollow from the bottom.

Unwritten Facebook Friend Request Rules

Now that you empathise the basics of how to add friends on Facebook, allow's review some effectively details of managing Facebook friend requests.

i. Only Add People You Know

Facebook simply wants y'all to add together people you know in real life. If your friend requests frequently remain unanswered or even if just ane person reports your friend request as unwanted, Facebook may conclude that you have sent friend requests that violate its Community Standards.

Consequently, Facebook might cake you from sending friend requests for some time.

To avoid being blocked from calculation friends, make it easy for people to recognize you. Here are some guidelines:

  • Utilise your real name and gear up a genuine profile photo.
  • Try to add together only people with whom you have mutual Facebook friends.
  • Send your desired contact a bulletin introducing yourself earlier you add them.

In other words: don't look like a imitation account, don't add together random strangers, and don't be a stranger yourself.

2. Add Friends Conservatively

Yous volition often desire to add a new friend immediately, even though you don't have mutual friends on Facebook. And it might be more than awkward to send a message commencement than to add together them direct. That'due south absurd.

But be sure you don't add as well many people without mutual friends at once simply to aggrandize your Facebook reach.

If you don't know someone, merely but want to know what they post to Facebook, and if at that place is an option to follow them, rather choose the follow option. This allows you to run into what they are upwardly to, just your timeline is not shared with them.

iii. Study Spammy Friend Requests

When yous delete a friend request, Facebook promises that the sender won't be notified. But they might send you a new request. If yous tin't become rid of them, y'all tin use either the Find back up or written report offline orBlock options, available from the three-dot menu, to prevent further friend requests from that person.

Utilise the first selection to report imitation accounts, strangers, or people who harass you.

Go on in mind that if you do this, the person may be penalized.

four. Review Friend Requests You Accept Sent

Feeling cocky-conscious virtually perhaps having sent too many friend requests yourself? Get ahead and double-check.

Go to Friends > Meet All > View Sent Requests. From here y'all tin cancel pending requests.

5. Block Friend Requests From Strangers

Facebook allows you to restrict who can send you lot a friend request. Not setting that limit is an open invitation for anyone to request your friendship.

If you're receiving likewise many friend requests from strangers, here'southward how yous can stop it.

Expand the Account carte du jour (arrowhead icon) in the top right and click through to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy. Under How People Observe and Contact Yous notice the Who can send y'all friend requests? option and click Edit. Your choices are Everyone or Friends of friends.

6. Hide Your Friends List

Allowing everyone to see who you've friended could cause some people to be jealous and subject your friends to unsolicited friend requests. It's best to restrict who can see your Friends list and friend activity.

To hide your Friends list, head to How People Detect and Contact You on your Settings folio. Find the option Who can encounter your friends list? and click edit.

Hither, yous can farther refine your privacy settings by choosing who can see your Friends list.

You tin likewise admission all friends-related settings from your (existing) Facebook friends page. From your profile page, click See All Friends, then click the iii-dot carte adjacent to Find Friends and choose Edit Privacy.

Why Tin can't I Friend Someone on Facebook?

If you can't seem to friend someone on Facebook, hither are the nearly probable reasons...

i. Y'all Sent an Unsuccessful Friend Asking

You already sent a friend asking, and it'southward either still pending or the recipient deleted it. Now the Add Friend push doesn't show upwards, then you lot can't send a new friend request.

If your request was deleted, Facebook has blocked y'all from sending that person another friend request for one whole year. The only way to get around this is to inquire the other person to ship you a friend request.

If your request is still pending (follow our instructions nether "Review Friend Requests You lot Have Sent" to a higher place), you could send your friend-to-be a message and ask them to approve your request.

2. Y'all Blocked the Other Person

You lot can't friend someone yous've blocked. See if you can unblock them and and then try sending a new friend request.

3. They Don't Permit Friend Requests From Strangers

As outlined above, Facebook allows you to restrict who can send you a friend request. If that'south the reason you can't friend someone, ask them to send you a friend request instead.

4. Someone Has Also Many Friends Already

Neither you, nor your friend-to-be, can have more than 5,000 friends. If ane of you has crossed that limit, you can't transport each other friend requests.

If you lot have too many friends, consider turning your account into a Facebook Folio.

5. Facebook Blocked Yous From Sending Friend Requests

This tin happen if you send too many friend requests at once, accept many unanswered friend requests, or if several people marked your requests as spam.

Co-ordinate to the Facebook Assistance Center, Facebook cannot lift a block early on, but fortunately, information technology's only temporary and will elapse within a few days.

Follow our guidelines above to avoid this from happening again.

Chief Your Facebook Friendships

Friend requests on Facebook remain bad-mannered. Whether yous add your all-time friend, someone y'all know from school, your mom, or your boss, equally far every bit Facebook is concerned everyone is a "friend."

Even so, Facebook does acknowledge various levels of friendship. Afterward all, y'all can sort your friends into close friends, family, acquaintances, or any other custom list you create.

Image Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

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Tina Sieber (842 Articles Published)

While completing a PhD, Tina started writing well-nigh consumer technology in 2006 and never stopped. Now also an editor and SEO, you can find her on Twitter or hiking a nearby trail.

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