Adding Friends & Friend Requests
Adding Friends
To add a friend by name on a computer:
- Click the search bar at the top of any Facebook page.
- Type your friend's name into the search bar and click
.
- To send someone a friend request, click Add Friend next to their profile picture. Some people might not have Add Friend next to their profile picture, depending on their privacy settings.
To find friends from your mobile phone or email accounts:
To find more friends to add, you can upload your contacts from your mobile phone or email accounts.
To get suggested friends:
You can use People You May Know to find friends on Facebook. People You May Know suggestions come from things like: friends in common, being in the same Facebook group or your networks.
If you're having trouble adding a friend:
Learn more about why you can't add someone as a friend.
You should send friend requests to people you know in real life, like your:
- Friends
- Family
- Coworkers
- Classmates
Learn about our policies by reading the Facebook Community Standards.
Note: you can only have up to 5,000 friends. To get updates in your News Feed from people you don't know personally (example: journalists, celebrities, political figures), try following them instead of sending them friend requests.
To change who can add you as a friend:
- Click
from the top right of any Facebook page and click Settings.
- Click Privacy in the left column.
- Click Edit next to Who can send you friend requests?
- From the dropdown menu, click Everyone or Friends of Friends.
To make it easier for your friends to find you on Facebook:
- Use the first and last name you use in everyday life.
- If people know you by a different name (example: nickname, maiden name), add another name to your account.
- Add your basic info.
You may not be able to add someone as a friend if:
- They already deleted your friend request. Once they have deleted your request, you cannot send them a new request for one year. Ask them to send you a friend request instead.
- You've blocked them. To send a friend request to someone you've blocked, learn how to unblock someone.
- They set their privacy settings to get friend requests only from friends of friends on Facebook. Ask them to send you a request instead.
- You have 5,000 friends or the friend you'd like to add has 5,000 friends. If you need to connect with more than 5,000 people, you can change your personal account to a Facebook Page.
- You already sent them a friend request. Click to see your sent friend requests.
- You have been blocked from sending friend requests.
Pending Friend Requests
To cancel a friend request you sent:
- Go to your sent friend requests.
- Hover over
Friend Request Sent next to the request you'd like to cancel.
- Select Cancel Request > Cancel Request.
If you got a notification saying you received a friend request, but you don't see it on your Facebook account:
- The person who sent the friend request could have canceled the request.
- The person who sent the friend request could have deactivated their account after sending the request.
Removing Friend Requests
When you delete a friend request, the person who sent you the request won't be notified and can't send you another request for one year. To permanently stop that person from sending you another friend request, you can block them.
To delete a friend request:
- Go to facebook.com/find-friends.
- Click Delete Request.
Learn how to cancel a friend request that you sent, or unfriend someone you're already friends with on Facebook.
Other
To see the friendship page for you and a friend:
- Go to your friend's profile.
- Click
over their cover photo.
- Click See Friendship.
If you’ve added a relationship to your profile, you can go to facebook.com/us to see the friendship page for you and the person you're in a relationship with.
To stop your contacts from being uploaded again, you'll need to turn off continuous contact uploading on each of the devices where you're using the Facebook app.
To delete the contacts that you've uploaded to Facebook:
- Go to the Uploading and Managing Your Contacts screen.
- Click Delete All.
Note: Turning off contact uploading in the Facebook app doesn't automatically turn it off in the Messenger app.
Related Settings
How can I manage contact uploading in the Facebook App?
You can only manage continuous contact uploading on the Android, iOS or Facebook Lite apps.
Facebook will upload your contacts from your phone or tablet if you have continuous contact uploading turned on.
To turn off continuous contact uploading in the Facebook app:
Android:
- Tap
at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Scroll down to the Media and Contacts section and tap Media and Contacts.
- Tap next to Continuous Contacts Upload to turn this setting on or off.
iPhone or iPad:
- Tap
at the bottom right of any Facebook page.
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Scroll down to the Media and Contacts section and tap Upload Contacts.
- Tap next to Upload Contacts to turn this setting on or off.
Facebook Lite:
- Tap
at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Scroll down and tap Settings.
- Scroll down to the Media and Contacts section and tap Contacts Uploading.
- Tap next to Contacts Uploading to turn this setting on or off.
Other Mobile Devices:
Continuous contact uploading is only available on iOS or Android devices. Learn how to upload contacts or delete contacts you've uploaded from your mobile device.
To turn off continuous uploading on other apps and devices:
- Turning off contact uploading in the Facebook app doesn't automatically turn off contact uploading or call and SMS (text messaging) uploading in the Messenger app. Learn how to manage contact uploading on Messenger.
- If you use the Facebook app on more than one phone or tablet, you'll need to turn off continuous contact uploading on each one.
To view or remove your uploaded contacts:
You can view or remove your uploaded contacts on the Manage Invites and Imported Contacts page.
How can I manage contact uploading in the Messenger app?
When you turn on contact uploading in Messenger, the app will begin uploading your contacts from your device. To turn contact uploading on and off in the Messenger app:
Android:
- From
Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap People.
- Tap Upload Contacts to turn this setting on or off.
iPhone or iPad:
- From
- Tap People.
- Tap Upload Contacts to turn this setting on or off.
Messenger Lite:
- Tap
in the top right.
- Tap People.
- Tap Sync phone contacts to turn this setting on or off.
When you turn off contact uploading, the contacts you've uploaded to Messenger will automatically be deleted. You can also go to the Manage Your Uploaded Contacts screen and tap Delete All Contacts > Delete All Contacts to delete these contacts. To stop your contacts from being uploaded again, you’ll need to turn off contact uploading on any devices where you're using the Messenger app.
Note: Turning off continuous contact uploading or call and text uploading in the Messenger app doesn't automatically turn it off in the Facebook app. Learn how to view or change:
- Your Facebook app contact uploading settings.
How do I delete my call and text history in Messenger for Android?
To delete your call and text history in Messenger for Android:
- From
- Tap People.
- Tap Manage Contacts.
- Tap Call Logs > Delete All Call Logs.
How do I delete my uploaded contacts or call and text history in the Facebook Lite app?
To delete uploaded contacts or call and text history:
- Open the Facebook Lite app and tap
- Tap Settings, then tap Imported Contacts.
- Tap Contacts or Call and Text History to see a list of contacts or call and text history you've uploaded.
- Tap Delete all.
Note: Turning off contact uploading in the Facebook Lite app doesn't automatically turn off contact uploading in the Messenger for Android app.
Learn how to manage contact uploading on Messenger.
When you upload your contacts to Facebook, you can choose to send your contacts an invitation to join Facebook. If people received an invitation from you that you didn't mean to send, please let us know.
Note: we can't delete SMS or email invitations that have already been sent, but you can remove your uploaded contacts to make sure that they don't get more invitation reminders.
If you're currently not able to send friend requests, this is usually because:
- You recently sent a lot of friend requests.
- Your past friend requests have gone unanswered.
- Your past friend requests were marked as unwelcome.
It's important to us that people only receive friend requests from people they know or have a real-life connection to. We understand that this can be frustrating, and that you might not have known about our friending policies. To help keep Facebook an open and welcoming experience for everyone, we try to prevent people from unintentionally sending unwanted friend requests.
We also want to help you avoid this kind of block in the future. When sending friend requests:
- Try to only send friend requests to people you already know (example: family, friends, coworkers, classmates).
- To connect with people you don't know (like celebrities), follow them instead of sending them a friend request.
- Make sure you're using the name you go by in everyday life. People you know may accidentally miss your friend requests if they don't recognize you.
If the issue you're experiencing isn't listed above, please let us know.
