Blog > Facebook > How to Unfriend Someone on Facebook?

How to Unfriend Someone on Facebook?

Reading Time:

Have you ever found yourself logging in to your Facebook account and wonder why you are still friends with some of these folks? Yes, it’s not unnatural for us to accept friend requests from strangers or acquaintances but sometimes, while reviewing our friends list, we understand the blunders we have made. 

If you have a former co-worker, an ex-spouse, or someone you do not want to see your day-to-day updates, you don’t need to go through the embarrassment of watching them appear on your feed daily or comment on your content.

For all these cases, you need to learn the process of unfriending on Facebook. But how to unfriend in Facebook easily?

Here are some simple & useful guidelines for managing your social media connections. But before that, let’s answer some relevant questions.

Why Consider Unfriending on Facebook?

Sometimes, your FB friends list is something you hadn’t hoped for. In such cases, unfriending becomes a necessary action for the following reasons –

  • Maintaining your privacy
  • Reducing your social media stress
  • Setting healthy boundaries with social media connections
  • Moving past your old relationships
  • Managing your digital well-being.

 

Simple Steps to Unfriend Someone on Facebook

How to unfriend someone on Facebook app? Now that it is clear for you why unfriending is often necessary, follow this step-by-step guide to perform this action seamlessly.

Step 1. Open Facebook and log into your account.

Step 2. Go to the profile of the person you want to unfriend.

Facebook profile page with visible "Friends" and "Message" buttons under the name and profile picture.

Step 3. Click the “Friends” button with the checkmark.

Facebook profile screen with the “Friends” button highlighted in red to indicate where to tap.

Step 4. Select “Unfriend” from the menu that appears below.

Facebook profile screen showing the dropdown menu from the “Friends” button, with “Unfriend” option highlighted.

Step 5. Facebook will ask you to confirm your choice by sending another dialog box. You need to hit “confirm” to complete the process.

Facebook confirmation popup asking if the user wants to remove a friend, with the “Confirm” button highlighted.

The process is quiet – they won’t get any notification about being unfriended by you.

 

What Happens When You Unfriend on Facebook?

Can I unfriend someone on FB without them knowing? After you have taken the steps above to unfriend someone on Facebook –

  • They’ll only see your public posts
  • You won’t appear in each other’s friend lists
  • Previous interactions (before unfriending) remain visible
  • They can send new friend requests
  • You won’t see their posts in your feed.

 

Other Options to Consider Before You Unfriend Someone

Unfriending is one of the ultimate steps that showcases your desire to not stay a social media friend. But before you even unfriend someone, you can consider the following –

  • Unfollowing: This allows you to stay connected on social media but hides their posts from your feed.
  • Restricting: It is a process which limits what they see on your profile or feed without unfriending them.
  • Snoozing: It is again one of the most effective ways to temporarily stop seeing someone’s posts on your feed for 30 days. 

 

Maintaining Your Friend List on Facebook

While some users focus on how to buy followers on Facebook for popularity and increasing the numbers for business purposes, genuine connections take time and matter more. 

It’s also important to know how to manage your friends list on Facebook. This allows you to have a better social media experience.

Follow the pointers below to learn more.

Privacy Steps After Unfriending Someone on Facebook

If Fb privacy was your major concern, then simply unfriending someone on Facebook might not have made it better. In such cases, review your privacy settings and implement the following –

  • Update your general privacy settings
  • Review shared photos and posts
  • Adjust future post visibility
  • Check mutual friend settings
  • Consider blocking if necessary.

Growing Your Authentic Presence

Instead of trying to get more Facebook likes, focus on meaningful connections. A smaller, genuine friend list often leads to better social media experiences than a large, impersonal one.

When to Block Instead of Unfriend

There are times unfriending someone on Facebook might not solve the problem. You might keep getting connection requests from them. In all these cases, you might consider blocking them.

Blocking comes to your aid in the following instances –

  • Someone’s behavior on Facebook makes you uncomfortable
  • You’re experiencing harassment on social media
  • You need complete privacy from someone
  • They keep sending you unwanted requests.

 

Managing Your Social Space

Remember that managing your friend list isn’t about being unkind – it’s about creating a comfortable online space for yourself. Your Facebook experience should enhance your life, not drain your energy or create stress for you.

 

Moving Forward

Take time occasionally to review your connections and adjust them based on your current life situation. It’s perfectly okay to outgrow social media connections, just as we outgrow people in real life. 

For all such social media hacks like a guide to add another photo to Instagram story, meaning of shadow-banned on TikTok, and others, keep following our blog.

Engage yourself with the people whose presence in your life is positive, and respect them when you can no longer accept negativity from them. When you maintain a limited list of friends and include only those acquaintances that are genuinely interesting, social networks like Facebook will become a more enjoyable place.

Article by

Creative marketer with expertise in Web3, social media strategy and execution. Skilled at scaling projects from the ground up, building engaged communities, and integrating into cross-functional teams. Experienced in blockchain and crypto marketing, with a passion for storytelling and data-driven strategies to elevate brands. Focused on a mission, rather than a career. Finding myself inspired by the purpose bigger than just a salary - learning as much as possible and making a difference. Linkedin

Read next

Enter Username