Facebook’s privacy settings allow users to block other users, even if they are not friends on the platform. Blocking someone on Facebook restricts their ability to view your profile, contact you, or see your posts.
When should you block someone on Facebook?
There are a few common reasons why someone may want to block a person they are not friends with on Facebook:
- The person is harassing you or sending unwanted messages/friend requests.
- The person is posting inappropriate or abusive content on your page or about you.
- You want to prevent a person you don’t know well from viewing your profile and posts.
- You have ended a relationship (personal or professional) and want to cut off contact.
- The person is spreading false information or gossip about you.
Blocking someone can help prevent unwanted interactions and protect your privacy on Facebook. It is a good option if someone makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe online.
How to block someone on Facebook that you are not friends with
If you want to block someone on Facebook that you are not friends with, here are the steps:
- Go to the person’s Facebook profile page.
- Click on the three dots “…” icon in the top right corner of their cover photo.
- Select “Block” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that you want to block the person when prompted.
Once you block someone, they will no longer be able to:
- See your Facebook profile or posts.
- Start conversations with you or add you as a friend.
- Tag you or invite you to events.
- Start a video call with you.
- Add you to groups.
- See things you post on mutual friends’ timelines.
- Find you in search on Facebook.
Blocking vs. unfriending
Blocking and unfriending both restrict someone’s access to your profile, but there are some differences:
| Blocking | Unfriending |
|---|---|
| Completely prohibits the person from seeing your profile or posts. | Removes you from the person’s friends list but does not fully hide you from them. |
| Prevents any interactions, contact, or searchability. | Still allows some ability to interact such as liking posts or commenting on mutual friends’ posts. |
| Is one-sided – they do not know you blocked them. | Is mutual – you both disappear from each other’s friends lists. |
| Can be done to non-friends. | Can only be done to existing friends. |
In most cases, blocking provides a cleaner break and stronger privacy protection than unfriending someone if your goal is to remove them fully from your Facebook experience.
How blocking works
When you block someone on Facebook, it severs the connection in the following ways:
- They will no longer see your profile or any posts you make.
- Any comments by them on your posts in the past are also hidden.
- You disappear from their friends list if you were previously connected.
- Any tags of you by the blocked person on their own posts will be removed.
- They will be unable to start a conversation with you on Messenger.
- You will not appear in their search results.
- They cannot invite you to events or groups.
Notably, when you block someone:
- They are not notified or made aware that you blocked them.
- It does not prevent them from viewing posts made by mutual friends.
- They can still see tags of you by others and mention you in comments/posts.
So blocking does not completely eliminate traces of you, but it removes direct access and interaction. They would have to actively search for mentions of you by others to find any sign of your activity.
What the blocked person sees
When someone is blocked, your Facebook profile and posts simply appear nonexistent from their point of view. For example:
- Your profile shows a “content unavailable” message to them.
- You do not appear in their friends list if you were connected.
- They cannot search for your profile or posts.
- You are not visible in their news feeds or notifications.
- Any attempt to message you will fail to send.
- The block will prevent any new connection requests.
The blocked user has no indication that they were blocked specifically. You simply vanish or appear unavailable on their end. They would need to sign out and view your profile anonymously to realize you blocked them.
How long does blocking someone last?
A Facebook block has no expiration date – it will remain in effect indefinitely until you choose to unblock the person. There is no time limit or Facebook mechanism to automatically unblock people after a certain period of time.
You have full control to decide if and when to revoke a block. You can do it at any time by following the same steps used to block but selecting “Unblock” instead.
Some reasons you may eventually want to unblock someone include:
- It was only a temporary block and the situation has resolved.
- You blocked the person by mistake.
- The person’s problematic behavior that led to blocking has changed.
- You reconnect with the person later and want to be Facebook friends again.
As long as the block remains in place, the person will have zero visibility of your profile or ability to contact you on Facebook.
Limitations of blocking
While blocking prevents someone from directly interacting with you, it does not completely eliminate their presence or hide you from them 100%:
- They can still view and comment on posts by your mutual friends.
- Others can still tag you in posts visible to the blocked person.
- The block only applies on Facebook – not other platforms.
- Blocking is limited to your main Facebook profile, not Messenger.
Also, blocking can sometimes provoke retaliation, so use it cautiously if dealing with aggressive or abusive people online. Consider stronger privacy settings or contacting Facebook if you feel unsafe due to harassment.
Conclusion
Blocking on Facebook offers an easy and effective way to cut off interaction from someone who makes you uncomfortable – even if they were not previously a Facebook friend. It limits their access to your profile and prevents any direct communication on Facebook itself.
Keep in mind blocking is not always permanent, and it does not completely eliminate their presence or hide you entirely from them on the platform. But it does provide control over who can access your profile and gives strong privacy protection from unwelcome attention.