Facebook allows users to follow each other, which is different from sending or accepting friend requests. When you follow someone on Facebook, you can see their public posts in your News Feed without needing them to approve you as a friend. However, following does not provide access to all of a user’s content and does not notify them that you are following.
What does following on Facebook allow you to see?
When you follow someone on Facebook, you are able to see their public posts in your News Feed. This includes status updates, photos, videos, links, and other content they share publicly on their profile. You will also see their comments on public posts from other users and Pages. Finally, you can see their list of friends and any Pages they have liked.
Following gives you access to someone’s public information without needing them to add you back. It does not allow you to see anything they have set to be visible to only their friends, including private messages, posts, photos, personal information, and more. You also won’t be able to comment on or react to their posts unless they change the audience to public.
Does following notify the user?
No, following someone on Facebook does not send them a notification or friend request. They will not get an alert that you started following them. The only way they would know is by actively checking their follower list, which most users do not do regularly.
This means you can follow people without them being aware. They do not have to approve you as a follower. You can start seeing their public posts immediately after clicking the Follow button on their profile.
Who can see that you follow someone?
The list of people you follow is visible to anyone who visits your profile. However, it is unlikely that most users will proactively look at who you are following. Still, it is public information that you follow a specific person if someone knows to check your following list.
Can you follow private profiles?
No, you cannot follow private profiles on Facebook. If someone has set their account to private, the Follow option will not be available on their profile. A private account means their posts are restricted to confirmed friends only. Since following does not make you Facebook friends, you won’t have access to any of their content as a follower.
Is there a limit to how many people you can follow?
Facebook does not seem to enforce a specific limit on the number of followers you can have or people you can follow. Some users with public profiles have hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers. Facebook likely monitors follower activity for spammers, bots, and fake accounts. But regular users should not run into a maximum limit.
Can you get notifications when someone you follow posts?
Unfortunately, there is no way to get notifications specifically when someone you follow makes a new post. The only Facebook notifications you’ll get are for content from confirmed friends. If you want to stay updated on someone’s posts without being friends, you’ll need to regularly check their profile or see if their public posts show up in your main News Feed.
Can someone block you from following them?
Yes, any user can block another user from following them on Facebook. When you are blocked by someone, you will no longer see the Follow option on their profile. Blocking prevents you from viewing their public content in your News Feed or on their profile.
You won’t be notified if you are blocked by someone. The Follow option will simply disappear. And any existing posts from that person will no longer show up in your Feed. The only way to know if you’ve been blocked is if you notice their content is suddenly absent.
Can you follow someone without an account?
To follow anyone on Facebook, you need to have an account. Facebook does not allow guest visitors to view profiles or access any content without logging in. That includes the ability to follow other users. Creating an account is free and only requires some basic information.
Is there a way to see who started following you?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not directly notify you or show you a list of new followers. The only way to see who recently started following you is to periodically check your full follower list. You can view your list of followers by going to your profile, clicking “Friends and followers” in the left sidebar, and selecting “Followers.”
This will show you the full list in reverse chronological order, so newly added followers will show up towards the top. But there isn’t a simple way to isolate only the latest followers. You would need to manually check and monitor the list regularly to catch any new additions.
Is there a follow back recommendation?
Facebook does not have any specific follow back suggestions or recommendations. Whether or not to follow someone back is fully up to your preferences and relationship with that person.
Some common reasons to follow someone back include:
- They are a close friend or family member
- You respect their content and want to stay updated
- You want to return the gesture as a mutual connection
- You are hoping it leads to becoming Facebook friends
However, you should not feel obligated to follow back anyone purely out of etiquette. Make sure you actually want to see their public posts before choosing to follow them.
Can you unfollow someone?
Yes, you can stop following someone at any time. To unfollow on Facebook:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to unfollow
- Click the Follow button again (it will change to Unfollow)
- Confirm that you want to unfollow them
This will immediately stop their public posts from appearing in your News Feed. You can also see a full list of everyone you are following and unfollow multiple people at once from that list.
What happens if you unfollow someone?
When you unfollow someone on Facebook:
- You stop seeing their public posts in your News Feed
- Any previous posts from them are removed from your Feed history
- You are removed from their followers list
- They do not receive any notification that you unfollowed
Unfollowing does not remove any previous interactions such as comments, reactions, or messages between you and that person. You can start following them again at any time if you change your mind.
Can you follow Pages?
Yes, Facebook allows you to follow Pages in the same way you follow user profiles. You can follow Pages for brands, businesses, artists, influencers, publishers, and more. Following a Page will show their public posts in your News Feed.
Pages have the option to send notifications to followers when they make new posts. So following a Page could result in getting updates from that Page sent to your notifications inbox based on their preferences.
Is there a way to get notifications for new followers?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not have built-in notifications when someone new follows your profile. The only way to keep track is to manually check your followers list periodically to see any new additions.
However, there are third-party Facebook tools and apps that offer notifications when you gain new followers. Social tracking apps like Commun.it can send you an alert by email or text when someone follows your Facebook profile.
Can you filter your News Feed to only show followers?
No, there is no way to filter your Facebook News Feed to only show posts from people you follow. Your News Feed includes content from friends, Pages, and groups you’ve interacted with, in addition to followers.
The only way to focus specifically on posts from people you follow is to visit their profiles individually and scroll through their public content. Facebook does not allow filtering the main News Feed to isolate follower content.
Can you add followers to Lists?
Yes, Facebook Lists allow you to organize followers and group them together. This can help you separate followers from friends or create custom segments.
To add followers to a List:
- Go to your followers list
- Check the box next to each follower you want to add
- Click “Add to List” at the top
- Select the List you want to add them to
Now when viewing that List, you will only see updates from those specific followers. You can create and manage as many Lists as you want to categorize followers.
Can you prioritize certain followers in your Feed?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow you to prioritize or boost posts from specific followers in your main News Feed. Your News Feed is determined by Facebook’s algorithm based on your interactions.
The only way to focus on certain followers is to visit their profiles directly or add them to a custom List that you can check separately from your main Feed. But there is no way to ensure their posts consistently appear at the top of your Feed over other content.
Can you follow someone you’re not friends with?
Yes, following someone on Facebook does not require being friends. In fact, following is often used to start connecting with people you do not know very well or at all.
You can follow acquaintances, local businesses, influencers, or anyone else that has a public profile. Following allows you to start seeing their public updates without needing direct interaction or approval from them.
Can you quote share a follower’s post?
If someone you follow shares a public post, you can quote share it on your own profile. Quote sharing allows you to add your own commentary when resharing another post.
To quote share a post from a follower:
- Click the three dots in the upper right of the post
- Select “Quote Share”
- Add your comment about the post
- Click “Share Now”
This will share the original post along with your quoted commentary. Quote sharing is a great way to provide your perspective on something a follower shared publicly.
Can you share a follower’s post on your feed?
Yes, if someone you follow shares a public post, you can re-share it directly to your own Timeline. This exposes the post to your friends and followers.
To share a post from a follower:
- Click the Share button below the post
- Click “Share Now”
The post will now appear on your profile as a shared post that links back to the original. Sharing public posts is a good way to pass on content from followers that you want to spread to your own audience.
Can you tag a follower in a post?
You can tag someone who follows you in a post on your Timeline, provided your post privacy is set to Public. When you tag them, it creates a link to their profile.
To tag a follower in a public post:
- As you write the post, type the @ symbol followed by their name
- Select them from the dropdown results
- Click Post after adding the tag
This will mention the follower in your post and link to their profile. They will also receive a notification that you mentioned them. Tagging followers helps include and engage them in your public posts.
Can someone download their Facebook following list?
There is no automated way through Facebook settings to download a list of who you are following. However, you can manually compile the list by:
- Going to your following list
- Scrolling to load all followers
- Copying down or screenshotting each name
You can then transfer this manual list outside of Facebook. It is tedious, but allows you to download a list of followers when needed outside the platform.
Can you export your Facebook followers list?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not have a built-in tool to export your full followers list. The platform is designed to encourage engagement rather than data sharing.
However, third-party social media management tools like Commun.it, Social Blade, and Fanbooster can sync with Facebook and export your followers to a spreadsheet or CSV file.
These tools connect through the Facebook API and automate the exporting process. So you don’t have to manually compile your followers list. Using a social media tool is the easiest way to get your Facebook followers off the platform.
Can you import followers from someone else’s list?
No, Facebook does not allow importing or mass following people from another user’s followers list. The platform tries to limit artificial inflation of follower numbers through mass automation.
The only way to follow someone is to individually visit their profile and click the Follow button. You cannot import an existing list of accounts to follow them all at once. Any third-party service claiming to do this would violate Facebook’s policies.
Conclusion
Following people on Facebook can be a useful way to stay connected without formal friend approval. It gives you access to public content from people you want to keep up with. Just be mindful that following does not necessarily mean reciprocal interest. Focus on providing value to any followers you hope to convert to friends. And as always, be cautious of what you share publicly when you have followers enabled.