Yes, it is possible to sort your Facebook friends by location. Facebook allows you to view your friends list sorted by different criteria, including their current city and hometown. This can be useful for keeping track of friends who live in different places or connecting with local friends when traveling. Here are some tips for sorting your Facebook friends list by location.
Viewing Friends by Current City
The easiest way to see your Facebook friends sorted by their current city is to use the “Friends” page on the Facebook website. Here’s how:
- Go to www.facebook.com and log into your account.
- Click on “Friends” in the left sidebar.
- At the top of your friends list, click on “More.”
- Select “Current City” from the sort options.
This will rearrange your friends list alphabetically by the city they have set as their current location in their profiles. As your friends update their profile locations, the sort will update as well.
Viewing Friends by Hometown
You can also view your friends list organized by the hometown they have set in their profiles:
- Go to your Facebook “Friends” page.
- Click “More” at the top.
- Select “Hometown” to sort by that location.
This can help you quickly see groups of friends from the same areas or spots you’ve lived over the years.
Using Facebook Search to Filter by Location
The Facebook search tool provides another easy way to filter your friends by location:
- At the top of any Facebook page, click in the search bar.
- Type the name of a city into the search field.
- Select “Friends” from the filters underneath the search bar.
This will show all your friends who have that city listed in their profile. You can search for any city, state, or country to quickly filter your friends’ locations.
Using the Friends Map on Mobile
On the Facebook mobile app, there is a “Friends” map that plots your friends’ locations:
- Open the Facebook app on your smartphone.
- Tap on “More” at the bottom.
- Select “Friends.”
- Tap the map icon at the top.
This will open an interactive map showing your friends’ current cities and hometowns. You can zoom and pan around to focus on particular regions.
Importing Contacts to See Locations
If you import your mobile phone or email contacts to Facebook, it can match them to existing Facebook friends and show you their locations:
- Go to your Facebook “Friends” page.
- Click “Find Friends” at the top.
- Choose “Import Contacts.”
- Select the source you want to import from.
Any contacts already on Facebook will be added as friends, allowing you to view their profile locations.
Using the Nearby Friends Feature
Facebook’s “Nearby Friends” tool shows a list of friends who have opted in to share their locations:
- Open the Facebook app menu.
- Tap on “More” then “Nearby Friends.”
- Choose “Turn On” to enable nearby friends.
This will show a list of friends sorted by distance, so you can see who is closest based on real-time location sharing.
Sorting Friends on Desktop with Social Book Post Manager
Social Book Post Manager is a third-party Facebook tool for desktop that offers advanced friends sorting and filtering:
- Install the Social Book Post Manager browser extension.
- Open the manager from your browser toolbar.
- Select “Friends” from the left menu.
- Choose “Location” to sort friends by city.
You can also filter by location keywords or view friends on an interactive map.
Using Facebook List Features to Group Friends
Facebook lists allow you to manually group friends into custom lists:
- Go to your Facebook friends list.
- Click “More” then “Create List.”
- Give the list a name like “Chicago Friends.”
- Search for and select the friends to add.
You can then view just that list filtered by location anytime. Create multiple lists to categorize friends however you want.
Conclusion
Facebook offers a variety of built-in settings and features to view your friends list sorted by location, including current city, hometown, maps, nearby friends and more. You can also use search filters or third-party tools to refine your friends list by geographic region. Creating custom lists lets you manually group friends in the same area.
With Facebook’s focus on real-world connections, sorting friends by physical location makes it easy to visualize and explore your social circles on a local, national or global scale. So whether you want to know who from high school ended up in your city, browse friends living abroad, or see who is nearby to meet up with, sorting Facebook friends by location provides a useful way to connect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sort my Facebook friends by state or country?
Yes, you can sort your Facebook friends by state or country using search filters or the “Current City” and “Hometown” sorting options. This allows you to view all your friends located in a certain state or country at once.
Can I view Facebook friends on a map?
On mobile, you can view your Facebook friends plotted on a map using the Friends Map feature. On desktop, some third-party tools like Social Book Post Manager also offer interactive friend maps.
Does sorting friends by location also work on mobile?
Yes, all the friends sorting options are available both on desktop and the Facebook mobile app, including current city, hometown and Facebook search filters. The Nearby Friends feature is only available on mobile.
What’s the easiest way to see Facebook friends in my hometown?
The quickest way is to go to your Facebook friends list and select “Hometown” from the sort menu at the top. This will arrange friends by the hometown in their profile.
Can I reorder my Facebook friends list permanently?
The friend sorting options temporarily reorder your list, but don’t permanently change the default friends list order. To permanently customize your list, you need to create Facebook Lists and add friends to them.
Example Tables
| Friend Name | Current City | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Alice | New York | Chicago |
| Bob | Los Angeles | Seattle |
| Charlie | Miami | Miami |
| Location Sorting Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Current City | Easy to use, updates automatically | Relies on friends keeping profile updated |
| Hometown | Shows long-term hometowns | Doesn’t account for moves |
| Search Filters | Precise, flexible searches | Need to redo search for updates |
Location-based Friend Finder Tips
Here are some additional tips for finding Facebook friends in specific locations:
Look up hometown friends visiting your city
Search your city name filtered to friends whose hometown is somewhere else. Great for finding old friends passing through town.
Connect with faraway friends on travels
Before a trip, search your destination filtered to only friends who live there. Message them for meetup or advice.
Discover friends-of-friends nearby
Browse the Friends lists of friends who live near you. You’ll surface entirely new social circles and potential friendships.
Plan visits back to former hometowns
Sort friends who still live in your previous hometowns. Reach out before visits to set up get-togethers.
Find friends at colleges before enrollment
Incoming college students can search for friends already at their future school filtered by that location.