On Facebook, unfriending someone removes them from your friends list and unfollows their posts. This can be useful for managing your news feed and online connections. However, what happens if you change your mind and want to undo an unfriend? Is it possible to restore the friendship connection on Facebook?
The short answer is yes, you can undo an unfriend on Facebook. However, the process is not as straightforward as simply clicking an “undo” button. Facebook does not have a built-in feature to instantly revert an unfriending.
Instead, you need to go through the process of sending a new friend request to the person in order to reconnect. If they accept your request, your friendship on Facebook will be restored.
Why Would You Want to Undo an Unfriend?
There are a few reasons why you may want to undo an unfriend on Facebook:
- You unfriended someone in haste or anger and later regretted it
- You did a major “friends list cleanup” and accidentally removed someone you wanted to keep
- You unfollowed someone to avoid their posts but still want to remain connected
- A family member or old friend reached out to reconnect offline
- You removed an ex during the breakup but are friends again now
Whatever the reason, it’s common for people to change their minds after unfriending someone on social media. Reconnecting can be worthwhile if the relationship is important to you or you think extra context is needed.
How to Undo an Unfriend on Facebook
Here are the steps to follow if you want to undo an unfriend on Facebook:
1. Go to the Person’s Profile
To send a new friend request, you first need to locate the person’s profile. Search for their name in the Facebook search bar or go directly to a link to their profile if you have it.
This will bring you to their public profile page, even though you are currently unconnected.
2. Click “Add Friend”
On their profile, you should see an “Add Friend” button. Click this to send them a new friend request.
If you do not see the “Add Friend” button, it’s possible they have privacy settings enabled where you can’t view their full profile or send a request.
3. Wait for them to Accept
Once you have sent the friend request, the ball is in their court. You will have to wait for them to see and accept your request for the friendship to be restored.
You may want to also message them separately to explain your request if needed. But note they can simply ignore your request too.
4. Relationship Restored!
If the person accepts your friend request, your unfriend will be successfully undone! You will be friends again and able to see each other’s posts and profiles as before.
Be sure to think carefully in the future before unfriending, as the process cannot be instantly reversed. But this method does provide a way to restore a Facebook friendship if both people are willing.
What Happens When You Unfriend Someone?
To understand how to undo an unfriend, it helps to know exactly what happens when you unfriend someone in the first place:
- They are removed from your friends list and can no longer see your posts in their news feed
- You stop seeing their posts in your news feed as well
- You become “unfollowed” from their profile and public posts
- You both lose access to each other’s more private content meant “only for friends”
- You are no longer connected in Messenger for direct messages
- Neither person receives notifications about the other’s activity
Basically, unfriending severs your social media ties and contact with each other on Facebook. These effects remain in place until you send a new friend request to reconnect.
But Some Content Remains Visible
Note that unfriending does not make your entire Facebook existence invisible to the other person. They will still be able to see:
- Your public profile page and info
- Your posts set to “Public” visibility
- Mutual friends and groups you both belong to
- Interactions on public pages or posts you’ve commented on
So it’s not a totally “clean break” in that regard. Full blocking would be required for a more complete separation.
Things to Know About Restoring the Friendship
As you navigate the process of undoing a Facebook unfriend, here are some helpful tips:
Don’t bombard them with repeated requests
If your initial request goes unanswered, do not pester them with multiple repeats. That will likely just annoy them and make them less inclined to accept.
Consider reaching out privately
An offline conversation or private message may smooth the way for reconnecting. Explain why you unfriended them and why you changed your mind.
The request may go unseen
Your friend request could get lost in their notifications or updates. Asking directly if they saw it may help.
Accept it may be one-sided
You may really want to restore the friendship, but the other person may not. Don’t take it personally if they decline your request.
The relationship may not be the same
Even if reconnected, hurt feelings or loss of trust from the unfriending may linger. Manage expectations and rebuild slowly.
Consider alternatives to unfriending
In the future, muting posts, unfollowing, list groups, or using Close Friends lists can hide content without fully unfriending.
Pros of Undoing an Unfriend
Reconnecting on Facebook after an unfriend has some potential advantages:
- Restarting positive social interactions and support
- Regaining access to their posts and updates
- Reopening direct contact and messaging abilities
- A chance to salvage the relationship
- Resolution of misunderstandings or temporary disputes
- Forgiveness and moving forward constructively
If the underlying relationship has value to you, undoing your unfriend action can be worthwhile.
Cons of Undoing an Unfriend
However, there are also some downsides or risks to consider:
- The person may reject your request out of anger
- Past negative dynamics may resurface and repeat
- Disingenuine requests made out obligation, not desire for friendship
- Feeling pressured to reconnect even if you don’t want to
- Questions or drama from wider social circle about the unfriend situation
- Discomfort or awkwardness interacting after unfriending previously
- Time and effort spent reestablishing damaged trust
Look at the overall impact on your well-being and weigh the pros and cons before reaching out.
Will They Get a Notification?
When you send a friend request to someone on Facebook, they will get notified. This allows them to see and respond to your request.
Specifically, they will receive a notification in their Facebook account with your name and profile picture indicated. It will say something like “[Your Name] sent you a friend request.”
The notification will appear in a few key places:
- At the top of their Facebook screen
- In their “requests” inbox and notifications menu
- Possibly via email or text alert outside Facebook (if they have those enabled)
So rest assured when you click that “Add Friend” button, it sends a clear signal. How fast they notice and respond comes down to their activity and settings. But your request will be delivered to reconnect.
Can You Undo an Unfriend Without Them Knowing?
No, there is no way to secretly undo an unfriend on Facebook without the other person being notified. When you send the new friend request, they will always get a notification about it.
This makes sense when you consider that refriending has to be a two-way street. For your Facebook friendship to be restored, the other person has to hit “Accept.” So they need to know about your request.
The person will see that you initiated reconnecting, and they can choose to accept or ignore it. Facebook’s design maintains transparency in this process.
So undoing an unfriend cannot happen quietly in the background. The person will be alerted when you try to reverse your previous unfriending.
Should I Message Them Before Sending a Request?
Messaging someone before re-sending a friend request is optional, but can be advisable in many cases. Especially if your previous unfriending caused hard feelings, directly explaining why you want to reconnect may increase the chance they accept.
Some good reasons to message them first:
- To apologize for hastily unfriending and ask for a fresh start
- To provide missing context around why you unfriended originally
- To let them know you genuinely want to restore the friendship
- To explain your change of viewpoint if you had a disagreement
- To give them a heads up before they see your request out of the blue
Dropping them a line shows extra effort and care for mending the relationship. It makes your intentions clear upfront.
However, messaging first is not strictly required. If it was an amicable unfriending or the circumstances are straightforward, resending the request may be enough. Use your judgment!
What to Do if They Don’t Accept?
After waiting a reasonable period of time, your re-sent friend request may still go unanswered. What then? Here are some productive ways to handle it if they decline or ignore your request:
- Respect their decision and move on. Don’t harass them to accept.
- Send a brief message wishing them well if you want closure.
- Reflect on any lessons from the experience.
- Focus time and energy on other relationships.
- If needed for resolution, pursue mediation or counseling together offline.
- Request again in a few months if circumstances improve.
- Permanently unfriend if the relationship is unhealthy.
Although disappointing, accept that not every connection can or should be restored. Having patience and perspective helps when rebuilding trust.
In Closing
While Facebook does not have an “undo unfriend” feature, you can send a new friend request to reverse an unfriending. This requires the other person to accept in order for your social media friendship to be fully restored.
Think carefully before unfriending, as it is not instantaneously reversible. But if you change your mind later or want to reconnect, extending a new request provides the opportunity.
With care and communication, precious relationships often can be salvaged, even after digital disconnections.