Facebook has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of 2020. With so many connections on the platform, it’s common for people to unfriend or unfollow friends, family members, coworkers, acquaintances, and even strangers.
But when you unfriend or unfollow someone on Facebook, do they get notified? Will they know that you unfriended them? Let’s take a closer look.
What happens when you unfriend someone on Facebook
When you decide to unfriend someone on Facebook, it severs your connection with them on the platform. This means:
- They will no longer show up as a friend in your friends list.
- You will no longer see their posts in your News Feed.
- They will no longer be able to see your posts in their News Feed.
- You will no longer be able to send them private messages.
- They will no longer have access to your profile information.
Essentially, unfriending someone removes them completely from your Facebook experience. It’s as if you never became friends in the first place.
Does Facebook notify people when you unfriend them?
When you unfriend someone on Facebook, they do not receive any type of notification informing them of your action. Facebook does not send an alert saying something like “John Doe is no longer your friend.”
The person you unfriended will not get an email, Facebook notification, or any other message from Facebook indicating that you unfriended them. As far as Facebook is concerned, the process is designed to be discreet.
How to tell if someone unfriended you on Facebook
Because Facebook does not directly notify people when they’ve been unfriended, the only way to really know is to notice they’ve disappeared from your friends list and feed. Here are some signs that someone may have unfriended you on Facebook:
- Their name and profile photo disappeared from your friends list.
- Updates from them no longer appear in your News Feed.
- Your messages to them start going as “message requests” instead of normal messages.
- Mutual friends mention that person, but you can’t see what they wrote.
- You can no longer tag them in posts and photos.
If someone you thought was your Facebook friend seems to have vanished from your network, they probably unfriended or blocked you. Of course, it’s also possible they deactivated or deleted their Facebook account entirely.
indirect signs someone may have unfriended you
In addition to those direct signals, there are some indirect signs that could suggest someone has unfriended you on Facebook:
- They seem less engaged and responsive in real life.
- You notice they no longer like or comment on your posts.
- Their relationship status changed from “Friends” to nothing.
- Your conversations and interactions with them decreased.
- They stopped responding to your messages.
While none of these guarantee the person unfriended you, they provide circumstantial evidence that your social media friendship may have dissolved.
How to tell for sure if someone unfriended you
If you really want to find out definitively whether someone has unfriended you on Facebook, here are a couple approaches:
- Use the “View As” tool – This allows you to see what your profile looks like to other people. If the person doesn’t show up as a friend, they likely unfriended you.
- Check your friend list for their name – Search for their name in your Facebook friend list. If they don’t appear, that confirms the unfriending.
- Ask a mutual friend – Have one of your mutual Facebook friends check if the person is still friends with you or vice versa.
Taking one of these steps will remove any doubt about whether you’re still Facebook friends with someone or if they quietly unfriended you.
Why would someone unfriend me on Facebook?
There are many reasons why someone might unfriend you on Facebook, including:
- The friendship ended or grew apart in real life
- Arguments, disagreements, or other conflict
- Too much unwanted contact from you
- Annoyance over your posts and content
- Politics or social issues
- Drama with mutual friends
- Romantic breakup
- Wanting more privacy and less connections
- You no longer have a real life relationship
In most cases, being unfriended on Facebook is not meant as a personal attack. People unfriend for many reasons, even down to simply wanting to tidy up their friends list. Try not to take it too personally.
Can you tell when someone views your Facebook profile?
Unlike being notified about unfriending, Facebook does have a feature that lets you know when someone views your profile. The setting is called “View As” and it allows any user to see what their profile looks like to the public or a specific person.
When the View As tool is used to view your profile, Facebook will indicate that with a timestamp, for example: “John Doe viewed your profile on October 5 at 7:03pm.”
However, regular profile views without using that tool will not show up or notify you. So you can only tell when someone specifically views your profile using the View As feature, not general profile viewing.
Should you unfriend or block someone on Facebook?
If you’re thinking about removing someone from your Facebook contacts, you have two options – unfriend or block. What’s the difference?
- Unfriending – Removes your friendship on Facebook so you no longer see each other’s activity. But you still have access to each other’s profiles.
- Blocking – Prevents the person from viewing your profile or contacting you on Facebook at all.
Here are some guidelines on when to unfriend vs block someone:
- Unfriend – If you just want to tidy up your friends list or grew apart from the person.
- Block – If the person is harassing, threatening, or bullying you or others.
- Block – If the person is an ex you want no contact with.
- Block – If the person is repeatedly viewing your profile in a way that feels invasive.
Blocking is the more extreme option but can provide peace of mind in cases of abuse, harassment, stalking, or similar behavior.
Can someone tell if you viewed their Facebook profile?
Since regular Facebook profile views are private, someone cannot tell if you specifically viewed their profile unless you use that View As tool. The View As tool does notify them.
But there are still ways someone could figure out you visited their profile, such as:
- Viewing their profile often or for long periods, since they can see who views their public posts.
- Liking or commenting on old posts after you viewed their profile.
- Mentioning specifics only visible on their profile.
- Asking them common profile questions like work or relationship status.
So while your specific views are not reported to them, indirect clues could indicate to savvy users that you’ve been looking at their profile. But without concrete notification.
Should you post a Facebook status about being unfriended?
If you discover someone has unfriended or blocked you on Facebook, it’s best not to post an angry or passive-aggressive status about the situation.
Statuses calling someone out for unfriending you often backfire by making you seem bitter, immature, or petty. Plus, they can fuel more drama and conflict.
Instead, take the high road. If the unfriending hurts you, talk privately with the person to resolve it. And if you must vent, do so with close friends rather than publicly shaming the person on Facebook.
Mistakes to avoid if you think someone unfriended you
Here are some mistakes to avoid if you believe someone unfriended you on Facebook:
- Don’t send an angry private message – This usually won’t get them to refriend you and often makes the situation worse.
- Don’t post something insulting or passive aggressive on their page – You’ll just look immature and may fuel more drama.
- Don’t demand mutual friends get involved – Putting friends in the middle is unfair to them.
- Don’t keep viewing their profile – Repeated viewing may be considered cyberstalking.
- Don’t make threats about the situation – Threatening language can get your account disabled.
In most cases, the healthiest response is to move on with maturity, class, and dignity. Be the bigger person.
How to get someone to refriend you on Facebook
If being unfriended hurt you and you want to reconcile, here are some tips for getting refriended:
- Reflect on why they may have unfriended you in the first place.
- Send them a mature private message apologizing for any rift between you.
- Ask if they’d reconsider refriending you after resolving the underlying issue.
- If applicable, agree to change behaviors that may have caused the unfriending.
- Demonstrate through actions that you want to repair the friendship.
With time, tact, and genuine effort, it’s sometimes possible to rebuild the trust that was broken and resume your Facebook friendship.
Can someone re-add you after unfriending you on Facebook?
Yes, it is certainly possible for someone to refriend you after previously unfriending or blocking you on Facebook.
They simply need to send you a new friend request, which you can accept to reestablish the Facebook friendship.
This is common in situations where the person had a temporary mood swing, cleaned house on their friends list, took a break from Facebook, or realized they wanted you back in their social network after all.
Unless you specifically block them, they are welcome to send a friend request again at any time.
Conclusion
Being unfriended on Facebook can feel disheartening, but is often not meant as an act of malice. The platform unfortunately provides little notification or clarity around the act.
If you suspect someone unfriended you, avoid overreacting. Check whether they still appear as a friend, enlist mutual friends’ help, and use Facebook tools like View As to be certain.
Try to let go gracefully, or have a thoughtful dialogue if you want closure. With billions of Facebook users, friending and unfriending is bound to be common.
Though Facebook’s lack of notifications around unfriending causes confusion and questions, maintaining perspective and maturity is key. The healthiest mindset is to not take unfriending personally in most cases.
Have you ever unfriended someone on Facebook? How did you realize it happened? What was the outcome? Share your experiences below!
Here is a quick summary of the key points:
- Facebook does not notify someone when you unfriend them.
- Signs of being unfriended include disappearance from your friends list and feed.
- People may unfriend for many reasons, so try not to take it personally.
- You can only tell for sure who viewed your profile if they used the “View As” tool.
- Blocking someone prevents them from contacting you, while unfriending just removes the friendship.
- Avoiding angry reactions and public shaming is key if you’ve been unfriended.