Accepting friend requests on Facebook is easy and only takes a few clicks. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to accept friend requests on both desktop and mobile:
Accepting Friend Requests on Desktop
Follow these steps to accept friend requests on the Facebook website:
- Log into your Facebook account on a desktop browser.
- Click on the friend requests icon in the top right corner of Facebook. This icon looks like two people with a plus symbol.
- You will see a list of all pending friend requests. Hover over the name of the person you want to accept and click “Confirm” or “Accept.”
- That’s it! Once you confirm the request, the person will be added to your friends list.
Here are some additional tips for managing friend requests on desktop:
- If you want to accept multiple requests at once, check the box next to each name and then click “Confirm” at the bottom.
- To decline a request, hover over the name and click “Delete Request.” This will remove the request.
- You can also click on a request to go to that person’s profile. From here you can confirm or delete the request.
- If you accidentally delete a request, you can go to the profile of that person and re-add them as a friend.
Accepting Friend Requests on Mobile
Accepting requests on the Facebook mobile app only takes a few taps:
- Open the Facebook app on your iPhone or Android.
- Tap on the Menu icon (the three horizontal lines) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and tap on “Friends.”
- Tap on “Requests” at the top of the screen.
- Tap on the “Confirm” button next to the name of the person whose request you want to accept.
Additional tips for mobile:
- You can mass accept requests by tapping “Select” and checking the box next to each one before tapping “Confirm.”
- To decline a request, swipe left on the name and tap “Delete Request.”
- Tap into any request to go to the profile, where you can also accept or delete.
Where Do Friend Requests Appear?
Friend requests will appear in a few places on Facebook:
- The friend requests icon with the red notification number.
- The “Friends” section of the Facebook menu.
- Your notifications dropdown by clicking the bell icon.
So whenever you see that friend request indicator, click into one of those areas to view and manage requests.
Why You Might Not See Friend Requests
If you’re not seeing any new friend requests, here are some potential reasons why:
- You don’t have any new requests! Friends have to actively send you a request.
- Your settings are hiding requests. Check your privacy settings.
- You declined a request from that person already. They would have to re-send it.
- You blocked that person. Blocked connections can’t send you requests.
- That person has privacy settings turned on.
- It’s a technical glitch. Try refreshing the page.
The most common reasons you won’t see a request are because you already declined it, you blocked the user, or that user has stricter privacy controls enabled.
How Friend Requests Work
Here are some key things to know about how Facebook friend requests work:
- Friends can send you requests if they know your name or email address.
- Incoming requests will notify you on Facebook with a number indicator.
- You can choose to confirm or delete any pending request.
- Accepting requests adds them to your friends list.
- Declined requests can be re-sent to you by that person.
- You can send requests to people you know or Facebook friends of friends.
Understanding the request process helps ensure you manage your pending requests appropriately.
Friend Request Settings
Facebook provides settings to control who can send you friend requests or see your request:
- Who can send you requests? Choose from “Everyone,” “Friends of Friends,” or “No One.”
- Who can see your request? Choose from “Everyone” or “Only Me.”
- Review posts friends tag you in. Turn on to approve tags.
- Limit old posts when tagged. Restrict visibility of old posts friends tag you in.
Adjust these in Settings & Privacy > Privacy Settings. Tightening these settings limits unwanted requests.
Managing Friend Requests
Here are some tips for managing friend requests:
- Accept requests only from people you know to avoid spam.
- Delete sketchy requests from people you don’t recognize.
- Use the confirmation process to control who gets added.
- Sort incoming requests by most recent to see the newest ones.
- Check your filtered message requests folder for any missed requests.
Carefully vetting requests can prevent you from accepting spam accounts or strangers by accident.
Accepting Accidental Deletions
If you accidentally delete a valid friend request, you have a few options to re-connect:
- Have that person re-send the friend request.
- Search for their name and send them a new friend request yourself.
- Find any mutual friends and send a message to re-connect.
As long as you still have a way to contact the person, you can send a new friend request after an accidental deletion.
Blocking Bothersome Requests
If someone keeps sending you unwanted requests after you delete them, you can block that person:
- Go to their Facebook profile.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select “Block” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that you want to block this user.
Blocking prevents all interactions from that account, including friend requests.
Importance of Vetting Requests
It’s important to thoroughly vet incoming friend requests for a few reasons:
- Avoid spam accounts trying to build friend networks.
- Prevent strangers from accessing your content.
- Stop scammers from targeting you in messenger.
- Keep fake accounts from tagging you in posts or pictures.
Never accept requests if you don’t know the person or seem suspicious. Always delete and block any sketchy requests.
Request Notifications
When you receive a new friend request, Facebook will notify you in a few ways:
- A red number on the requests icon showing how many are pending.
- A requests section in the Facebook menu on desktop.
- A badge on the menu icon on mobile with a number.
- A drop-down notification when you click the notification bell.
- An email notification to your registered email address.
These notifications make it easy to spot when you have new requests waiting for confirmation.
Finding the Requests Menu
The main Requests menu is located in different places depending on the device you use:
| Platform | Requests Menu Location |
|---|---|
| Desktop | Friend requests icon in top right |
| iPhone app | Menu > Friends > Requests |
| Android app | Menu > Friends > Requests |
| Mobile browser | Menu > Friends > Requests |
Knowing where the Requests menu lives on desktop vs. mobile makes it easy to quickly access pending requests.
Troubleshooting Issues
If you’re having issues accepting friend requests, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Refresh the page
- Check your internet connection
- Restart the Facebook app
- Clear your Facebook app cache
- Make sure you’re on the latest Facebook app version
- Log out and log back into Facebook
- Report the bug to Facebook
Most request issues can be fixed with a simple refresh. But you may need to dig deeper for a stubborn bug.
Conclusion
Accepting friend requests on Facebook simply requires clicking the Confirm button on incoming requests. Both desktop and mobile provide easy access to pending requests in the Friend Requests menu.
Carefully vetting requests before accepting can help avoid spam accounts or strangers. Make sure to block any persistent unwanted request senders.
With good friend request hygiene, you can easily manage requests and keep your Facebook friends list clean.