Facebook allows users to follow other accounts and have followers. You can control who you follow and who follows you. Here are some quick tips for managing your Facebook followers and following:
Unfollowing People on Facebook
If you want to stop following someone on Facebook:
- Go to their profile page
- Click “Following” below their cover photo
- Click “Unfollow”
You will stop seeing updates from that person in your News Feed. They will not be notified that you unfollowed them.
Blocking People on Facebook
Blocking someone on Facebook is more extreme than unfollowing them. When you block someone:
- You stop following them
- They stop following you
- They can no longer tag you, invite you to events, start conversations, or add you as a friend
To block someone:
- Go to their profile
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner
- Select “Block”
You can also preemptively block someone who is not your friend. Go to their profile, click the three dots, and select “Block”.
Removing Followers on Facebook
If someone follows your public updates and you want them to stop, you can remove them as a follower:
- Go to your profile
- Click “Followers” on the left side
- Find the person in the list and click the three dots next to their name
- Select “Remove follower”
This will make them stop following you, without notifying them or blocking them from interacting with you entirely.
Restricting Someone on Facebook
Restricting someone allows you to stay friends while limiting their interactions with you. When you restrict someone:
- Your posts stop showing up in their News Feed
- They can only see your public posts and things you share on a mutual friend’s page
- They won’t be able to start a conversation with you or interact with your posts
To restrict someone:
- Go to their profile
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner
- Select “Restrict”
You can remove the restriction the same way. They will not be notified that you restricted or unrestricted them.
Unfriending Someone on Facebook
Unfriending someone completely removes them from your friends list. When you unfriend someone:
- You stop following each other
- They lose access to your posts, photos, and information
- You lose access to their profile and posts
To unfriend someone:
- Go to their profile
- Hover over the “Friends” button and click “Unfriend”
- Confirm you want to unfriend them
They will be notified that you are no longer friends. Unfriending is the most extreme option, with the biggest impact on your connection.
Managing Friend Requests
When people send you friend requests on Facebook, you can choose to accept them or ignore them:
- Accept – Click Confirm to add them to your friends list and follow each other
- Ignore – Do nothing and the request will remain pending. You can delete it or respond later.
- Delete – Click the X on the request notification to remove it permanently.
To manage pending friend requests:
- Click the Friends icon in the shortcut bar
- Click “Requests” in the left menu
- Review pending requests and choose Accept, Delete, or Ignore
Changing the Visibility of Your Friends List
Your Facebook friends list is private by default. You can change the visibility in your privacy settings:
- Click the down arrow in the top right
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Privacy”
- Under “How people can find and contact you”, click “Who can see your friends list”
- Choose who you want to be able to see your friends
You can make your list visible to everyone, friends only, or just yourself. Friends and family of friends cannot see your list unless you make it public.
Following Hashtags and Pages
In addition to following people, you can also follow topics, groups, and events on Facebook:
- Hashtags – Search for a hashtag like #cats and click “Follow” to see public posts with that tag.
- Pages – Like or follow public figure, brand, organization, or community pages to see their updates.
- Events – RSVP Going or Interested on public events to get updates about them.
Trending, popular hashtags, pages, and events will show up in your News Feed. You can unfollow them at any time the same way you unfollow a person.
Following Someone You’re Not Friends With
You can follow people you are not friends with on Facebook. This allows you to see their public updates without friending or messaging them.
To follow someone you’re not friends with:
- Go to their public profile page
- Click “Follow” under their cover photo
Their public posts will show up in your News Feed. You can unfollow them at any time.
Downloading Your Facebook Information
If you want an archive of your Facebook data including your friends list, you can download it:
- Click the down arrow in the top right
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Click “View”
- Click “Create File”
Facebook will assemble your archive and email you a link to download it when it’s ready. The archive contains your posts, photos, friends list, messages, and more.
Deleting Your Facebook Account
If you want to permanently delete your Facebook account and all your information, you can request account deletion:
- Click the down arrow in the top right
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Click “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Click “Delete Account” and follow the instructions
Facebook will delete your account and posts after a 30-day grace period. You can log back in to cancel deletion during this period.
Conclusion
Managing your followers and following is an important part of customizing your Facebook experience. Take advantage of options like unfollowing, blocking, restricting, and unfriending to control your connections.
Review settings like friend request visibility, friends list visibility, and tagging permissions to further tailor who can interact with you. Follow topics, groups, and events you’re interested in to ensure your News Feed contains relevant updates.
With these tips, you can shape your Facebook profile and followers to match your preferences.