Finding friends on Facebook can be easy if you know their name and a few key details. With over 2 billion active users, chances are many of your friends and acquaintances already have Facebook accounts. There are several ways to search for people by name and reconnect with old and new friends on Facebook.
Why Add Friends on Facebook?
Here are some of the key reasons for finding and adding friends on Facebook:
- Stay connected with friends and family – Easily keep in touch with people you know by seeing their posts and sharing your own updates.
- Make new connections – Meet new people based on shared interests, communities, locations, schools, workplaces, and more.
- Expand your network – Growing your friends list can help increase the reach of your posts and pages.
- Reconnect with old friends – Search for people you’ve lost touch with over the years like old classmates, colleagues, etc.
- Play social games – Many popular Facebook games allow you to play with your friends and see their progress.
- Join groups and events – You can join groups with people who share common interests or RSVP for events that your friends are interested in.
Overall, finding and connecting with friends on Facebook makes it easy to stay up-to-date with the people who matter most in your life.
How to Find Friends by Name
There are several ways you can search for friends by name on Facebook:
Search Bar
The easiest way to find someone is to use the search bar located at the top of every Facebook page. Simply type in the name of the person you want to find in the search bar and press enter or click the magnifying glass icon.
For common names, you may see a list of people appear below the search bar as you type. You can click on the person you’re searching for to open their profile.
If an exact name match doesn’t appear, don’t worry. Keep reading for more ways to find the person you’re looking for.
Friends Search Tab
If you weren’t able to find the person in the main search bar, go to the Friends tab on Facebook and click on the Find Friends link.
This will open up Facebook’s Find Friends page where you can search for friends in a few different ways:
- Search by name and location
- Search by school or work
- Browse friends of friends and people you may know
- Look up friends by email address or phone number
Entering a name and additional info like a location or former school can help narrow down search results and find the exact person you’re looking for.
Mutual Friends
If you have mutual Facebook friends with someone, they may appear as a “People You May Know” suggestion when you’re browsing the site. So checking the People You May Know section can surface friends of friends.
You can also search for mutual friends with someone by entering their name in the search bar, opening their profile, and clicking on the Mutual Friends tab to view any connections you have in common.
Having mutual friends increases the likelihood that the profile you’ve found matches the person you’re searching for.
Tips for Finding the Right Person
When trying to find someone by name on Facebook, here are some useful tips:
- Search using a person’s full name instead of just first or last name for better results.
- If you know their current city, school, workplace, or other info, add those details to your search.
- Check out friend suggestions under People You May Know.
- Browse your own friends list to see if you’re already connected.
- If there are multiple people with the same name, look at profile photos and mutual friends.
- Make your search broad at first, then narrow it down with extra criteria.
Searching accurately is especially important for common names like James Smith, Maria Garcia, John Johnson, etc. Adding unique criteria can help track down the right individual.
Send a Friend Request
Once you’ve located the profile of the person you want to connect with, simply click “Add Friend” to send them a friend request.
If you and the other person have mutual friends, the likelihood they will accept your request improves. But even without mutual connections, there’s a good chance an old acquaintance will welcome reconnecting on Facebook.
Here are some quick tips for sending friend requests:
- Personalize your request by adding a message reminiscing about the past or explaining why you want to connect.
- Check your “Friend Requests Sent” folder to see if they accept or deny your request.
- If denied, you can send one more request explaining why you’d like to reconnect.
- Don’t bombard people with multiple requests if they haven’t responded.
With over two billion monthly active Facebook users, chances are high that you’ll be able to find and connect with people you know with a few simple searches.
Other Facebook Search Tips
Besides searching for friends by name, here are some other helpful Facebook search features:
Graph Search
Graph Search allows you to find posts, people, photos, places, and interests using specific keywords. For example, you could search for “Friends named Emily who live in London” or “Photos from my trip to Paris in 2020.”
Graph Search gives you another way to search profiles and content on Facebook beyond just names.
Public Search Listings
Many Facebook users have public search listings enabled so people can more easily find their profile when searched by name.
You can create a public search listing for yourself under your Facebook profile settings. This makes it easier for old friends and new people to locate your profile.
Facebook Search History
Every Facebook search you perform generates a history under your account settings. You can revisit your search history to rediscover profiles, posts, and other content you’ve searched for in the past.
Your history can remind you of people’s names or help you find something specific you searched for previously.
Find Friends on Messenger
Facebook Messenger allows you to search for friends directly within the messaging app as well. Tap on the People tab at the bottom of the app to open your friends list.
From here you can:
- Search for names and profiles
- View friend suggestions
- See who’s active now
- Browse your message requests
Finding friends within Messenger makes it fast and easy to start conversing once you’ve connected.
Locate Friends on Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups centered around shared interests, hobbies, locations, professions, and more can be great places to meet potential new friends.
Once you join some relevant public or private groups, search within those communities for people you may have things in common with, then send a friend request.
Having a shared group in common helps break the ice when trying to connect with new friends who may accept your request.
Search on Facebook Events
Upcoming events listed on Facebook, like concerts, festivals, conferences, etc. can be great networking opportunities.
Search for relevant events, then browse the guest list and invite list for people you may want to connect with. Send them a friend request and mention the event you have in common.
Connecting around shared events gives you an automatic topic of conversation and reason to strengthen ties.
Find Friends on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace allows you to search for nearby people selling products or services. Interacting with sellers on Marketplace can sometimes lead to new friend connections.
You can also search Marketplace for items from specific people, like “John from San Francisco selling a bike” for example. Reaching out after interacting on Marketplace provides a natural opening to connect.
Search for Friends in Facebook Stories
When friends post public Facebook Stories, their stories will appear towards the top of your News Feed. Tapping on individual friend’s stories allows you to react, comment, message them, or follow their profile if you aren’t already connected.
Browsing the stories section essentially gives you a visual directory of active Facebook profiles you may want to friend.
Conclusion
Finding friends by name or other details is easy with all of Facebook’s search tools and features. Whether you want to reconnect with old pals, make new connections, or expand your social circle, searching profiles and sending friend requests is the first step.
With over 2.85 billion monthly active users across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, chances are good you’ll locate familiar faces when you search. Be sure to personalize your friend requests and utilize Groups, Events, Marketplace, and other features to turn potential friends into actual Facebook connections.