When you receive a friend request on Facebook, you have the option to respond in a few different ways. The main options are to confirm the friend request, which accepts it and adds the person as your friend, or to ignore the request, which simply leaves it pending. There are also a couple other possible responses.
Confirming the Friend Request
If you want to accept the friend request and add the person as your Facebook friend, you would confirm the request. When you confirm a friend request, that person is added to your friends list and can see your profile information and posts based on your privacy settings.
To confirm a request on desktop:
- Go to your Facebook notifications by clicking the globe icon in the top right
- Click “Friends” on the left side
- Find the friend request you want to confirm and click “Confirm” next to the person’s name
On mobile:
- Tap the 3 line “hamburger” menu icon in the top right
- Tap “Friends”
- Tap the friend request you want to confirm
- Tap “Confirm” to add them as a friend
Once you confirm the request, that person will show up as a friend on your friends list. You can now interact on Facebook as friends.
Ignoring the Request
If you don’t want to accept the friend request right away, you can simply ignore it. This leaves the request pending so the person won’t know you’ve seen it yet. You have the option to confirm it later on if you change your mind.
To ignore a friend request:
- Don’t click on anything – just leave the request as is in your notifications
- The request will stay pending until you either confirm or delete it
Ignoring a request can be useful if you don’t know the person but aren’t ready to reject them outright. It keeps your options open.
Deleting the Request
If you want to officially reject the friend request and not become Facebook friends with that person, you can delete the request. This is more permanent than just ignoring it.
To delete a pending request:
- Go to your Facebook notifications
- Hover over the request and click the “X” icon that appears
- Click “Delete Request” to confirm
Once deleted, the friend request disappears from your notifications. The person who sent it will not be notified, but they will see that you are no longer pending friends.
Marking the Request as Spam
If someone you don’t know has added you on Facebook and you want to reject them and report the request as spam or suspicious, you can mark it as spam.
On desktop:
- Click the down arrow on the friend request
- Select “Mark as Spam”
- The request will be deleted and Facebook will take note of the spam activity
On mobile:
- Tap the 3 dots next to the request
- Tap “Mark as Spam”
- The request will be deleted and reported to Facebook
Marking a request as spam helps Facebook identify suspicious accounts and prevent friend request spam. Use this option for people you don’t know or suspicious requests.
Messaging the Person
You also have the option to message the person who sent the friend request. This can be useful if you want to learn more about who they are before deciding whether to accept the request.
To message someone who sent you a request:
- Click on the request in your notifications
- Click “Message” next to their name
- This will open a message thread where you can ask them questions
Messaging first is a great way to get context about who they are and why they added you. You can ask how they know you, where they met you, or anything else relevant. Some things to find out:
- Their name and some background info
- How they know you or if you have a mutual friend
- Why they want to add you on Facebook
This gives you more information before deciding whether to accept, ignore, or reject the request. The person will also see that you’re active on Messenger, which prevents the request from seeming ignored.
Changing Who Can Send You Requests
In your Facebook settings, you can change who is allowed to send you friend requests or find your profile. This gives you more control over unwanted requests.
To adjust friend request settings:
- Go to your Facebook Settings & Privacy
- Click “Settings”
- Go to “Privacy”
- Under “How people can find and contact you”, click “Edit” and adjust the settings
Friend request settings include:
- Everyone – Any Facebook user can send you requests or find your profile
- Friends of Friends – Only friends of friends can send requests or search for you
- Friends – Only your confirmed friends can find you or send requests
- Specific Friends – Only people you select as allowed friends can interact
Limiting this to Friends of Friends or Friends is a great way to reduce unwanted requests. But keep in mind you may miss requests from acquaintances or new people you meet if you limit too much.
Unfriending Someone You Accepted
If you accept a friend request but later regret it or want to unfriend the person, you can always remove them from your friends list again.
To unfriend someone on desktop:
- Go to their Facebook profile
- Hover over the “Friends” button on their cover photo
- Click “Unfriend” when it pops up
- Confirm you want to unfriend them
On mobile:
- Go to their profile
- Tap the “Friends” button below their cover photo
- Tap “Unfriend”
- Tap “Confirm” to unfriend them
This will remove them from your friends list. They won’t be notified but they will see you are no longer friends. You can also block them to prevent any further contact.
Conclusion
Responding to Facebook friend requests is easy once you know the options. You can confirm and accept requests from people you know and want to connect with. For unwanted requests, you can ignore them, delete them, mark them as spam, or adjust your privacy settings.
Learning more about the person first via messaging is also an option before you commit to accepting. And if you change your mind after accepting a request, you can always unfriend or block the person.
With these tips, you can manage friend requests on Facebook smoothly and curate your friends list to include only people you want to connect with!