Quick Answer
If you accidentally send a friend request on Facebook to someone you don’t actually want to be friends with, and then cancel the request before they accept it, the other person will not be notified about the canceled friend request. The request will essentially disappear as if you never sent it in the first place. So you don’t need to worry about any awkwardness if you quickly cancel an accidental friend request.
More Detailed Answer
Sending friend requests on Facebook is a common way to connect with people you know or want to get to know better online. Facebook friend requests allow you to see more of someone’s profile information and posts if they accept your request.
But what if you accidentally or mistakenly send a friend request to someone? This can happen if you click the “Add Friend” button on someone’s profile without meaning to. Or if you intended to send a request to one person, but accidentally selected the wrong profile.
Fortunately, Facebook’s system is designed to avoid potential embarrassment or confusion if you cancel a friend request that was sent unintentionally or by mistake. Here’s a breakdown of exactly what happens:
If you cancel the friend request before the other person accepts it
If you realize your mistake and cancel the friend request before the recipient has accepted it, it will be like the request was never sent at all. The other person will not receive any notification that you sent or canceled a request. Your canceled request will not show up in their list of pending friend requests. And there will be no history or record that a request was sent and then canceled.
So in this scenario, you can simply cancel the errant request with no consequences. The intended recipient will be none the wiser.
If you cancel the request after the other person has accepted it
If some time passes before you notice your mistake, and the other person accepts your friend request first, the situation is slightly different. Canceling the request then will “unfriend” the person.
The person who accepted your request will be notified that you “unfriended” them. They will see a notification that your friendship on Facebook has ended. There may be a message that says something like “[Your name] removed you as a friend.”
So in this case, the other person will realize you sent them a friend request and then canceled it. This could understandably confuse or upset them.
If you want to avoid hurt feelings, you may want to send them a quick explanation or apology via private message explaining that the initial friend request was a mistake before canceling it.
Or you could just leave the accidental friendship connection in place if needed to avoid social awkwardness.
How to cancel a sent friend request on Facebook
If you need to cancel a Facebook friend request you sent by mistake, here is how you do it:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click “Friends” on the left sidebar
- Go to the “Sent Requests” tab
- Hover over the friend request you want to cancel
- Click “Cancel Request”
The friend request will then disappear as if you never sent it. Again, as long as the recipient has not yet accepted the request, they will not be alerted or notified about the canceled request at all.
When is it okay to cancel a sent friend request?
As the above information shows, canceling a pending Facebook friend request can avoid awkwardness in cases where it was sent by mistake. However, there are also situations where it is perfectly acceptable to intentionally cancel a friend request:
- You reconsider after sending it, and realize you no longer want to be Facebook friends with that person after all.
- You sent the request to try to get back in touch with someone you lost contact with, but then realize reconnecting may not be appropriate.
- You learn information about the person after sending the request that makes you no longer want to connect on Facebook.
The main thing is to cancel an accidental or unwanted friend request as soon as possible, before the other person accepts it. This will prevent any confusion, hurt feelings, or social discomfort.
Best practices for avoiding accidental friend requests
To prevent unintended Facebook friend requests from happening in the first place, keep these tips in mind:
- Be careful and deliberate when clicking the “Add Friend” button on profiles.
- Double check that you have selected the correct profile before sending a request.
- Go slowly and avoid rapidly sending multiple requests in quick succession.
- If you notice a mistake soon after sending a request, promptly cancel it.
Following these best practices can help you maintain control over your Facebook contacts and avoid awkward social situations.
Conclusion
Accidentally sending Facebook friend requests is a common mistake in the age of social media networking. But fortunately, any embarrassment or discomfort can be avoided by promptly canceling the errant request.
If you cancel before the recipient accepts, they will remain unaware. If the request is already accepted, a quick apology message is advisable before “unfriending.”
While better diligence when sending requests can prevent mistakes, the ability to easily cancel requests enables you to quickly correct any accidents. So don’t panic if you realize you sent a Facebook friend request in error – just swiftly cancel it.