Facebook’s block feature allows users to restrict another user from viewing their profile, contacting them, or seeing content they post. When you block someone on Facebook, they can no longer see things you post on your profile, tag you, invite you to events or groups, start conversations with you, or add you as a friend. Blocking someone is a useful tool to prevent unwanted interactions or harassment on Facebook.
How do I block someone on Facebook?
Blocking someone on Facebook is easy to do through the platform’s settings. There are a couple ways to access the block feature:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to block and select “More” at the bottom of their cover photo. Then choose “Block”
- Or go to your Settings, then click “Blocking” along the left side. You’ll see a list of people you’ve blocked as well as the option to block other people.
When you block someone, they won’t get a notification that they’ve been blocked. To them, it will seem like you’ve unfriended or deactivated your account. But they’ll no longer be able to see the things you post or contact you.
What happens when you block someone on Facebook?
Blocking someone on Facebook prevents them from:
- Seeing your Facebook profile or the things you post
- Searching for you or finding your profile in searches
- Tagging you or inviting you to events or groups
- Starting a conversation or contacting you on Messenger
- Adding you as a Facebook friend
So blocking effectively cuts off their access to you and your content on Facebook. Some key things to know about what happens when you block someone:
- They won’t get a notification that they’ve been blocked and won’t be able to tell they’ve been blocked just by looking at your profile.
- They may still be able to see some of your content if it was reshared by a mutual friend.
- If you block someone you’re currently friends with, it will unfriend them too.
- Messages from a blocked person will go to your filtered message requests folder.
Who can I block on Facebook?
You can block any other Facebook user from your account. This includes:
- Friends and people in your networks
- People you don’t know who have contacted you
- Exes, former friends or colleagues
- Online harassment or bullying
Blocking is typically used to prevent people you want to avoid or stop unwanted interactions from accessing your profile and posts. You may choose to block an ex after a breakup to prevent them from seeing your updates or an online bully harassing you in comments or messages. Blocking gives you control over who can interact with you.
Should I block or unfriend someone on Facebook?
Blocking and unfriending both limit someone’s access to your Facebook profile, but there are some key differences:
| Block | Unfriend |
|---|---|
| They won’t get a notification or be able to tell they’ve been blocked | They will know you unfriended them |
| Prevents them from viewing your profile or posts entirely | Still allows them to view your public posts and content |
| Best for avoiding harassment, bullying, stalking behaviors | More casual acquaintance, amicable breakups, former friends |
In general, blocking is better for completely cutting off contact with someone and preventing them from seeing anything about you. Unfriending still gives them some access to your public profile content, so go with blocking if you want to limit their interactions and visibility altogether.
Can you unblock someone on Facebook?
Yes, you can unblock people you had previously blocked on Facebook. Just go back to your Blocking settings and select “Unblock” next to their name.
Things to know about unblocking on Facebook:
- When you unblock someone, they won’t get a notification about it.
- They’ll regain access to view your profile and posts once unblocked.
- Unblocking does not automatically re-add them as a friend. You’d have to send a new friend request.
- You can block, unblock, and re-block someone as many times as you want.
It’s easy to change your mind later and unblock someone you previously blocked. Just know that doing so will open up their access to your profile again.
What happens when you block someone on Messenger?
Blocking someone on Messenger prevents them from contacting you on the messaging platform. When you block a contact in Messenger:
- They won’t be able to send you messages on Messenger
- Past messages from that contact will be deleted
- Group conversations involving the blocked person will show that you left the conversation
So blocking through Messenger specifically limits their messaging abilities and removes your message history with that person. Keep in mind it doesn’t block them from your Facebook profile itself though. You need to block them directly through Facebook for that.
Should I block or report someone on Facebook?
In addition to blocking, you can also report abusive, harassing, or otherwise problematic content or behavior to Facebook. Here’s the difference between blocking and reporting:
| Block | Report |
|---|---|
| Only limits that person’s access to your profile | Alerts Facebook to investigate the user or content |
| Can be done preemptively | Should have a legitimate reason like policy violations |
| No notification sent to the user | User may be notified if action taken by Facebook |
In general, block if you just want to avoid someone or cut off their access to you personally. File a report if they are harassing you or breaking Facebook’s rules so that the platform can investigate and take action if needed.
What should I do if someone is harassing me on Facebook?
If you feel you are being harassed, bullied, or threatened by someone on Facebook, here are some recommended steps:
- Block the harassing user to limit their interactions with you.
- Report any harassing content using Facebook’s reporting tools.
- Limit who can post on your profile or turn off comments on posts.
- Make your account more private by adjusting privacy settings.
- Remove any personal location details from your profile.
- Document any harassment and keep evidence in case an investigation occurs.
- Consider contacting local law enforcement if you feel threatened or unsafe.
Facebook takes harassment issues seriously as they want to maintain a safe environment. Reporting abusive behavior to them and limiting the harasser’s access to you can help resolve the issue.
What happens if you block someone on Facebook then unblock them?
If you unblock someone that you had previously blocked on Facebook, it essentially reverses the effects of blocking. Here’s what happens when you unblock someone:
- They will be able to view your Facebook profile and posts again.
- They’ll be able to search for you and send you friend requests.
- They can interact with your content, tag you, invite you to events/groups.
- Messaging abilities are restored.
Essentially unblocking undoes all the limits that blocking put in place. The user won’t get notified when you unblock them though – as far as they know, they just regained access to your profile as normal.
One thing to note is unblocking alone doesn’t add them back as a friend. You have to resend a friend request if you want them on your friends list again. And you can always re-block them anytime if needed.
Can you tell if someone blocked you on Facebook?
There is no definitive way to tell if you have been blocked by someone else on Facebook. Some signs that may indicate you’ve been blocked include:
- Their profile is completely inaccessible to you
- You can’t message them and get no reply
- You don’t see their posts and activity in feeds
- Searching their name gives no results
- You’re removed from their friends list
But none of these signs guarantee you’ve been blocked, as they could also mean the user deactivated their account, adjusted privacy settings, or unfriended you. Facebook doesn’t notify users when they’ve been blocked, so you’ll likely never know for sure.
Should I tell someone I blocked them on Facebook?
There’s no need to inform someone that you’ve blocked them on Facebook. The platform intentionally keeps the blocking feature discreet, so the blocked user is not notified and cannot definitively tell they’ve been blocked.
Telling them you blocked them negates the main purpose of blocking – to limit their access to you without them knowing. In most cases, it’s best not to mention it and let the blocking work discreetly in the background.
However, in cases of harassment or stalking, you may want to directly tell them not to contact you anymore before blocking. This makes your wishes clear while still restricting their ability to interact with you.
Overall though, notifying someone about blocking mostly defeats the purpose and should be avoided in most situations.
Can you block someone without them knowing?
Yes, Facebook’s block feature allows you to block other users without them being notified or knowing they have been blocked. When you block someone:
- They do not receive any notification they’ve been blocked
- There is no obvious indication on your profile that you’ve blocked someone
- The platform does not tell them they’re unable to view your profile due to blocking
So Facebook’s blocking is completely discreet. In most cases, the user won’t realize they’ve been blocked. Your profile will just appear inaccessible or deactivated to them once blocked.
What happens if you block someone on Messenger but not Facebook?
If you block someone only on Messenger but not on Facebook overall, it will limit their messaging abilities but they will still have access to your Facebook profile.
When blocked on Messenger only, they won’t be able to:
- Send you messages on Messenger
- See past messages with you in Messenger
- Join group chats with you in Messenger
However, they can still interact with you on Facebook by:
- Viewing your Facebook profile and posts
- Commenting on or reacting to your posts
- Tagging you in posts or photos
- Inviting you to events or groups
So blocking on just Messenger limits direct messaging access but doesn’t restrict them on Facebook overall. Block them on Facebook itself to fully cut off access.
Should I block an ex on Facebook?
There are a few advantages to blocking an ex on Facebook:
- Avoids seeing their updates and photos which can cause emotional hurt
- Prevents them from viewing your posts and activity
- Limits their ability to contact you or track you down
- Creates a definitive separation so you’re not tempted to interact
However, there are also a few reasons you may want to avoid blocking an ex:
- It can feel spiteful if the breakup wasn’t contentious
- You’ll lose benign interactions like birthday wishes, shared connections
- Makes it impossible to ever reconnect as friends later on
Overall, blocking an ex can be beneficial if the breakup was difficult or if you need a clean break from them. But in more amicable splits, you may opt to just unfollow them instead so you’re still connected loosely but avoid constant updates.
What should you do if someone blocks you on Facebook?
If someone has blocked you on Facebook, there’s unfortunately not much you can do directly. Here are some tips for handling the situation:
- Respect their decision and don’t try to contact them through other means.
- Reflect on what may have prompted them to block you.
- Ask any mutual friends politely if they know why you may have been blocked.
- Don’t attempt to view the person’s profile using another account.
- Accept that the relationship or friendship is over.
Continued attempts to contact someone who blocked you will likely be perceived as harassment. As frustrating as it may be, honor their choice and move on.
Conclusion
Facebook blocking allows users to take control over their online interactions. Knowing how to block someone on Facebook or Messenger can help limit unwanted contact. While being blocked by someone else can feel upsetting, respect their decision and don’t try to circumvent it. Blocking is an effective tool for creating boundaries online.