The Facebook sidebar, also known as the Friends List, displays a list of friends and Pages that you interact with frequently. The sidebar makes it easy to access profiles, groups, and pages you use often. But with hundreds or thousands of friends, Facebook can’t display everyone in your sidebar. So how does Facebook determine which friends show up?
What factors determine which friends show up in sidebar?
Facebook’s algorithm looks at several factors to populate your sidebar with relevant friends:
- How often you interact with a friend’s profile, posts, photos, etc.
- How recently you’ve interacted with a friend
- Friends you interact with across multiple Facebook services (Messenger, Marketplace, etc.)
- Friends you interact with offline and have linked as a Facebook friend
So in general, the friends you interact with frequently and recently on and off Facebook will be displayed in your sidebar. Friends you haven’t interacted with in a while may disappear from the sidebar.
Do mutual friends appear at top of sidebar?
Often, you’ll notice mutual friends (friends you have in common with another friend) appear at the top of the friends list in sidebar. This is because mutual friends denote a strong connection on Facebook. If you and a friend have 10 mutual friends, it means you likely know each other well and interact frequently.
So Facebook will prioritize those mutual friends in your sidebar to make it easy to access and interact with them. Think of it as Facebook emphasizing your “inner circle.”
Do liked Pages appear in sidebar?
In addition to friends, Pages you’ve liked and interact with will also populate your sidebar. This includes:
- Facebook Pages for brands, businesses, artists, influencers, etc.
- Facebook Groups you’ve joined
- Your own Pages if you’re a business/creator
Facebook wants to make it easy to access the Pages you engage with regularly. Liking, commenting on, and sharing Posts from a Page makes it more likely to appear in the sidebar.
Does sidebar change for desktop vs. mobile?
The Facebook sidebar looks slightly different on desktop vs. mobile, but the principles for populating it are the same.
On desktop, the sidebar appears on the left side of your News Feed. On mobile, it becomes a tab located at the bottom of the screen simply labeled “Friends.” But in both cases, it displays your most frequently interacted with friends and Pages.
One small difference is that by default, desktop also displays a separate “Groups” section in the sidebar. On mobile, Groups you’ve joined get lumped in with the Friends tab.
Do inactive friends disappear from sidebar?
If you have friends in your sidebar that you haven’t interacted with in a long time, they may eventually disappear. These inactive friends get replaced with new active friends.
Think of your sidebar as a rotating cast of characters. As your real-life friendships and interests change over time, so does your Facebook sidebar. This churn is Facebook’s way of keeping your sidebar relevant as your activity evolves.
Does interacting with a friend add them back to my sidebar?
Yes, interacting with a friend who’s disappeared from your sidebar can return them to their former glory.
Viewing a friend’s profile, liking their posts, commenting and being active on their content will all signal to Facebook that this friend should be back in your sidebar.
It may take a few days for them to reappear after you start interacting again. But before long, they should settle back into their familiar spot in your sidebar.
How many friends appear in sidebar?
The number of friends shown in your sidebar depends on a few factors:
- How wide your browser window is (wider = more friends shown)
- How many friends you have (more friends = more options to show)
- How many friends meet the active/recent interaction criteria
Typically you’ll see between 15-50 friend profiles in sidebar. On a large desktop monitor, it’s not unusual to see 100+ friends.
Mobile displays even fewer due to the compact screen size – usually about 12 friends visible at once.
Does Facebook prioritize certain friends in my sidebar?
Facebook’s algorithm does seem to give priority placement to certain friends/Pages:
- Very active friends – If you interact daily, they’ll likely stay pinned to the top
- Close friends & family – Facebook may weight real-life connections stronger
- Friends with new content – Those who just posted get boosted
- Mutual friends – Shared connections tend to rank higher
But otherwise, the order seems relatively random based on your recent interactions. Don’t read too much into the vertical order of your sidebar. Focus instead on who’s present in your feed.
Can I pin certain friends to my sidebar?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to manually pin specific friends to the top of your sidebar. Facebook considers this an invasion of those friends’ privacy.
Your best option is continuing to actively engage with the friends you want pinned. Frequent liking, commenting, tagging, and sharing of their content will keep them in prime sidebar real estate.
Can I remove friends from my sidebar?
Just as you can’t pin friends, you also can’t permanently remove or hide friends from your sidebar. Your only option is to unfriend them, which is quite aggressive.
If you want them to disappear from sidebar, temporarily stop interacting with their profile and wait for the algorithm to remove them. Later you can resume interacting and they’ll likely reappear.
Conclusion
While you don’t have total control, Facebook’s sidebar/friends list does provide valuable one-click access to the people and communities you engage with most. Pay attention to which friends and Pages populate your sidebar over time to better understand your habits and interests, both on and offline.
| Friend | Interactions | Appears in Sidebar |
|---|---|---|
| Mark | Daily likes and comments | Yes |
| Mary | Last interacted 2 years ago | No |
| Sarah | Frequent shares and tags | Yes |
This table summarizes factors that determine which friends appear in the Facebook sidebar. Frequent, recent interactions are key to sidebar placement.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook populates your sidebar with friends you interact with often
- Mutual friends tend to rank higher in the list
- Pages you engage with also appear in the sidebar
- You can’t manually pin or hide friends
- Inactive friends get replaced over time
Understanding what impacts your Facebook sidebar can help you make the most of this convenient tool. Actively engage with the people and communities you care about most to keep them pinned at the top.