There are a few common reasons why you may not be seeing your friends’ posts on Facebook:
Your news feed settings
Facebook’s algorithm controls what shows up in your news feed. The algorithm prioritizes posts it thinks you are most likely to engage with. This means you may not see all of your friends’ posts.
You can adjust your news feed settings to see more posts from friends:
- Go to your news feed preferences under “News Feed Preferences” in settings
- Prioritize who to see first – choose friends
- For feed preferences, choose chronological order rather than Facebook’s top picks
This will make posts from your friends more likely to appear towards the top of your news feed.
They aren’t posting
If your friends aren’t actively posting on Facebook, there won’t be new content from them to show up in your news feed. Make sure the friends you expect to see posts from are still actively using Facebook.
You unfollowed them
If you unfollow a friend, their public posts will no longer show up in your news feed. To see their posts again:
- Go to their profile page
- Hover over “Friends” below their cover photo
- Select “Get Notifications” or “Add to News Feed”
This will resume showing their public posts in your news feed.
They limited audience
Your friends may be posting, but with a limited audience that doesn’t include you. For example:
- Friends only posts – you won’t see these unless they added you specifically as a friend
- Restricted list posts – they may have you on a “restricted” list that limits who sees their posts
- Location-based posts – some posts are only visible to people in a certain area
If your friends are limiting who sees their posts, you won’t see them in your feed even if you are still friends.
They blocked you
If a friend has blocked you on Facebook, you will no longer see any of their posts.
Some signs they may have blocked you:
- Their profile picture and cover photo disappear
- You can’t view their profile or any of their posts
- You are no longer friends with them or can’t send them a friend request
If someone has blocked you, the only way to see their posts again is if they choose to unblock you.
You snoozed them
If you snoozed a friend for 30 days, you won’t see any of their posts for that time period.
To unsnooze them:
- Go to their profile
- Hover over “Friends” below their cover photo
- Select “Unsnooze [name]”
This will resume showing their public posts in your news feed immediately.
You hid their posts
If you hid an individual post from a friend, or hid all of their posts, you won’t see new posts from them.
To undo this:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner
- Select “News Feed Preferences”
- Choose “See First” or “Unhide [name]”
This will cause their future public posts to show up in your news feed again.
They aren’t a close friend
Facebook is most likely to show posts from your closest friends and family members towards the top of your news feed.
If someone is more of an acquaintance, their posts may get buried lower in your feed or not appear at all.
To see posts from acquaintances and casual friends:
- Adjust news feed settings to sort chronologically
- Proactively visit their profile page to check for new posts
- Engage more with their content when you do see it
Increasing engagement with their posts will signal to Facebook’s algorithm that you are interested in their content.
You have too many friends
The more friends you have on Facebook, the more potential posts are competing for a spot in your news feed. If you have thousands of friends, posts from any individual one are less likely to appear.
To make sure you see posts from your closest friends:
- Add your best friends to your “Close Friends” list
- Adjust your news feed settings to prioritize close friends first
- Check in regularly on the pages of friends you want to keep up with
- Prune friends who you no longer interact with
Trimming your friend list down can help ensure posts from your nearest and dearest consistently appear towards the top of your feed.
They posted at a bad time
When your friends post can impact whether or not you see it.
Facebook’s algorithm is more likely to show you posts from:
- Early morning and evening (when more people are on Facebook)
- Thursday and Friday (timed for the weekend)
- Holidays and event days
Meanwhile, posts in the middle of the night or midday during the workweek may get buried. Make sure to check in on friends’ pages directly if you feel like you’re missing their posts.
Too many ads and suggested posts
Facebook inserts advertisements and suggested posts based on your interests throughout your news feed. The more ads and suggested content, the fewer friend posts you’ll see.
To reduce this:
- Adjust your ad settings to see fewer ads
- Hide or unfollow suggested posts whenever they appear
- Install an ad blocker on your browser
Cutting down on ads and suggested content will leave more room for posts from your connections.
You violated Facebook’s policies
If you violated Facebook’s community standards in a post, comment, or other content, your reach and distribution could be temporarily reduced as a penalty. This means you’re less likely to see posts from your friends in that time.
To restore full access:
- Delete any violating content
- Avoid further policy violations
- Wait for the distribution penalty period to pass
Once the penalty expires, your news feed should return to normal.
Their posts are getting reported
If a friend frequently makes posts that users find offensive and report them, Facebook may throttle distribution of their content. Their future posts will be less likely to appear for you and others.
An individual can remedy this by:
- Deleting old posts that received many reports
- Avoiding inflammatory speech that may be reported
- Temporarily abstaining from posting until distribution is restored
You likely can’t control this factor, but if a close friend suddenly disappears from your feed it could be due to frequent post reporting.
Facebook is malfunctioning
Sometimes bugs or technical issues on Facebook’s end could prevent posts appearing properly in your news feed.
If you notice posts from many friends suddenly stop showing up, it may be a wider Facebook glitch rather than an individual issue.
To identify Facebook-wide issues:
- Check the Facebook status page for any acknowledged problems
- Visit DownDetector to see if others are reporting issues
- See if posts are loading for friends in other regions
For site-wide malfunctions, the only remedy is waiting for Facebook’s engineers to fix the problem.
You’re temporarily banned
If your account is banned or suspended, you will be unable to view your news feed or any posts from friends. Some reasons this could happen:
- Suspected hacking or compromised account
- Violating Facebook’s terms of service
- Your account was reported for abuse
If you believe the ban was a mistake:
- Appeal the ban through Facebook’s forms
- Reach out to Facebook support for help
- Wait for the temporary suspension period to end
Your news feed access will be restored once the ban is lifted.
You’re in Facebook jail
“Facebook jail” refers to when you temporarily can’t post, comment, or interact because you violated Facebook’s policies. During this time, your ability to view posts is unaffected.
If you suspect you’re in Facebook jail:
- Try posting on your profile or page – if it fails, that confirms it
- Check if notifications say your activity is still temporarily limited
- See if you can still access features like Marketplace
To get out of Facebook jail, you simply have to wait out the suspension period, which is typically 24 hours to 30 days depending on the severity of the violation.
You’re shadowbanned
A shadowban is when your account appears normal to you, but your posts and comments are hidden from everyone else without you being notified.
Signs you may be shadowbanned:
- No likes, comments, or shares on your posts
- Friends say they can’t see your posts and profile
- Your posts don’t show up under hashtags or locations
To fix a shadowban:
- Stop doing anything that may have violated Facebook’s rules
- Remove questionable posts or content
- Appeal if you feel the shadowban was made in error
The ban is usually lifted within days or weeks if your activity is no longer deemed suspicious.
Conclusion
There are many potential reasons you may not be seeing your friends’ posts on Facebook – some within your control, and others dependent on their activity or Facebook itself. If friends suddenly disappear from your feed, systematically go through the possible causes to identify why it’s happening.
Adjusting your news feed preferences, engaging more with your friend’s posts, and staying aware of any technical issues can help ensure you keep seeing updates from your meaningful connections on Facebook.