The basics of adding someone on Facebook

To add someone on Facebook, you search for their name or profile, find their profile page, and click the "Add Friend" button. They then receive a friend request notification. Once they accept, you become friends and can see each other's posts, send messages, and interact on the platform. The whole process takes seconds, but the person you're adding has to accept before the connection is complete.

Facebook shows you friend requests you've sent but haven't been accepted yet, so you can see the status of pending requests. If someone declines your request, you can send another one later, though Facebook may limit how often you can do this to the same person.

Key Takeaways

  • Search for someone by name in the search bar at the top of Facebook, then click "Add Friend" on their profile.
  • You can also add people through Facebook's "People You May Know" suggestions, which appear on your home feed and profile sidebar.
  • If someone sends you a friend request, you can accept, decline, or ignore it — ignoring it removes the notification without rejecting them outright.
  • You can see all your pending friend requests in one place by clicking the friend icon at the top of the page and selecting "Friend Requests."
  • Once you're friends, you can adjust what that person sees by using privacy settings on individual posts or by limiting what they see overall.

Finding someone to add using the search bar

The fastest way to add someone is through Facebook's search bar. Click the search icon at the top of any Facebook page (it looks like a magnifying glass). Type the person's name, and Facebook shows you a list of profiles that match. Look for the right person — check their profile picture, location, or mutual friends to make sure it's who you're looking for.

Once you've found the right profile, click on it to open their full profile page. On their profile, you'll see a button that says "Add Friend" (or sometimes "Friend Request"). Click that button, and your request is sent. The person will see a notification that you've sent them a request.

If the person has a very common name, you might see dozens of results. Use the filters Facebook offers — you can narrow by location, workplace, or school — to find the right person faster. Sending a request to the wrong person is awkward, so take a moment to confirm you have the right profile.

Adding people through "People You May Know"

Facebook shows you suggestions for people you might want to add under a section called "People You May Know." These suggestions appear on your home feed, on your profile sidebar, and sometimes in a dedicated section when you click the friend icon at the top of the page. Facebook bases these suggestions on mutual friends, shared interests, or networks you're both part of.

To add someone from this list, simply click the "Add Friend" button next to their name. You don't have to visit their full profile first. This is often the easiest way to reconnect with people you actually know, since Facebook's suggestions are usually fairly accurate.

If you see someone you don't want to add, you can click the "X" or "Remove" button to dismiss them from the suggestions. This doesn't notify them — it just removes them from your "People You May Know" list.

Responding to friend requests from others

When someone sends you a friend request, you'll see a notification at the top of Facebook (usually a bell icon or a number badge). Click on that notification to see who's sent you requests. You have three options: accept, decline, or ignore.

If you click "Confirm," you accept the request and become friends. If you click "Delete" or "Decline," you reject the request and they won't be notified (though they might notice you're not on their friends list). If you click "Ignore," the request stays in your pending list but doesn't show up as a notification anymore — you can deal with it later.

You can see all your pending friend requests at any time by clicking the friend icon at the top of the page and selecting "Friend Requests." This shows both requests you've sent that haven't been accepted yet and requests others have sent to you.

Adding people from your phone or mobile app

The process on Facebook's mobile app is nearly identical to the desktop version. Open the app and tap the search icon at the bottom (usually a magnifying glass). Type the person's name, find their profile, and tap "Add Friend." You'll see the same "People You May Know" suggestions on your profile or home feed, and you can add people the same way.

To see friend requests on mobile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right, scroll down, and select "Friends." From there, you can see pending requests you've sent and requests others have sent to you. The accept, decline, and ignore buttons work the same way as on desktop.

One difference: on mobile, you might see a "Add to Favorites" option after you become friends with someone. This doesn't affect whether you're friends — it just means their posts will show up higher in your feed.

What happens after you send a friend request

Once you send a request, the other person sees it as a notification. They can accept it immediately, wait days or weeks, or decline it. While the request is pending, you won't see their posts (unless their profile is public), and you can't message them unless they've already allowed messages from non-friends.

You can cancel a friend request you've sent by going back to their profile and clicking "Cancel Request" instead of "Add Friend." This removes your request without notifying them. If you want to send another request later, you can — but if you keep sending requests to the same person and they keep declining, Facebook may prevent you from sending more requests to that person for a while.

If someone accepts your request, you become friends and can see each other's posts, send messages, and interact normally. If they decline, you can still see their public posts and information, but you won't be able to message them or see their private content.

Managing your friends list and privacy after adding someone

After you add someone as a friend, you can control what they see on your profile. On your profile, click the three dots next to "Edit Profile" and select "Privacy Settings." From there, you can choose who sees your posts, your friend list, your photos, and other information.

You can also limit what a specific friend sees without unfriending them. Visit their profile, click the three dots, and select "Limit Past Posts" or "Edit Privacy" (the exact option depends on your Facebook version). This hides your old posts from that person going forward.

If you want to remove someone from your friends list, go to their profile, click the three dots, and select "Unfriend." They won't be notified, but they might notice you're no longer on their friends list if they check. You can always add them again later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone see that I sent them a friend request?

Yes. When you send a friend request, the person gets a notification that you've sent it. They can see your name and profile picture. If they decline, you won't be notified, but you can see in your pending requests that they haven't accepted yet.

What if I accidentally sent a friend request to the wrong person?

Go to their profile and click "Cancel Request." This removes your request. They may or may not have already seen the notification, but canceling it prevents any further action. You can send a new request to the correct person.

Can I add someone if their profile is private?

Yes. Even if someone's profile is private, you can still find them through search and send a friend request. They just won't see your posts or information until they accept. Some people set their profiles to private specifically to control who can see their content.

Why can't I find someone when I search for them?

They may have changed their name, deactivated their account, or set their profile to be unsearchable. Some people also use nicknames or unusual spellings. Try searching with different variations of their name, or ask a mutual friend to send you a link to their profile.

What's the difference between ignoring and declining a friend request?

Declining removes the request and the person won't see it in your pending list. Ignoring keeps it in your pending list but hides the notification. Both have the same effect on the other person — they won't know which you chose. Ignore is useful if you want to decide later.