You can remove someone from your Facebook friends in seconds, and they won't get a notification

To delete someone on Facebook, find their profile, click the Friends button, and select "Remove Friend" from the menu. The person stays on Facebook — you just stop seeing their posts and they stop seeing yours. Facebook does not send them a message saying you removed them, though they may notice if they look at your profile and see you are no longer listed as a friend.

The steps are the same whether you are on a computer or phone, though the exact buttons look slightly different. This guide walks you through both.

Key Takeaways

  • Removing someone from your friends list does not delete their account or notify them — it only stops you from seeing their posts and them from seeing yours.
  • You can remove a friend from their profile page, from your friends list, or directly from a post they made.
  • If you want to hide someone's posts without removing them entirely, you can unfollow them instead, which keeps the friendship but stops their content from appearing in your feed.
  • Removing someone is different from blocking them — a blocked person cannot find your profile or send you messages, while a removed friend can still see your public posts.

How to remove someone on a computer

Open Facebook and go to the person's profile by searching for their name or clicking their name anywhere you see it. Once you are on their profile page, look for the blue "Friends" button near the top. Click it, and a small menu will drop down with the option "Remove Friend" — click that.

The friendship is removed immediately. If you change your mind within a few seconds, you can click "Undo" at the bottom of the screen. After that, you will have to send them a friend request again if you want to reconnect.

How to remove someone on your phone

Open the Facebook app and search for the person's name using the search icon at the top. Tap their name to open their profile. Look for the "Friends" button — on most phones it appears as a blue button with a person icon. Tap it, then tap "Remove Friend" from the menu that appears.

On some older versions of the Facebook app, the button may say "Following" instead of "Friends" at first. Tap that button and you will see the option to remove them. The removal happens right away.

Removing someone from your friends list instead of their profile

You do not have to visit someone's profile to remove them. Go to your own profile, click or tap "Friends," and you will see a list of all your friends. Find the person you want to remove, click the three dots next to their name, and select "Remove Friend."

This method is faster if you are removing multiple people or if you cannot remember the exact spelling of their name. The result is the same — they are removed from your friends list.

Removing someone directly from their post

If you see a post from someone and want to remove them without visiting their profile, you can do it right there. Click or tap the three dots in the corner of their post. A menu will appear with several options, including "Remove Friend." Select that, and the friendship is removed.

This is useful if you are scrolling through your feed and decide you no longer want to see someone's posts. You remove them without leaving the feed.

The difference between removing, unfollowing, and blocking

Removing someone stops you from seeing their posts and stops them from seeing yours. They can still visit your profile and see anything you have marked as public. Unfollowing someone keeps you friends but hides their posts from your feed — you can still see them if you visit their profile directly. Blocking someone prevents them from finding your profile, sending you messages, or seeing any of your content, public or private.

If you want to stay friends with someone but do not want to see their posts constantly, unfollow them instead of removing them. If someone is harassing you or you want a complete separation, blocking is the stronger option. For most situations where you simply want to clean up your friends list, removing is the right choice.

What happens after you remove someone

Once you remove someone, they will no longer see your posts in their feed, and you will no longer see theirs. Any old comments or likes they left on your posts stay visible — removing someone does not erase the past. If they send you a message, you will still receive it, though you will not see their profile picture or name in the same way.

If you both have mutual friends, you may still see each other in group photos or in comments on mutual friends' posts. Removing someone is not the same as erasing all trace of them from your Facebook experience — it just stops the active connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I removed them?

Facebook does not send a notification when you remove someone. However, they may figure it out if they visit your profile and notice you are no longer listed as a friend, or if they realize they have not seen your posts in a while. There is no way for them to know for certain unless they check.

Can I remove someone and then add them back later?

Yes. Removing someone does not prevent you from sending them a friend request again in the future. They will receive the request like any other, and can accept or decline it. There is no waiting period or penalty for removing and re-adding someone.

What if I remove someone by mistake?

If you realize immediately, look for the "Undo" option that appears at the bottom of your screen for a few seconds after you remove them. If that window has closed, you can send them a new friend request. They will see it as a regular request, not as a re-add.

Does removing someone delete our old messages?

No. Your message history with that person stays in your inbox. You can still read old conversations, but you will not receive new messages from them unless you add them back as a friend or they send you a message request.

Is there a way to remove someone without them possibly finding out?

Removing is already the quietest option — no notification is sent. If you want even more privacy, blocking prevents them from finding your profile at all. But if you simply want to stop seeing their posts without a complete separation, unfollowing is the best choice.