You can delete a Facebook friend in three taps on your phone or two clicks on a computer
Removing someone from your friends list is straightforward. On your phone, open Facebook, go to their profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Remove Friend." On a computer, visit their profile, click the three dots next to their name, and choose "Remove Friend." The person won't receive a notification that you've unfriended them, though they may notice over time if they check your profile or look at your mutual friends list.
The removal is immediate. You'll no longer see their posts in your feed, and they won't see yours unless your posts are set to public. If you change your mind, you can send them a friend request again later, and they'll have to accept it as if you were connecting for the first time.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting a friend takes seconds and the person won't get a notification about it.
- After you remove someone, you won't see their posts and they won't see yours unless your posts are public.
- You can re-add the person later by sending a new friend request.
- If you want to keep someone as a friend but hide their posts, use the "Unfollow" option instead of removing them.
- Blocking is different from unfriending — blocking prevents someone from finding your profile at all.
The difference between unfriending, unfollowing, and blocking
Unfriending removes the connection entirely. You stop seeing their posts, they stop seeing yours (unless public), and you're no longer on each other's friends lists. Unfollowing is gentler — you stay friends, but their posts stop appearing in your feed. You can unfollow someone by clicking the three dots on one of their posts and selecting "Unfollow," or by visiting their profile and clicking "Following" to toggle it off.
Blocking is the strongest action. When you block someone, they can't find your profile, see your posts, message you, or add you as a friend. They won't know they're blocked — Facebook doesn't notify them — but if they search for you directly, they'll see a message saying the profile isn't available. Blocking is useful when you need a hard boundary; unfriending is better when you simply want distance.
How to unfriend someone on your phone
Open the Facebook app and navigate to the person's profile. You can search for them using the search bar at the top, or find them through your friends list. Once you're on their profile, tap the three horizontal dots (⋯) in the top right corner of their profile header.
A menu will appear with several options. Tap "Remove Friend." Facebook will ask you to confirm — tap "Remove" again. The action is complete immediately. If you want to double-check, go back to their profile and you should see a "Add Friend" button where "Friends" used to be.
How to unfriend someone on a computer
Go to the person's Facebook profile using the search bar or by clicking their name anywhere on Facebook. On their profile, look for the three dots (⋯) next to their name or near the top of their cover photo. Click those dots to open a menu.
Select "Remove Friend" from the dropdown. A confirmation box will appear asking if you're sure. Click "Remove Friend" to confirm. The person will immediately be removed from your friends list, and you'll see an "Add Friend" button on their profile instead.
What happens after you unfriend someone
The person won't see a notification saying you've unfriended them. However, they may eventually notice if they visit your profile (they'll see an "Add Friend" button instead of your name in their friends list), or if they realize they're no longer seeing your posts in their feed. Some people check their friends list regularly and will notice the change quickly; others may never realize.
Your past interactions remain visible to both of you. Comments you left on their posts and photos will still be there unless you delete them individually. Messages you sent in Messenger won't disappear — the conversation history stays in both inboxes. If you want to remove a specific comment or message, you'll need to delete it separately.
If you want to stay friends but limit what they see
Instead of unfriending, you can use Facebook's privacy settings to control what a specific person sees. Visit the person's profile, click the three dots, and select "Unfriend" — wait, that removes them. Instead, look for "See Friendship" or navigate to your privacy settings and use the "Limit Past Posts" feature, which hides all your old posts from a specific person.
You can also create a custom list and exclude certain people from seeing specific posts. When you create a new post, click the privacy dropdown (usually showing "Friends") and select "Custom." You can then choose to hide the post from specific people or show it only to certain friends. This way, you keep the friendship but control visibility post by post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I unfriended them?
Facebook doesn't send a notification, so they won't know unless they notice on their own. They might see it if they check your profile, look at their friends list, or realize they're not seeing your posts anymore. Some people never notice.
Can I unfriend someone and then re-add them later?
Yes. After you unfriend someone, you can send them a new friend request anytime. They'll have to accept it just like a new request, and if they do, you'll be friends again with a fresh start.
What's the difference between unfriending and blocking?
Unfriending removes the connection but the person can still see your public posts and send you a message request. Blocking prevents them from finding your profile, seeing your posts, or contacting you at all. Blocking is stronger and more private.
If I unfriend someone, will they see my old comments on their posts?
Yes. Comments you left before unfriending stay visible on their posts unless you delete them individually. Unfriending doesn't erase your past interactions — it only stops future ones.
Can I unfriend someone without them finding out?
There's no way to hide the unfriending action itself, but Facebook doesn't notify them. Whether they notice depends on how often they check your profile or their friends list. If you want to be completely invisible to someone, blocking is more effective.