Deleting someone on Snapchat removes them from your friends list and stops them from seeing your Stories and Snaps unless your account is public
When you delete someone on Snapchat, they can no longer see your private Stories, receive your Snaps, or view your location if you share it. They will not receive a notification that you deleted them, but they may notice they can no longer message you or see your content. If they try to message you after deletion, their message will not go through unless you add them back.
The person you delete can still see your public Stories and any content you posted before the deletion, but new private content stays hidden. If you want to block someone instead — preventing them from finding your account or contacting you at all — that is a different action with stronger privacy controls.
Key Takeaways
- You delete someone by opening your friends list, long-pressing their name, and tapping "Remove Friend" from the menu that appears.
- The deleted person will not receive a notification, but they will notice they can no longer see your private Stories or send you messages.
- Deleting is different from blocking — deletion hides your content from them, while blocking prevents them from finding your account entirely.
- You can delete someone and later add them back without any special steps, as long as they send you a friend request or you search for them again.
Steps to delete someone from your friends list
Open Snapchat and tap the Friends icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a person with a plus sign). This takes you to your friends list. Scroll through until you find the person you want to delete.
Long-press (hold down) their name for about one second. A menu will appear with several options. Tap "Remove Friend" — this is the option that deletes them from your list. Snapchat will ask you to confirm; tap "Yes" to complete the deletion.
Once deleted, they will no longer appear in your friends list. If you change your mind later, you can add them back by searching for their username or waiting for them to send you a new friend request.
The difference between deleting and blocking
Deleting someone removes them from your friends list, but they can still find your account if they search for you by username. They can see your public Stories and any content you have set to public. They simply cannot see your private Stories or send you direct messages.
Blocking is stronger. When you block someone, they cannot find your account through search, cannot see any of your content (public or private), and cannot message you. They will also be removed from your friends list automatically. Blocking is the right choice if you want to prevent someone from contacting you or viewing your account at all.
To block someone instead of deleting them, long-press their name in your friends list and tap "Block" rather than "Remove Friend." You can also block someone from their profile by tapping the three dots in the top right corner and selecting "Block."
What happens after you delete someone
The deleted person will not see a notification saying you removed them. However, they will notice they can no longer see your private Stories in their feed, and if they try to message you, the message will fail to send. They may realize you deleted them based on these signs, but Snapchat does not send an explicit alert.
Any Snaps or Stories you sent them before the deletion remain in their chat history, so they can still see old conversations. New Snaps you send will not reach them, and they cannot reply to your Stories anymore.
If the deleted person sends you a friend request later, you will see it as a normal request. You can accept it to add them back, or ignore it. There is no record in Snapchat that you previously deleted them.
How to tell if someone deleted you
If someone deletes you, you will notice that you can no longer see their private Stories. Their public Stories will still appear if they have set their account to public, but private content disappears from your feed. When you try to message them, your message may fail to send or sit in a pending state.
You can also check by searching for their username. If you can still find their account, they deleted you but did not block you. If their account does not appear in search results at all, they likely blocked you instead.
Keep in mind that someone might have simply deactivated their account or changed their privacy settings, so a missing Story does not always mean deletion. The most reliable sign is when messages fail to send consistently.
Recovering a deleted friendship
If you delete someone and want to add them back, search for their username in Snapchat's search bar. Their profile will appear, and you can tap "Add Friend" to send them a new friend request. They will see your request and can accept it to restore the friendship.
Alternatively, if they send you a friend request after you deleted them, you can accept it directly. There is no waiting period or special process — Snapchat treats it as a normal friend request.
Your old chat history with them will still be there after you add them back. You will be able to see all the Snaps and messages you exchanged before the deletion, so nothing is permanently lost from your conversation.
Managing your friends list on different devices
The process for deleting someone is the same whether you use Snapchat on iPhone or Android. Open the app, go to your friends list, long-press the person's name, and tap "Remove Friend." Snapchat syncs your friends list across all devices, so a deletion on your phone will be reflected immediately if you log in on another device.
If you use Snapchat on a computer through the web version, you cannot delete friends directly from the web interface. You must use the mobile app to manage your friends list. However, any deletions you make on mobile will show up across all your devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will they know I deleted them?
Snapchat does not send a notification when you delete someone. However, they may figure it out if they notice they can no longer see your private Stories or if their messages to you start failing. There is no official alert, so they only know if they actively check.
Can I delete someone without them seeing it in my chat history?
Deleting someone removes them from your friends list, but your chat history with them remains visible to both of you until one of you clears it. If you want to remove the conversation entirely, you can swipe left on the chat (iPhone) or long-press it (Android) and select "Delete Chat."
What if I delete someone by accident?
You can add them back immediately by searching for their username and sending a new friend request. They will see it as a normal request. There is no penalty for deleting and re-adding someone, and your old chat history will still be there once they accept.
Does deleting someone remove me from their friends list too?
No. When you delete someone, you remove them from your list, but they remain on theirs unless they also delete you separately. They will notice they cannot message you or see your private Stories, but you still appear in their friends list until they take action.
Is there a way to delete someone without them noticing?
Deletion itself is silent — Snapchat sends no notification. However, they will eventually notice if they try to message you or look for your Stories. If you want to prevent them from contacting you entirely, blocking is more effective because it stops messages from going through at all.