Cancel a friend request in three steps
To cancel a friend request on Facebook, find the person's profile, locate the pending request button, and click to withdraw it. The person will not receive a notification that you cancelled — they will simply see that the request is no longer there. You can cancel a request you sent at any time, whether it was five minutes ago or five months ago.
Facebook does not limit how many requests you can cancel or how often you can do it. Once you cancel, you can send a new request to the same person later if you change your mind, though waiting a few weeks is considerate if the first request was recent.
Key Takeaways
- Open the person's Facebook profile and look for a button that says "Cancel Request" or shows a pending status.
- Click that button once to withdraw your request immediately — no confirmation screen appears.
- The other person will not be notified that you cancelled, and the request simply disappears from their inbox.
- You can cancel a request you sent at any point, even months later, and send a new one whenever you want.
Find the person's profile and locate the request button
Search for the person's name in Facebook's search bar at the top of any page. Click on their profile when it appears in the results. If you already have their profile open, you can skip this step.
Once you are on their profile, look at the top right area where action buttons appear. You should see a button that says "Cancel Request" or displays a clock icon with "Request Pending" text. This button confirms that your request is still waiting for them to respond. If you do not see this button, the request may have already been accepted, declined, or cancelled.
Click the cancel button to withdraw your request
Click the "Cancel Request" button or the pending request indicator. Facebook will immediately withdraw your request — there is no confirmation screen or second step. The button will disappear, and the person's profile will return to showing the standard "Add Friend" button.
The entire process takes one click and happens instantly. You do not need to refresh the page or wait for anything to process. If you want to send a request to this person again in the future, you can click "Add Friend" at any time.
What the other person sees when you cancel
When you cancel a friend request, the other person receives no notification. They will not see a message saying you withdrew your request, and Facebook does not send them an alert. If they check their friend requests inbox, your request will simply be gone.
If they had already seen your request before you cancelled it, they may notice it is missing if they look again. However, Facebook does not draw their attention to cancelled requests, so most people will not realize anything happened.
Cancel requests on mobile or desktop
The steps are the same whether you use Facebook on a computer, phone, or tablet. Search for the person, open their profile, and click or tap the "Cancel Request" button. On mobile, the button appears in the same location — usually near the top of the profile, sometimes under a menu marked with three dots if space is limited.
If you are using the Facebook app on iPhone or Android, the layout may shift slightly, but the "Cancel Request" button is always visible on the person's profile. Tap it the same way you would click it on a computer.
Reasons to cancel a friend request
You might cancel a request if you sent it by accident, if you changed your mind about connecting with that person, or if you realize you already know them through another account. Some people cancel requests if they sent one to someone who has not responded in a long time and they want to try a different approach, like sending a message instead.
There is no penalty for cancelling requests. Facebook does not track how many you cancel or flag your account for cancelling too many. You can cancel and resend requests to the same person as often as you want, though it is generally more respectful to wait a reasonable amount of time between attempts.
What happens if someone declines your request instead
If the other person declines your request rather than you cancelling it, the result is similar from your perspective — the request is gone and the button returns to "Add Friend". However, Facebook may treat declined requests differently than cancelled ones in terms of how soon you can send another request to that person.
If someone declines your request, waiting at least a few weeks before sending another one is considerate. If you cancel your own request, you can send a new one immediately, though again, waiting a bit is usually the better choice socially.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?
No. Facebook does not send notifications for cancelled requests. The person will not receive a message or alert. If they check their friend requests, your request will simply be gone, but Facebook does not notify them that you withdrew it.
Can I cancel a request I sent months ago?
Yes. You can cancel a pending request at any time, no matter how long ago you sent it. Open their profile, click "Cancel Request," and it is done. There is no time limit on how old a request can be before you cancel it.
What if I accidentally sent a request to the wrong person?
Cancel it immediately using the steps above. The person will not be notified, and the request will disappear from their inbox. You can then send a request to the correct person. There is no record left behind of the mistaken request.
Can I send a new request right after cancelling?
Yes. Once you cancel a request, the button changes back to "Add Friend" and you can send a new request to the same person right away. However, sending multiple requests to the same person in a short time may come across as pushy, so spacing them out is usually better.
Does cancelling a request affect my account in any way?
No. Cancelling friend requests does not affect your account, your standing on Facebook, or your ability to send future requests. Facebook does not limit or penalize you for cancelling requests. You can cancel as many as you want without any consequences.