You can cancel a friend request you sent by finding the person's profile and clicking a button to withdraw it
When you send a friend request on Facebook, you can change your mind at any point before the other person responds. Cancelling a request takes about 10 seconds and leaves no notification for the person — they simply won't see the request anymore. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using Facebook on a computer or phone, but the core action is the same: find the person, locate the pending request, and click to cancel it.
This is different from unfriending someone, which removes an existing friendship. Cancelling a request stops a friendship from forming in the first place. Once you cancel, you can send a new request later if you change your mind again.
Key Takeaways
- Cancelled friend requests do not send a notification to the other person, so they won't know you withdrew it.
- On a computer, visit the person's profile and click "Cancel Request" next to their name at the top of the page.
- On the Facebook app for phone, open the person's profile, tap the icon showing a person with an X, and confirm the cancellation.
- You can send a new request to the same person after cancelling, with no waiting period or limit on how many times you can do this.
How to cancel a request on Facebook's website
Go to the person's Facebook profile by searching their name in the search bar at the top of Facebook, or by clicking their name if it appears in your feed or notifications. Once you're on their profile page, look at the top right area of their cover photo — you'll see a button that says "Cancel Request" with a small icon next to it.
Click that button. Facebook will ask you to confirm, usually with a small popup that says something like "Cancel friend request?" Click "Cancel" or "Confirm" depending on what the popup shows. That's it — the request is gone, and the person will not receive any message about it.
How to cancel a request on the Facebook mobile app
Open the Facebook app on your phone and search for the person's name using the search icon (usually a magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen). Tap their name to open their profile. At the top of their profile, you'll see several buttons — one of them will show a person's silhouette with an X through it, or sometimes says "Requested."
Tap that button. A menu will pop up asking you to confirm the cancellation. Select "Cancel Request" from the options shown. The request will be withdrawn immediately, and no notification will be sent to the person.
What happens after you cancel a request
Once cancelled, the request disappears from both your outgoing requests and the other person's incoming requests. They will not see a notification or message saying you cancelled it. If you check your own list of pending requests (usually found in your Friends section under "Friend Requests"), the person's name will no longer appear there.
You can send a new request to the same person at any time after cancelling. There is no cooldown period or limit on how many times you can send and cancel requests to the same person, though repeatedly sending and cancelling requests to someone who hasn't responded might come across as unusual if they notice the pattern.
Cancelling a request is different from blocking or unfriending
Cancelling a pending request is not the same as unfriending someone. Unfriending removes an existing friendship — you can only unfriend people who have already accepted your request. Cancelling stops the request before they ever respond to it.
Blocking is also different. When you block someone, they cannot see your profile, send you messages, or find you in search results. Cancelling a request does none of these things — it simply removes the pending request. The person can still see your profile and send you a request themselves.
Why you might want to cancel a request
You might cancel a request if you sent it by accident, changed your mind about connecting with someone, or realized you sent it to the wrong person. Some people cancel requests if they don't want to seem too eager or if they're uncertain about the connection. Others cancel if they sent a request to someone they don't actually know well and decided against it.
There's no penalty for cancelling — it's a normal part of how Facebook works, and the person won't be notified or offended by it since they won't know it happened.
If someone cancels a request they sent you
If someone sends you a friend request and then cancels it, you'll simply see the request disappear from your Friend Requests list. You won't receive a notification saying they cancelled it — the request will just be gone. If you were planning to accept it, you won't be able to, since there's nothing left to accept.
If you want to connect with that person anyway, you can search for their profile and send them a request yourself. They'll see your new request as a fresh one, unrelated to the one they cancelled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I cancelled my friend request?
No. Facebook does not send notifications when someone cancels a request. The request simply disappears from their list, and they won't receive any message about it unless they happened to check their Friend Requests at the exact moment you cancelled it.
Can I cancel a request after someone has already accepted it?
No. Once someone accepts your request, you are friends with them. At that point, you can only unfriend them, which is a different action. Cancelling only works on requests that are still pending — waiting for the other person to respond.
How long do I have to cancel a request before it expires?
Facebook does not automatically expire friend requests. A request you send will stay in the other person's list until they accept it, decline it, or until you cancel it. There is no time limit, so you can cancel a request you sent weeks or months ago.
If I cancel a request, can I send another one to the same person later?
Yes. You can send a new request to the same person at any time after cancelling. There is no waiting period or limit on how many requests you can send to the same person over time.
What's the difference between cancelling a request and declining one?
Cancelling is something you do to a request you sent. Declining is something you do to a request someone else sent you. When you decline a request, the person who sent it won't be notified, but the request disappears from your list.