You can't edit Facebook's friend suggestions directly, but you can influence what the algorithm shows you
Facebook generates friend suggestions based on mutual connections, shared interests, workplace or school history, and contact information you've uploaded. You cannot manually edit the list itself or tell Facebook "don't suggest this person" in a way that changes the algorithm permanently. What you can do is adjust your privacy settings, remove contact uploads, and interact with your profile in ways that shift what suggestions appear next time.
The most practical approach is to remove people from suggestions one at a time as they appear, limit what data Facebook uses to generate suggestions, and understand that the suggestions will keep changing based on your activity. If someone keeps appearing in your suggestions despite you dismissing them, it usually means you share enough mutual connections or interests that Facebook thinks you should know them.
Key Takeaways
- You can dismiss individual friend suggestions by clicking the X or "Remove" button next to each person's name, but new suggestions will replace them.
- Uploading your phone contacts or email contacts gives Facebook more data to generate suggestions from, so removing those uploads reduces suggestions overall.
- Adjusting your privacy settings to limit who can see your friends list makes it harder for Facebook to suggest people based on mutual connections.
- Clearing your search history and limiting app permissions reduces the data Facebook uses to generate suggestions.
How to dismiss individual friend suggestions
When you see a friend suggestion you don't want, you can remove it from your view. On the desktop version, go to your Friends page and look for the "People You May Know" section. Hover over any suggestion and you'll see an X button appear in the top right corner of that person's card. Click it to dismiss that suggestion.
On mobile, open the Friends tab, scroll to "People You May Know," and tap the X button on the person's card. This removes them from your current view, but it doesn't prevent Facebook from suggesting them again in the future. Facebook treats each dismissal as feedback, but the algorithm may still show the same person weeks or months later if your mutual connections or interests change.
Remove uploaded contact lists from your account
Facebook uses phone numbers and email addresses from your contacts to generate suggestions. If you've ever let Facebook access your phone contacts, your email account, or uploaded a contact list, that data is stored on your account and actively used for suggestions. Removing these uploads significantly reduces the number of suggestions Facebook can generate.
On desktop, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. Click Apps and Websites on the left sidebar, then look for "Contacts" or scroll down to find contact-related permissions. You should see options to remove uploaded contacts from Facebook, Google, or your phone. Click "Remove" next to each one. On mobile, open Settings and Privacy, tap Settings, then scroll to find Contacts or Uploads. Tap to remove each contact source.
After you remove these, Facebook will no longer have access to your stored contacts for generating suggestions. New suggestions will still appear based on mutual friends and interests, but the pool will be smaller.
Adjust your friends list privacy settings
Facebook suggests people partly by looking at who your mutual friends are. If your friends list is public, Facebook can easily see all your connections and use them to generate suggestions. Making your friends list private limits this data source.
Go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. Click Privacy on the left sidebar. Look for "Who can see your friends list?" and change it from Public to Friends Only or Only Me. This doesn't hide your friends from people who already know them, but it prevents Facebook from using your full friends list as a basis for suggestions to strangers.
Clear your search history on Facebook
Facebook tracks who you search for and uses that data to generate suggestions. If you've searched for someone's profile out of curiosity, Facebook may suggest them as a friend. Clearing your search history removes this signal.
On desktop, click the search bar at the top of Facebook. You'll see a list of recent searches. Click the X next to any search you want to remove, or click "Clear All" to remove everything at once. On mobile, tap the search icon, and you'll see the same options. This clears your search history going forward, which means Facebook has less data about people you've looked up.
Review and limit app and website permissions
Apps and websites connected to your Facebook account can share data about your activity. This data sometimes feeds into friend suggestions. For example, if you use Spotify or another app connected to Facebook, that app can share information about your interests and contacts.
Go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. Click Apps and Websites on the left sidebar. You'll see a list of apps that have permission to access your Facebook data. Review each one and click to remove any app you don't actively use. Pay special attention to apps that have permission to access your friends list or contact information. Removing these permissions reduces the data Facebook collects about you.
Understand why someone keeps appearing in suggestions
If you dismiss someone multiple times and they keep reappearing, it usually means you have enough mutual connections or shared interests that Facebook's algorithm thinks you should know them. Dismissing them again won't stop this cycle permanently. The only way to fully prevent someone from appearing is to block them, which also prevents them from seeing your profile or contacting you.
To block someone, go to their profile, click the three dots menu, and select "Block." This is a stronger action than dismissing a suggestion and should be reserved for people you genuinely want to avoid. If you just don't want to see suggestions from someone but don't need to block them, you can keep dismissing them as they appear, knowing they may return later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I tell Facebook to never suggest a specific person?
No, there's no permanent "never suggest this person" setting. Blocking them is the only way to completely prevent suggestions, but blocking also hides your profile from them. If you just want to reduce suggestions from someone, dismiss them when they appear and adjust your privacy settings to limit the data Facebook uses.
Does blocking someone stop them from seeing my profile?
Yes. When you block someone, they can't see your profile, search for you, message you, or see your posts. They also can't send you a friend request. If you later unblock them, they can search for you again, but they won't know you blocked them.
Will removing my contact uploads stop all friend suggestions?
No. Facebook will still generate suggestions based on mutual friends, shared interests, workplace or school history, and other signals. Removing contact uploads just removes one data source. You'll still see suggestions, but fewer of them.
What happens if I clear my search history?
Clearing your search history removes the record of who you've searched for on Facebook. This prevents Facebook from using those searches to generate suggestions. Your search history is separate from your activity history, so clearing searches doesn't affect other parts of your account.
Can I see why Facebook suggested a specific person?
Facebook doesn't tell you the exact reason for each suggestion. When you hover over a suggestion, you might see "X mutual friends" or "Went to [school]," which gives you a clue, but Facebook doesn't break down the full algorithm. If you see a reason listed, that's usually the primary signal Facebook used.