Facebook Tips: What Happens If I Ignore a Friend Request?

Have you ever received a friend request from someone you didn't know or with whom you had second thoughts about being friends, such as the student you never spoke with but sat in front of during class? Luckily, if you want to decline a friend request or remove someone from your Facebook Friend List, you can do so without attracting attention.

When you receive a friend request from people you don't wish to be friends with, you can decline by simply selecting "Ignore." Doing so will remove the request from your Requests list. They will not be notified that their friend request was declined, but they will be able to send you another friend request in the future.

If you take no action on the request they've sent you, they will not be able send you another friend request. You will appear instead as a pending friend request when they view you in Search or elsewhere on the site until you either accept or ignore the request.

You can always remove people as friends by scrolling down to the bottom left side of their Facebook profiles. Select the link "Remove from Friends." Your former friends will not be notified, but they will be removed from your Friend List and you will be reciprocally removed from their list. If you change your mind, you'll have to go through the process of requesting their friendship again.