Navigating Reconnection on Social Networks

Facebook’s block option is helpful when you don’t want someone to see anything you post or share, since blocking prevents someone from interacting directly with you on Facebook.

Naturally, blocking someone also unfriends that person if you’re currently friends. But maybe you once blocked someone and have since made up with them, or went on a friend-deleting spree and accidentally blocked someone by mistake.

You can’t see a person once they’re blocked on Facebook, so what can you do to fix this? Let’s find out how to refriend someone on Facebook that you previously blocked.

How to Unblock Someone on Facebook

First, you’ll need to unblock the blocked person on Facebook. This will let you see their profile again, so you can hopefully send them another friend request.

To do this, log into Facebook and visit your Facebook Settings page . You can get there by clicking thearrow icon in the top-right of Facebook, followed bySettings & Privacy > Settings .

On the left side of this page, select theBlocking tab. Here, underBlock users , you’ll see everyone you’ve blocked. ClickUnblock next to someone’s name to remove the block, and their profile will be visible to you again.

Click here

Notice that theBlocking page has several types of blocking. Anyone inBlock users cannot see what you post, tag you, chat with you, or send you a friend request. However, you may still see that person if you’re both in a group or use the same game.

Scroll down, and you’ll see other types of blocks, includingBlock app invites andBlock event invites . These allow you to block people from sending you certain types of requests without completely blocking their profile or unfriending them.

Use the right option for the situation and you shouldn’t have to worry about unblocking and refriending people in the future. Follow our guide to Facebook blocking for more help.

How to Refriend Someone on Facebook After Unblocking Them

Once you’ve unblocked someone using the instructions above, simply visit their profile on Facebook. You can get to it by searching with the bar at the top, clicking on a tag containing their name, or similar methods.

On their profile page, you should see anAdd Friend button as normal.

Click that to send them a new friend request; if they accept, you’ll be friends again. However, keep in mind that if you’ve had a bad interaction with this person, they may delete your request. If they do, Facebook provides theMark as Spam option to them, which prevents you from sending more friend requests.

So if you try to refriend someone on Facebook, don’t get a response, then check their profile later and theAdd Friend button is missing, that’s probably what happened.

If you go through these steps and can’t find the other person, perhaps they also blocked you. Try contacting them through another method (such as texting or calling) to find out if they blocked you on Facebook. In case you can’t reach them, check out our detailed guide on how to find out who blocked you on Facebook .

They may also have their Facebook account set to only accept friend requests from friends of friends. In this case, you’ll need to have at least one mutual friend to refriend them. Check out the unwritten rules regarding Facebook friend requests for more help.

Finally, there’s also a chance that your former friend deactivated their Facebook account while you had them blocked. To find out if this is the case, try asking a mutual friend if they’re still friends with the person you had blocked. If they aren’t using Facebook anymore, you’ll have to connect with them elsewhere.

Refriending on Facebook Is Possible, Even After Blocking

As we’ve seen, as long as you unblock someone on Facebook and send them a friend request again, you can refriend that user. However, if they have also blocked you, or limited their friend requests, there’s little you can do besides reaching out to them via another medium.

In the end, you may just need to accept that the person doesn’t want to be friends anymore and move on with your life. After all, removing contact with negative people is one of the best ways to start enjoying social media again.