How to fix “can’t send a friend request on Facebook?”

In this article, we are fixing the “can’t send a friend request on Facebook” error. But before we show you how to fix the error, we will list down all the relevant reasons for why you might be encountering the issue in the first place.

Facebook is undoubtedly the largest social media platform out there. Each second, thousands of new users are signing up on the platform. According to an estimate, around 1.9 billion users log into this platform every day.

However, sometimes it can be hard to find your friend on Facebook, especially if you do not have their email address or username. Let’s first look at how to send a friend request on Facebook. 

How to send a friend request on Facebook?

Before we see the probable reasons for the “can’t send a friend request on Facebook” error, let us see how to send friend requests on Facebook.

· On your phone, launch the Facebook app.

· Log into your Facebook profile using your login credential.

· Now, using the Search bar at the top area (magnifying glass), type in the name of the person you want to send a new friend request.

· The easy way to find friends is by typing the person’s name, email address, or phone number in the search bar.

· From the search results page, select the profile of the person you want to add on Facebook.

· After you land on their profile, you will see a blue “Add Friend” option, and you can send them a new request to be friends.

· Press the confirmation box to send a Facebook friend request to that person.

If you do not have the contact details of a friend you lost touch with years ago, you can take help from the “People You May Know” section on Facebook.

When you tap on this feature, you will be taken to a page where a friend list of people will be shown who you might know in real life.

It is advised that you send Facebook friend requests to only those people you know in real life. If you send Facebook friend requests to random people, you might get banned from the platform.

Why can’t I send a friend request on Facebook?

Often you might not even see the blue Add Friend button on someone’s profile. The button is usually blue, but it can show grey from time to time.

There are three primary reasons you might not see the blue “Add Friend” button on someone’s profile.

· Privacy Settings

· Cancelled Facebook Friend Request

· Marked as Spam

1. Facebook Privacy Settings

As you might know already, Facebook has very intricate privacy settings. Every Facebook user can specify who can see their posts, interact with them, check their activity log, and of course, send them a friend request.

Facebook users can outright restrict strangers from sending them Facebook friend requests. This might be the first reason you can’t send friend requests on Facebook.

Every Facebook user has two options for receiving Facebook friend requests. They can either allow everyone on Facebook to send them a friend request or limit that to only friends of friends.

If the privacy setting is set to “Friends of Friends,” you must have mutual friends with the person you intend on sending a friend request to.

If you want to set the “Who can send you friend request” option to only friends of friends, you can do it by following the below easy steps-

· From your Facebook, open the Hamburger menu.

· From there, navigate to settings & privacy.

· From there, navigate to Settings >> Privacy Settings.

· On the next window, you will see the option who can send you Facebook friend requests

· Set that option to “friends of friends.”

2. Canceled Facebook Friend Request

The second reason is if you had already sent that person a friend request, and they denied it. If you get rejected once, Facebook voluntarily withdraws the “Add Friend” button from their profile for you.

The funny thing about this is if someone rejects/deletes your friend request on Facebook, you will not be notified about it.

However, this ban is temporary. It is usually lifted after only a few weeks.

3. Marked as spam

And the last reason is if someone marks your Facebook friend request as spam.

Now you know all the reasons you can’t send friend requests on Facebook.

How to fix can’t send a friend request on Facebook?

If a person has set the “Who can send you a Friend Request” privacy setting to “Friends of Friends,” there is nothing you can do about it. 

When this happens, this is not an error on your end but rather the person you are trying to send a Facebook friend request to.

Trying to restart your Wi-Fi router or refreshing the person’s Facebook page will not do anything. You will still not see the “Add Friend” button.

In the above section of this article, we have listed down the three primary reasons for why you might be getting the “Can’t send a friend request on Facebook.”

But there is one more reason – sending too many Facebook friend requests.

Facebook does make it easier for people to connect with others. You will find instances where people even found their soul mates on Facebook. 

People even get connected with people from different countries. But not everyone wants to make random new friends.

If you send too many Facebook requests, Facebook might revoke your right to send any further friend requests for a set amount of time. Take this as a light warning.

If you continue to do so, Facebook might ban you from the social media site for good. You don’t want that do you. 

Facebook is a place where people document all the significant events of their lives. Once they get banned, all of that is lost. There might not be any way to recover from that.

How to see friend requests sent on the Facebook app?

Usually, you get a quick notification when someone sends you a friend request. But if you first check that notification from your Facebook desktop, you might not see an alert for that new notification from your smartphone (Facebook app).

Facebook rolls out many new upgrades and bug fixes to its platform. With each new upgrade, Facebook introduces something new to its platform.

After the recent Facebook upgrade, the Facebook application displayed notifications for sent friend requests have changed.

When you send someone a friend request, it is considered a pending request until they accept it. When that person accepts your friend request, you will get a notification.

But you can check to whom you have sent friend requests too. Unlike before, the list of sent friend requests is hidden deep inside.

Follow the below steps to see the friend list of sent friend requests on Facebook.

· Launch the Facebook app on your smartphone.

· From the bottom right corner of your screen, hit the Hamburger menu option.

· From the next window, select your Facebook account.

· Right beside the “Add Story” option, you will see the option to check your “Activity Log.”

· There is another way to land on the “Activity Log” feature on Facebook. Settings & Privacy > Settings.

· From the Activity Log page, select Filters>>Categories.

· Under the Category section, tap on the Connections option.

· On the next window, scroll down until you see the “Sent Friend Request.”

· Now, you can see all the friend requests you have sent on Facebook.

Please leave your queries in the comment section below if you face any difficulty following along.

The above-illustrated process is the same for both Android devices and iOS phones.

How to send a friend request on Facebook to an unknown person?

Sending friend requests to an unknown person is the same as sending a friend request to someone you know in real life. 

Also, you can send friend requests to people with whom you have no mutual friends. But that can only be done if that person has set their “Who can send you a friend request” privacy setting to “Everyone.”

If you add a completely unknown person on Facebook, it is better to send them an introduction message first. 

It might seem awkward or even desperate to send someone an intro message before sending a friend request, but some people prefer this approach.

The decision is for the unknown person to make. There is nothing much you can do about it.

 If that unknown person wants to accept your friend request, then they will. If they do not, they will not accept your friend request.

What does Follow mean on Facebook?

If you want to see what someone shares on Facebook, you might instead want to follow them. When you follow someone on Facebook, their posts appear on your Facebook feed. You will see the follow button right beside the Add Friend button.

The advantage of following someone on Facebook is your Facebook posts are not shared on their Facebook news feed.

The current friend limit on Facebook is 5,000. You cannot have more than 5,000 friends on the platform. So, pick your friends wisely.

Also, if you just created a new account on Facebook, avoid going on a spree and everyone you know at once.

Always abide by Facebook’s guidelines and terms of conditions.

How do you know if someone has declined your friend request on Facebook?

As mentioned above, when someone deletes your friend request on Facebook, you will not get any notification. 

However, there are ways you can know who has not yet accepted your friend request on Facebook.

1. From your phone, launch the Facebook app, and open your profile.
2. From the upper corner of the screen, hit the “Friends” option. 

1. At the top (upper right-hand corner), you will see an option titled “View Sent Requests.” You can cancel the request from that list.

There is another way to check sent friend requests on Facebook. We have already demonstrated that process with the necessary screenshots in the above section.

FAQ:

Can I turn off friend requests on Facebook?

No. You cannot disable the option to send you friend requests on Facebook. However, as we have seen above, you can set the privacy setting to only “Friends of Friends” from the friend request settings option.

Only those who have common friends and mutual connections with you can send you friend requests when it is activated.

What does friend request pending mean on Facebook?

Pending a friend request means that you have already sent someone a friend request, but they haven’t yet accepted your request.

Why did the add friend button disappear after sending a friend request?

When you hit the “Add Friend” button, you will see the button turn grey and the label say “Request Sent.” When this happens, this signifies that the friend has been successfully delivered.

Why does it say message instead of add friend on Facebook?

You might only see the message option if someone has modified their privacy setting so that only mutual connections can send them friend requests. This might also happen if someone marks your friend request as spam.

People often think that your Facebook profile is a fake account/ fake profile. Always keep your profile updated with your recent profile picture and basic info. If you get banned on Facebook for the wrong reason, reach out to the Facebook support center.

How do I retrieve a friend request on Facebook?

You can check who you have already sent a friend request to from your profile. Open the Friends option, and hit the blue text “View Sent Requests.”

Why am I blocked from sending friend requests?

Facebook can revoke your right to send any more friend requests. When that happens, you can’t send a friend request on Facebook.

However, they will only do this if you start sending too many random friend requests. Also, if most of the people you had sent friend requests to marked it as spam, you can’t send friend requests on Facebook. 

If you are still having trouble sending friends request, you can contact the Facebook help center. Don’t forget to follow Facebook guidelines and not violate Facebook’s privacy settings.