Why Can’t I Add Someone on Facebook?
Picture this: You meet someone at a party, you have a good time with them and then you part ways.
The next day, you do a Facebook search to add them as friends but… there is just one issue, there is no “add friend button” on Facebook!
Is it normal? Is it a glitch?
If you keep asking yourself “Why cant I add someone on Facebook”, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll teach you:
- Why can’t you add someone on Facebook?
- How to fix “I can’t someone on Facebook”?
Why Can’t I Add Someone on Facebook?
The most common action on Facebook is to add someone as a friend.
Facebook constantly pushes many users to send friend requests to strangers with the Friend Suggestions option.
But pinpointing why you are unable to send a friend a request to someone can be hard.
It can be due to any of the following reasons:
They Don’t Accept Friend Requests From Outsiders
The easiest answer is that they don’t allow friend requests from “unknown people”.
If you know the person and they denied your request, you can try to send them a message.
Sometimes, Facebook users get a lot of friend requests and the easiest way to deal with it is to simply not allow for friend requests
Your Friend Request Was Denied
If the request was denied for any reason, you’ll see that the add friend button will turn gray.
Meaning that you are temporarily blocked from sending a new friend request for a few days.
If after a few days you are still unable to send a request to someone, there is a chance the other person might have blocked you.
They’ve Changed Their Privacy Settings
People change their Facebook’s privacy settings so they can’t receive friend requests from strangers.
There are only two settings regarding friend requests:
- Everyone can send friend requests
- Only accept a friend request on Facebook from friends of friends.
The most common Facebook setting is the first one, however, some Facebook profiles have chosen the latter one.
By only adding friends of friends, users have more control over who sees their personal information.
It might be a good idea to change who can send you friend requests.
Your Friend Request Was Marked As Spam
Sending friend requests in bulk can also temporarily block your Facebook account.
You can also be blocked from sending friend requests if a Facebook user flags your request as spam.
In such a case, the best thing you can do is to message the other person directly.
You can do so by clicking the message option to use Facebook messenger.
Your Request Was Deleted
A User may also have unknown requests deleted instead of accepting them or denying them.
The only way to know if the request was deleted is to ask the person.
However, asking the other person why you aren’t Facebook friends can turn awkward fast.
Sometimes, it’ll be better to say outside of that person’s friends list
You’ve Reached The Max Amount Of Facebook Friends
Of all the reasons listed here, this one is the most obvious to miss.
Facebook has a friend limit, if you’ve surpassed that limit, you won’t be able to allow friend requests.
Facebook only allows each account to have maximum of 5,000 friends.
If you want to add more, you’ll need to either delete some friends or simply turn your profile into a Facebook page.
How To Fix “I Can’t Add Someone On Facebook”?
So how to send a friend request on Facebook when there is no option?
Sometimes you just really need to add a person on the platform.
If you were wondering if you make the “Add Friend” button on Facebook appear again, yes, you can!
Here’s how you fix the issue to add more friends on Facebook:
Wait A Bit
The easiest solution is to wait it out.
If they’ve rejected your friend request by mistake, you’ll need to wait for a few days or maybe weeks.
But if your friend request was marked as spam, you’ll need to wait for a year before you can send a friend request as well.
If a user has your friend request as pending, there is nothing you can do.
Since Facebook won’t allow you to send another one until they either accept it or deny it.
Add Mutual Friends
If someone changed the privacy setting for friend requests, the easiest workaround is to have a mutual friend.
You can do so by:
- Step 1: Open the person’s profile you want to add.
- Step 2: Enter their friends list.
- For the website: On the left side of the screen, click on friends to see their friends list.
- On mobile: simply scroll down until you see friends and tap the option to see the friend list.
- Step 3: Try to add someone you know. Message them beforehand so they accept your request.
- Step 4: After the user has accepted your request, send a friend request to the user you wanted to add in the first place.
You should be able to see the add friend button and send your request.
Contact Facebook Support
If you want to try to solve the issue by yourself you can try to contact Facebook support through the support inbox.
It is located in the settings tab on any device, and it’s just on top of the privacy setting.
Most users will receive a comment from Facebook in at least 3 workdays.
If Facebook keeps not working, you could also try to fix the issue by yourself.
Just check our blog post.
Can’t Add Someone on Facebook FAQ
Why is the Add Friend Button Missing?
The add friend button might be missing from someone’s profile because they denied your friend request.
Another reason might be because you don’t have mutual friends with them.
Can You Make It So Certain People Can’t Add You On Facebook?
Yes, you can. You can make it so only friends of your friends on Facebook can add you.
Additionally, if you block an account, the blocked person won’t see your Facebook profile.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter at Hypegrowth. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.