How to Limit Seeing Your Facebook Friends Without Unfriending

We all have a few Facebook friends that we have no social obligation to endure, or even dislike seeing their posts clutter up our News Feed every day. Luckily, Facebook allows you to quietly push those people away by unfollowing your profile or adding them to your Acquaintances list. Keep in mind that these people can still see and comment on your posts, but you won’t see posts from them anymore.

Table of Contents

Unfollow friends

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/6e/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-1-Version-7.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-1-Version-7.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 6/6e/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-1-Version-7.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-1-Version-7.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Open the Facebook page. The easiest way for News Feed to get rid of posts from annoying friends is to go to their profile and “unfplow”; This feature is similar to “mute” an account on Twitter.

If you’re not logged in, you’ll need to enter your Facebook email and password first.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/7c/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-2-Version-6.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-2-Version-6.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 7/7c/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-2-Version-6.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-2-Version-6.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Type the friend’s name in the search bar at the top of the Facebook page. If the person has just posted in the News Feed, you can also click the user here to go to their profile.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/a4/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-3-Version-6.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-3-Version-6.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ a/a4/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-3-Version-6.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-3-Version-6.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click the “Fplowing” option at the top of the page, to the right of the person’s name.

On phones, this option will be below the name and profile picture.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/e/ee/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-4-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ e/ee/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-4-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click or tap the “Unfplow” option in the menu that appears. This person’s post will be removed from News Feed; However, the two of you are still friends on Facebook.

You may need to refresh your News Feed for that person’s posts to disappear.

Unfollow in bulk (on desktop)

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/a5/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-5-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-5-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ a/a5/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-5-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-5-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Open the Facebook page. Maybe you have dozens of friends who constantly talk politics; whatever your argument, you can still unfollow friends in bulk from within the Facebook menu.

If you’re not logged in, you’ll need to enter your Facebook email and password first.

Mass unfollow (on phone)

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/02/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-11-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-11-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 0/02/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-11-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-11-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Tap the Facebook app to open Facebook. You can unfollow multiple people on your phone from within the Facebook menu.

If you haven’t logged into Facebook recently, enter your email address and password.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/ab/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-12-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-12-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ a/ab/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-12-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-12-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Tap the Facebook menu icon. This button is shaped like three horizontal lines in the lower right corner of the screen. The Facebook menu will open.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/53/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-13-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-13-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 5/53/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-13-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-13-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Tap the “Settings” option. The Facebook settings menu will open.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/e/ec/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-14-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-14-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ e/ec/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-14-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-14-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click “News Feed Preferences” to bring up some options for editing News Feed content.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/2/2a/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-15-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-15-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 2/2a/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-15-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-15-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click “Unfplow people to hide their posts”. A menu with a list of all your Facebook friends will open.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/8a/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-16-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-16-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 8/8a/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-16-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-16-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Unfollow as many people as you like. You can tap on each person you want to unfollow; Facebook won’t ask for confirmation when you tap on each person to unfollow.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/68/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-17-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-17-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 6/68/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-17-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-17-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click “Done” once done. You won’t see posts from these people anymore.

You may need to close the Facebook app and reopen it for the changes to take effect.

Add friends to the Acquaintances list

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/d2/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-18-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-18-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ d/d2/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-18-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-18-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Open the Facebook page. In essence, the “Acquaintances” feature reduces the frequency of posts from these people to a minimum, meaning you’ll almost never see posts from anyone in the Acquaintances group.

If you’re not logged in, you’ll need to enter your Facebook email and password first.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/57/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-19-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-19-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 5/57/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-19-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-19-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:344,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:545,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click the “Friends” tab. This tab is on the left side of the Facebook page; After clicking, you will be taken to a list of friend groups.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/f3/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-20-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-20-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ f/f3/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-20-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-20-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click “Acquaintances”. This option is near the top of the page. ^{[2] X Research Source}

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/fb/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-21-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-21-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ f/fb/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-21-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-21-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click the “Add friends to this list” data field. This field is located in the upper-right corner of the Acquaintances page; Please enter the names of these friends here.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/4/4b/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-22-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-22-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 4/4b/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-22-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-22-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click a friend’s name to add them to the “Acquaintances” group. You can add as many people to this list as you like.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/9/97/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-23-Version-3.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-23-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 9/97/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-23-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-23-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Return to the News Feed page when done. You may need to refresh your Facebook page to remove posts from the Acquaintances group.

When you post a status, you can click the “Friends” option next to the “Post” button and select “Friends except acquaintances” so that these people can’t see the status your. You may need to click “More Options” at the bottom to see this option.

Prevent your friends from seeing your posts

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/8c/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-24-Version-2.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-24-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 8/8c/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-24-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-24-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Open Facebook . If you don’t want to block someone, you can prevent them from seeing specific posts by editing the “Who should see this?” setting. (Who will see this?) in the status field.

On your phone, tap the “Facebook” app to open Facebook.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/3/3b/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-25-Version-2.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-25-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 3/3b/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-25-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-25-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Navigate to the status generation field at the top of the screen. This field usually shows up as “What’s on your mind?” (What are you thinking?).

On phones, you’ll need to tap the create status field to see the options inside.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/d8/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-26-Version-2.jpg/ v4-460px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-26-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ d/d8/Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them-Step-26-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Unfriend-Someone-on-Facebook-Without-Actually-Unfriending-Them- Step-26-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Click the “Friends” button located below the status creation field. A drop-down menu will appear with options for stateable objects.

The “Friends” option is located below your name in the upper left corner of your phone screen.

Advice

You can re-follow someone at any time using the same option button you used to unfplow them on your profile.

Warning

Although unfollowed friends won’t receive notifications, they may suspect your separation if you’ve been interacting with them often and then suddenly stopped.

Steps