How to See Sent Friend Requests on Facebook (and Cancel Them)

Friend requests you've sent don't vanish when nobody answers. They sit there quietly, sometimes for a very long time, and it's easy to forget who you asked. Maybe you sent one to an old colleague, a potential client you met at an event, or someone you clicked by mistake. Facebook keeps a list of the requests still waiting, and you can cancel any of them in a couple of taps.

Facebook's help article How do I cancel a friend request that I sent to someone on Facebook says you can cancel a request from that person's profile or from your sent friend requests page. The steps to reach that page depend on your device, and menus vary by app version, so treat the button names below as a guide.

Finding your sent Facebook friend requests on a computer

1. Click Friends in the left-hand menu (or the friends icon), then Friend requests.
2. Look for View sent requests near your list of incoming requests.
3. Facebook shows every request you've sent that hasn't been accepted yet.

If you can't see View sent requests, check for a three-dot menu or a settings icon at the top of the Friend requests list. Facebook moves this link around between versions.

Pending Facebook requests you've sent, in the app

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the Friends tab or the friends icon.
2. Tap See all next to Friend requests (or tap Requests).
3. Tap the three dots in the top right and choose View sent requests.

The list shows the name and profile picture of everyone who hasn't responded yet.

How to cancel a friend request you sent on Facebook

There are two places to do it, and both withdraw the request in the same way. Which one you use depends on whether you're clearing out several old requests or dealing with one person you've just remembered.

From your sent requests list

1. Open your sent requests using the steps above.
2. Find the person.
3. Tap or click Cancel (or Cancel request) beside their name.

From the person's profile

1. Go to their profile.
2. Click or tap the button that shows your pending request.
3. Choose Cancel request.

If the person has already accepted, there's nothing to cancel. You're friends at that point, so you'd need to unfriend them instead. Here's how to unfriend someone on Facebook if that's what you need.

Why old friend requests are worth tidying up

• You can't send new ones. Facebook's help article on being unable to send or accept friend requests suggests checking whether the friend requests you've sent are still pending. A long list of old requests can get in the way.
• Accidental taps. It's easy to hit Add friend while scrolling through suggestions. A quick look at your sent list catches these.
• Changed circumstances. Someone you wanted to connect with two jobs ago may no longer be relevant to you.

Facebook also has a help article titled When friend requests expire, which covers what happens to requests left unanswered.

Sent friend requests and your business network

Lots of small business owners use their personal profile to connect with people they've met at events or in groups. That's fine, but a pile of unanswered requests can look like cold outreach. My suggestion is to send a request only after you've had a real exchange, such as a conversation in a group or a chat at an event, and to clear the sent list every few months. If you're curious about the communities a new contact belongs to before you reach out, I've explained how to see which Facebook groups a friend is in.

On the other side, if you're getting requests from strangers you'd rather not hear from, it's worth checking your privacy settings. My guide to locking your Facebook profile from strangers walks through the options.

A word on etiquette. Cancelling a request is a quiet, low-key move, and it's far kinder than leaving someone with a request they clearly don't want to accept. If you later want to connect with that person, you can always send a fresh request once you've had a chat, which tends to land much better than a request out of the blue.

Sent vs received Facebook friend requests

Question	Ones you sent	Ones you received
Where to see them	View sent requests, inside Friend requests	The main Friend requests list
What you can do	Cancel the request	Confirm or delete
Who's waiting	You're waiting for them	They're waiting for you

If you can't find View sent requests on Facebook

• Update the Facebook app, since older versions can hide the link.
• Try Facebook on a computer, where the Friend requests page usually shows it clearly.
• Look for a three-dot menu at the top of the Friend requests screen.
• If the list is empty, you have no pending requests. Either they've been accepted, deleted by the other person, or cancelled.
• Go to the person's profile and check the friend button directly. It shows whether a request is still pending.

Frequently asked questions

Where are my sent friend requests on Facebook?

Open Friend requests and look for View sent requests. In the app it's usually under the three dots at the top of the Friend requests screen. Menus vary by app version.

How do I cancel a Facebook friend request I sent?

Facebook's help article says you can cancel it from the person's profile or from your sent friend requests page, using Cancel request.

Why has a request disappeared from my sent list?

It's no longer pending. The person may have accepted or deleted it, or it may have been cancelled.

Can I cancel a friend request after it's been accepted?

No. Once it's accepted you're friends, so you'd need to unfriend the person instead.

Why can't I send any more friend requests?

Facebook's help article suggests checking whether the requests you've already sent are still pending, and cancelling the ones you don't need.