- What Facebook's People you may know list is
- The things behind Facebook friend suggestions
- Why Facebook suggests people you don't know
- Where to find People you may know on Facebook
- Removing a Facebook friend suggestion you don't want
- Hiding People you may know from your Facebook Feed
- Stopping Facebook suggesting you, or someone, to each other
- What Facebook friend suggestions mean for creators and business owners
- Frequently asked questions
Why does Facebook suggest friends? Facebook's help pages say suggestions come from mutual friends, your town, school or work, shared groups, being tagged in the same post, and uploaded contacts. That last one explains strangers: if someone uploaded your number or email, you can appear for each other.
You open Facebook and there's a face you haven't seen in years, or worse, someone you've never met in your life. It's a bit unnerving, and plenty of people assume it means someone's been looking at their profile or that the app is listening in. I wanted to find out what Facebook itself says, so I read its help pages on the People you may know feature.
The short version is that the suggestions come from a list of connections, and Facebook's own list is more ordinary than the rumours. Here's what's on it, what you can do about suggestions you don't want, and the one source that explains most of the odd ones.
What Facebook's People you may know list is
Facebook's help centre describes People you may know as a list of people you might want to be friends with because you have things in common, such as a mutual friend, school or workplace. You can send a friend request to anyone on it by selecting Add Friend. Suggestions can be friends of friends, people in your network, or people you may have something in common with.
The things behind Facebook friend suggestions
According to Facebook's help pages, friend suggestions come from things such as these:
| What Facebook lists | What it means in everyday terms |
|---|---|
| Having friends in common | Someone you share a mutual friend with |
| Your profile information and networks | Your current town or city, school or work |
| Your Facebook activity | Joining the same groups or being tagged in the same photo or post |
| Contacts uploaded to Facebook or Messenger | Contacts that you, or someone you may know, uploaded |
That's the full list in the pages I read. Notice what isn't on it. The help pages don't mention people viewing your profile, so there's nothing in the official explanation to say a suggestion means someone looked at you.
Why Facebook suggests people you don't know
This is the one that catches people out. Facebook's help pages say that if someone has uploaded their contacts and it includes your mobile phone number or email address, you may appear as friend suggestions for each other. So a stranger who saved your number years ago, a former supplier, or someone who once emailed you could turn up, even if you've never connected on Facebook.
Facebook also admits it doesn't always get it right. Its help pages say People you may know is updated regularly to improve suggestions, but sometimes it might show someone you don't know or want to add as a friend. If you upload your own contacts through the Facebook app, there's a setting for managing contact uploading, and menus vary by app version, so look for it in your settings if you'd like to review what you've shared.
Where to find People you may know on Facebook
The help centre gives these steps for a computer:
- From your Feed, click Friends in the left menu. You may have to click See more first.
- Scroll down to People you may know, or click Suggestions in the left menu.
You may also see suggestions in your notifications and in your Feed. If you'd like to act on one, my guide to adding friends on Facebook covers the sending side.
Removing a Facebook friend suggestion you don't want
If a suggestion is unhelpful, you can remove it, and Facebook says that helps you see fewer suggestions like it. The help pages give two routes:
- From the Friends page, click Remove next to the person's name.
- From your News Feed, click the remove icon on the picture of the person you want to remove.
That small action does double duty, because Facebook says removing unhelpful suggestions helps improve People you may know for you. It's worth doing a few times rather than ignoring the list.
Hiding People you may know from your Facebook Feed
If the panel in your Feed bothers you, Facebook's help pages say you can hide it temporarily. Next to People you may know, click or tap Options, then Hide People you may know. The steps match on a computer and in the Android app.
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Here's the catch, straight from the help centre: you can't hide it permanently, and you may still see it in other places on Facebook. So treat it as a pause, not a switch-off.
Stopping Facebook suggesting you, or someone, to each other
If one particular person keeps coming up and you'd rather they didn't, Facebook says blocking someone stops them from being shown as a friend suggestion, and you also aren't shown as a suggestion for them. That's a bigger step than removing a suggestion, so only use it when you mean it. If it's about a person who's harassing or threatening you, block them, report them to Facebook and, if you're ever in danger, contact the police.
Facebook's list mentions networks such as your current town or city. If you're wondering how location fits into all this, I've looked at whether Facebook tracks your location in a separate piece.
What Facebook friend suggestions mean for creators and business owners
If you run a community, a group or a small business, the list works in your favour as well as against you. Facebook lists being in the same group and being tagged in the same photo or post as things behind suggestions, so the shared spaces you take part in are exactly where the connections come from.
On the flip side, if you use your personal profile for work, an old phone number that sits in lots of address books can bring all sorts of people your way. Clearing out suggestions regularly keeps your list cleaner, and you can always ignore a request from someone you don't recognise.
This guide is part of my Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Facebook suggest friends I don't know?
Facebook's help pages say suggestions come from mutual friends, networks like your town or school, shared groups, being tagged in the same photo or post, and uploaded contacts. If someone uploaded contacts that include your number or email, you may appear for each other.
Does a friend suggestion mean someone looked at my profile?
Facebook's help pages don't list profile views among the things behind suggestions, so there's nothing official to say that.
How do I get rid of a friend suggestion?
Click Remove next to their name on the Friends page, or use the remove icon on their picture in your News Feed. Facebook says this helps you see fewer suggestions like it.
Can I turn off People you may know completely?
Not permanently. You can hide it from your Feed temporarily through Options, but Facebook says you may still see it elsewhere.
Does blocking someone stop the suggestions?
Yes. Facebook says blocking stops them being shown as a suggestion to you, and you aren't shown as a suggestion for them.
