Not sure how to tell who unfriended you on Facebook? It's complicated, so we're revealing the tricks to cracking the mystery.
Here’s How to See Who Unfriended You on Facebook
Updated on Jun. 27, 2025
No one wants to be unfriended on Facebook, but it happens. Yes, even to you. Whatever the reason—they don’t agree with your topical posts, they’re envious of your vacation updates or they’d rather not see 20 photos of your avocado toast—you may lose some Facebook “friends” from time to time.
But here’s the rub: You may not even know you’ve been unfriended. In fact, with how often Facebook changes how it delivers and prioritizes your news feed, you may not have a clue if someone is no longer a Facebook connection, whether you were unfriended or unfollowed (which is not the same thing).
If you really want to know if a friend, ex, relative or former co-worker has cut ties with you on the social media platform, we can help. We did some digging and interviewed social media expert Amber Mac, author of Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business, to get the answers … and a few seriously helpful Facebook hacks. Read on to find out how to see who unfriended you on Facebook—no more wondering or waiting on MIA likes.
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Does Facebook let you know if someone has unfriended you?
As it turns out, Facebook doesn’t actually tell you if someone has unfriended you. “One of the reasons that Facebook makes it increasingly difficult to see who unfriends you is that there were ongoing complaints that making this information public was an invasion of privacy,” explains Mac, who also hosts The AmberMac Show podcast on SiriusXM. “In other words, you should be able to unfriend someone without worrying about them getting a notification or easily finding out that you took that action.”
Facebook doesn’t offer any further explanation. The platform features a section (in its Facebook Help Center) on how you can unfriend someone, but there’s no page that shares how to see if someone has unfriended you.
While Facebook does not send notifications when a “friend” unfriends you, there are some covert ways to find out this crucial information.
How to see who unfriended you on Facebook
Whether you use Facebook through the app or website, there are two easy ways to see who unfriended you on Facebook:
Check your friends list
- Go to your Facebook profile and tap or click on your Friends list.
- Search for the person you suspect unfriended you.
- If they are not in your list, they have either unfriended or blocked you.
Check their profile
- Go to the person in question’s Facebook page.
- If you see the “Add Friend” button, it means they have unfriended you.
- If you can’t access their profile at all, they may have blocked you or deactivated their Facebook account.
Try third-party tools
Although Facebook has been clamping down on these unofficial add-ons over the past couple of years, some may still work to alert you to someone unfriending you. “Facebook has blocked many of these apps from today’s primary app stores because they violate Facebook’s policies, which aim to keep unfriending as private an act as possible,” says Mac. “While you might still find some of these apps online, there is a chance that they are not reliable or accurate, so proceed with caution.”
Some apps or web browser extensions that may work (with mixed success):
- FB Purity (browser extension)
- Who Deleted Me (browser extension)
- Still Friends Who Deleted Me (iOS app)
Can you see if someone has unfollowed you on Facebook?
You won’t be notified if someone unfollows you on Facebook—but there is a way to find out.
First, here’s a crash course on the difference between unfriending and unfollowing: “Unfriending” removes the connection entirely, while “unfollowing” prevents you from seeing the other person’s posts in your news feed, though you’ll stay connected as friends.
So it’s a more, er, gentle way of cutting ties with someone.
“When you unfollow someone, you can still be friends with someone to exchange messages, as one example, but you will no longer see their posts in your Facebook feed,” explains Mac.
Yes, you can see who is currently following you on your main Facebook profile page, but there isn’t a way to actively track who has unfollowed you. But the upside is that if you unfollow someone on Facebook, that person won’t be notified that you’ve elected to stop seeing their posts in your feed.
Can you see if someone has blocked you on Facebook?
You need to scout out this information because Facebook won’t inform you that someone has blocked you. Since there is no way to see a list of people who blocked you, you’ll have to look for a particular person. Type the person’s name in the Search window. If you can’t find them or their profile page is inaccessible, it’s possible they’ve blocked you.
Sometimes people don’t use their real (or full) name on Facebook, or perhaps they use an abbreviated name (like “Raquel S.”) or a maiden name, so make sure you’ve exhausted those options too.
Also, if you know they’re on Facebook—maybe a mutual contact can confirm they’re still connected to the person as Facebook friends or can view their page—then it’s possible they’ve blocked you or excluded you from their smaller circle of Facebook friends.
Another way to get to the bottom of this mystery: If you were Facebook friends at some point, check if you can still see their “likes” and comments on your posts or if you can still tag them. If so, you’re not blocked.
About the expert
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Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of articles on personal technology, including tips, tricks and shortcuts for getting the most out of computers, televisions, smart home gear, smartphones, apps, texting, social media and more. We rely on credentialed experts with personal experience and know-how as well as primary sources including tech companies, professional organizations and academic institutions. We verify all facts and data and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece on how to see who unfriended you on Facebook, Marc Saltzman tapped his 30 years of experience as a technology journalist, an author and the host of the syndicated Tech It Out radio show and podcast to ensure that all information offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Amber MacArthur, social media and technology expert, author of Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business and host of The AmberMac Show podcast; interviewed, June 2025
- Business Insider: “7 Ways to Tell If Someone Blocked You on Facebook”
- Lifewire: “Who Unfriended Me on Facebook?”
- Lifewire: “Who Unfollowed Me on Facebook?”
- Facebook: “Unfriend or remove a friend on Facebook”
