Ever had a Facebook friend who just wouldn’t stop posting unnecessary updates, or that one person whose comments always seem inappropriate? Or perhaps you might have blocked a Facebook friend in the past and you want to unblock them to rekindle your friendship.
Well, Facebook makes it easy for you to manage who sees your content or interacts with you online.
You can also easily access your Facebook blocked list to review users you have blocked in the past.
In this CommentGuard article, you’ll learn how you can easily access and update your blocked list on Facebook to maintain a positive and enjoyable Facebook experience.
How to check your blocked list on Facebook
Accessing your Facebook blocked list is straightforward and takes just a few steps. You can access your blocked list on Facebook either on your mobile phone or desktop. The usual way someone ends up on that list is a Page ban after they keep commenting.
Step 1: Log on to Facebook and open Facebook settings
On desktop: Click the small downward arrow in the top-right corner of your screen, just below your profile icon, and select ‘Settings & Privacy’. Then, click on ‘Settings’.
On mobile: Scroll down to the bottom-right corner and tap the three horizontal lines (menu) you see on your screen.
Once you tap the menu at the bottom right corner, scroll down, and tap ‘Settings & privacy’, then select ‘Settings’.
Step 2: Find the ‘Blocking’ section
Once you’re in the settings, scroll down to look for the ‘blocking’ section.
On the desktop, it’s listed under audience and visibility. On mobile, it’s also listed in the same section.
Step 3: View your blocked list
Click on ‘blocking’ to see a list of everyone you’ve blocked on Facebook on your mobile phone.
However, on the desktop, you don’t see your blocked list directly. You’d rather see a comprehensive rundown of restricted lists, blocked users, messages, app invites, and pages.
So, to access your list of blocked users on the desktop, click the edit button on the right of the ‘Block users’ section.
Now, you can view your blocked list on Facebook by clicking ‘See your blocked list’.
From this page, you can unblock someone by clicking the ‘Unblock’ next to the person’s name.
This will allow them to interact with you again.
If you want to block someone new, click on the ‘Add to Blocked List’ button and type in their name.
If you unblock someone but later decide you need to block them again, it’s easy to do.
But keep in mind that you can’t block the same person again for 48 hours after unblocking them.
So, if you’re reconsidering, keep that buffer time in mind before clicking “Unblock.”
How to block someone on Facebook
Blocking someone on Facebook is quick and easy, whether you’re using the mobile app or the desktop version. Here’s how you can do it step by step:
On desktop:
1. On your left sidebar, click ‘Friends’. Here, you’ll see friend suggestions, friend requests, and all friend lists.
Then, click ‘All friends’ to view your list of friends and select the friend you wish to block.
2. Go to the person’s profile icon that you want to block and click the three-dotted lines located next to their profile. From the dropdown menu, select ‘Block’ [Person’s profile].
A prompt will appear asking you to confirm your action. Click ‘Block’ again, and you’re all set.
On mobile:
1. Open the Facebook app, click the menu icon at the bottom right, and click on your profile.
2. Scroll down to the ‘Friends’ section and click ‘See all friends’ to search for the person you want to block.
3. Tap the three dots (more options) in the top-right corner of their profile.
3. Scroll down and tap ‘Block’.
4. Confirm the action when prompted by tapping ‘Block’ again.
Blocking on Facebook messenger
Blocking on Messenger works the same way as blocking on Facebook. If you don’t want someone messaging you, you can block them directly through the Messenger app.
- Open Messenger and go to the chats with the person you want to block.
- Tap their name at the top of the conversation.
- Scroll down and select ‘Block’.
- You’ll be given options to either block on Messenger only or block on Facebook, so choose whichever you prefer.
What happens when you block or unblock someone?
Blocking someone on Facebook doesn’t just stop them from seeing your posts; it also limits their ability to interact with you in a variety of ways.
After blocking someone, the blocked person won’t be able to message, call, or tag you in posts or comments.
They’ll also be unable to see anything you post, even if you share it publicly.
Your profile becomes invisible to them, which means they won’t be able to search for or find you on Facebook.
If you share any groups or events, both of you will still be able to participate, but you won’t see each other’s posts or comments within these shared spaces.
On the other hand, when you unblock someone, Facebook doesn’t automatically add the person back as a friend.
If you want them back on your friend list, you’ll need to send a new friend request.
Once you’ve unblocked them, they’ll be able to message you again and view any public posts you share.
Facebook might also show you as a friend suggestion for each other, especially if you have mutual friends or interactions.
Can someone tell if you’ve blocked them on Facebook?
The short answer is no. Facebook doesn’t send any kind of notification when you block someone.
While they won’t receive a notification that they’ve been blocked, there are a few things that might give it away if they’re paying close attention.
For instance, if they search for your profile and they’re not able to find it. It could give them a hint that you’ve blocked them.
Any message threads between the two of you will stay in Messenger. If they try to send you a message, it will indicate that their message can’t be delivered, giving them a sign that you’ve blocked them.
If you want to make it less obvious, you can consider “unfollowing” or “unfriending” them first. Unfollowing or unfriending removes their posts from your feed.
However, they can still see your posts if your account is public.
You could rather unfollow or unfriend them for a while before taking the step to block them.
Alternative privacy tools on Facebook
If blocking feels a bit extreme, other privacy tools on Facebook lets you control who sees your content and interacts with you.
1. Privacy checkup
Facebook privacy settings allow you to manage interactions with people more subtly.
You can restrict specific users from seeing your posts and activities on the platform without fully blocking them.
To do this, you need to access ‘privacy checkup’ on your Facebook app. Simply go to ‘Settings and privacy’ and click ‘privacy checkup’.
This tool lets you choose who can see your posts, who can send you friend requests, the pages and people you follow, and who can look you up using your email or phone number.
2. Profile and tagging settings
You also have another option to review tags before they show up on your profile. You can control who can tag you and who can see posts you’re tagged in.
3. Restricted list
If you want to restrict someone without fully blocking them, you can add them to your restricted list.
This way, they’ll only see your public posts, and they won’t be notified of the change. It’s a subtle way to prevent them from interacting with you.
Conclusion
Keeping your Facebook experience secure is totally within your control. With Facebook privacy tools, you can manage your blocked list or block and unblock a user.
The following steps provided in this article guides you on how to check your blocked list on Facebook using your mobile phone or desktop.
If you do not want to go extreme with blocking a user on Facebook, you could add the user to your restricted list or change your privacy settings to prevent them from viewing your posts and mentions.