How To Block Someone On Facebook And Messenger

Culling your friends list is one of the things you need to regularly do on Facebook, if only to ensure that you only interact with people who matter to you and not be inundated by irrelevant life updates. Of course, after years of being one of the most popular social media platforms to date, if you've been on Facebook for quite a while, it's highly possible that you've accumulated a number of people in your network that you no longer want to be there. Whether it's due to unsavory posts, comments, or incessant reach-outs, there comes a time when unfriending someone isn't enough. That's where Facebook's blocking feature comes in.

Blocking a person on Facebook and Facebook Messenger is probably the most extreme way of severing communication with someone. It is available for anyone with an account to use when polite efforts to silence someone's presence on their news feed — such as hiding posts or unfollowing profiles — aren't panning out. It's definitely the preferred method when dealing with online trolls, stalkers, or people you are no longer in good terms with but who still harass you. If this is something you are dealing with regularly, you may also want to ensure that you have necessary Facebook privacy settings in place.

Here are some ways to get started.

Because of the nature of Facebook blocking, once someone blocks you, their profile becomes inaccessible to you. You won't be able to look up their account through the main Facebook search. However, if you want to return the favor and block someone back who's already done the deed, there is a way to do it.

Based on testing, when you go through the blocking process via the Facebook mobile app and use the Facebook settings method, typing and searching for the person's name after hitting "Add to blocked list" also pulls up accounts that may not show up when you search for people through the Facebook search bar. Simply put, use the Facebook mobile app and block people through Facebook settings to block someone who's already blocked you.

Again, anyone you block on Facebook is also automatically blocked on Facebook Messenger. If you don't necessarily want to block someone's Facebook profile and only want to stop them from privately messaging you, you can block them directly on Messenger instead. 

If you ever change your mind about blocking someone on Facebook, you can walk the action back and unblock them at a later time. Doing so won't reconnect you as friends (if you were before), but it will make your profile searchable to them again.

For less drastic options, if you want to restrict what others can see on your Facebook profile, you can start by changing your post audience. Open a "Create post" window, hit the audience dropdown menu right below your name, choose "Friends except..." and then type the names of your contacts you don't want seeing the entry.

Facebook's "Take a break" feature is another way to see less of someone's profile and limit what they can see from your profile — think toxic relative, friend, or ex — without the usual drama. These people are automatically placed in a restricted part of your friends list. Just visit the help page on a computer and select "Take a break from a friend" from the search results. Alternatively, if you only want to see less of their posts without necessarily limiting what they may see of your content, you can also temporarily mute them on Facebook.

On Facebook Messenger, you can either mute someone's message and call notifications so you don't get alerted when they contact you, or restrict them from seeing your activity or status while also seeing less of their messages. To do either, open a conversation with someone, and hit either Mute near the top of the right-side panel or Restrict under "Privacy & support." Similarly, on the mobile app, open a conversation, tap their name at the top of the page, and hit either the Mute or Restrict.

Follow these steps to unblock someone on Facebook Messenger through the main website:

1. Open a browser tab, go to facebook.com, log in, and click the Messenger icon in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Next to Chats, click the 3-dot icon.
3. Select "Block settings."

Alternatively, you can go through Messenger:

1. Go to messenger.com and log in.
2. Click your profile photo in the bottom-left corner.
3. Select Preferences.
4. Go to "Manage blocking."

At this point, the steps are the same for either approach:

1. Next to "Block messages," hit Edit.
2. Pick "See your blocked list."
3. Hit the Unblock button next to the name of the person. Note that they'll be unblocked right away.

Here's what you do on a mobile device:

1. Launch Messenger.
2. Tap the hamburger icon, and then hit the gear icon to open Settings.
3. Select "Privacy & safety."
4. Under "Who can reach you," tap "Blocked accounts."
5. Select the name of the person.
6. Tap "Unblock messages and calls."
7. Hit Unblock to confirm.

You should be able to receive new messages or calls again from the person you just unblocked on Messenger, but not the ones that may have been sent during the blocked period. If the option to "Unblock messages and calls" is unavailable, that may mean that you previously blocked the person on Facebook and would need to unblock them on the main platform first. Once unblocked on Facebook, you can go back to Messenger and try unblocking their messages and calls again.