Facebook has always been all about forming connections. As an early social media platform, Facebook focused on allowing its users to communicate and share content with their friends and family. Social media connections are a delicate balance.
When you find someone breaching your boundaries, you may have to block them. Blocking someone on Facebook will stop them from interacting with your profile, thus preserving your boundaries.
However, there might come a time when you wish to reconnect or reestablish a connection with the person you’ve blocked before. Whether it’s for a fresh start, mending fences, or simply changing your perspective, unblocking someone on Facebook involves a few straightforward steps.
Understanding Blocking on Facebook
Blocking someone on Facebook immediately limits their online interaction with you. The goal of the blocking feature is to allow you to control your interactions with others and protect your digital space.
What Does Blocking Do?
When you block someone on Facebook, their access to several ways of interaction with you is cut off.
Firstly, all direct communication channels are blocked. This means the individual you blocked cannot send you friend requests, messages, or any event invites. Blocking them automatically removes them from your friend list, and they can no longer view your profile, timeline, posts, or videos.
The blocked individual is also prevented from tagging you in posts, photos, or comments. Even if you exist together in shared communities such as groups, the blocked individual’s messages will not appear in the group for you, and vice versa.
All these actions take place immediately after you block someone on Facebook.
What Happens When You Unblock People on Facebook?
When you unblock people on Facebook, their channel of interaction with you is slowly restored.
Firstly, they regain immediate access to your profile. They can see your posts and videos. However, it’s important to note that unblocking the user does not restore a previous friendship.
What this means is that since the person was removed from your friend list when they were blocked, the user will have to resend a friendship request to you. Thus, your profile visibility is ultimately dependent on your privacy settings.
Once you accept them as a friend again, they will be able to view your profile and timeline.
In addition, the unblocked user can now send you messages on Messenger and event invites again. They will also be able to tag you in posts and comments. In group chats, both of your messages will now be visible to each other.
Tip: It’s best to think thoroughly before unblocking someone on Facebook. This is because, according to Facebook rules, if you decide to block them again, you will have to wait 48 hours after initially unblocking them.
How can I unblock People on Facebook?
Now that you are well informed of the interactions and features that will be restored once you unblock people on Facebook, All that’s left is to follow these steps!
To unblock people on Facebook, follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on the small triangle in the top right corner of your Facebook homepage.
Step 2: From the drop-down menu, choose “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”
Navigating to the ‘Blocking’ menu
Step 3: In the left column, click on “Blocking”.
Step 4: In the “Block users” section, you will see a list of people you have blocked.
List of blocked users
Step 5: Click on the “Unblock” button next to the name of the person you want to unblock.
Pop-up window
Step 6: A pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm your decision. Click “Confirm”.
Remember, unblocking someone will not automatically make you friends again. If you want to become friends with this person again, you will need to send them a new friend request.
Alternatives to Unblocking on Facebook
Before deciding to unblock people on Facebook, you might want to consider less drastic alternatives like restricting them or hiding your stories from them.
These options provide a middle ground, allowing you to maintain some level of interaction without fully opening up your profile to them.
1. Restricting a User
When you restrict someone on Facebook, they retain access to your public posts and can still message you.
However, your future posts, which are not public or where they are not tagged, remain invisible to them. This setting allows you to control your privacy without completely cutting off communication.
Here’s how you can restrict a user on Facebook:
Step 1: Go to the profile of the user you want to restrict. You can do this by searching for their name in the Facebook search bar.
Step 2: On their profile, click on the ‘Friends’ button (located near their profile picture).
Step 3: In the drop-down menu, select ‘Edit Friend Lists’ or ‘Add to another list.’
Step 4: From the list of options, choose ‘Restricted.’ Once selected, the user will be added to your Restricted list. They will only be able to see your public posts or posts where you tag them.
2. Hiding Your Stories from a Specific User
Hiding your Facebook stories from specific individuals allows you to maintain your friend connection while selectively controlling who views your stories.
This option ensures your stories remain visible to your broader network, except for those you choose to exclude, offering a personalized and controlled sharing experience without severing ties.
Here’s how you can hide your stories from a specific user on Facebook:
Step 1: Go to your Facebook story or the story creation interface. If you’re creating a new story, you’ll find the privacy settings at the bottom of the screen before you post.
Step 2: In the story privacy settings, select ‘Custom.’
Step 3: A list of your friends will appear. Scroll through or search to find the person you want to hide your story from.
Step 4: Select the person by clicking on their name. This will add them to the list of people who can’t see your story.
Step 5: After selecting all the individuals you want to hide your stories from, click ‘Done’ or ‘Save’ to apply these settings.
How to Un-restrict Someone on Facebook?
If you’ve previously restricted someone on Facebook and want to lift those limitations, the process is straightforward and quick. Here are the steps to help you understand how to un-restrict someone on FB:
Step 1: Navigate to your Facebook profile and click on the ‘Friends’ tab. This will display your current friend list.
Step 2: In the ‘Friends’ tab, select ‘More’ and then choose the ‘Restricted’ option. This action will show you a list of people you’ve placed on the Restricted list.
Step 3: Find the person you want to un-restrict. You can scroll through the list or use the search bar to find them quickly.
Step 4: Click on the ‘Friends’ button next to their name (the same button you used to restrict them initially).
Step 5: In the drop-down menu, uncheck ‘Restricted.’ This will remove the person from the Restricted list and restore their ability to see all your posts that are visible to your friends.
Wrapping It Up
In this digital age, it’s a privilege to share your private information with someone.
Facebook, as a social media platform for creating connections and making new friends, is well aware of situations that may require you to protect your privacy. Features such as blocking and unblocking help you control your interactions with people and protect your privacy whenever needed.
This step-by-step guide will take you through the process of unblocking someone on Facebook. It’s a simple, straightforward process that can be reversed at any time. Just keep in mind the consequences of unblocking!
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