Facebook lets you socialize. You can use the platform to connect with the people you love. Also, you can use it to meet new people. There’s even a dating feature integrated into the social media platform.
The downside to this is that some people you don’t want to connect to can also reach you. Suppose you have a creepy stalker. Or maybe there’s a stranger that thought you were hot because of your profile picture. They sent you a message, but you don’t like it because it is inappropriate. Maybe you also had disagreements with people in real life. Suddenly, your best friend became a stranger.
If you don’t do something, these people can connect with you on Facebook. Like it or not, they can monitor your activities or send you messages.
Thankfully, the block button exists. That allows you to distance yourself from people you don’t like on Facebook. No matter what they do, they can’t access your account.
But suppose circumstances changed. Can you unblock these people? Yes, you can. And the most efficient way to do that is through the list of people you blocked.
Yes, Facebook keeps a tidy list of the users you have blocked. Here is how you can access that.
Finding Blocked People on Desktop
The first step to viewing the people you blocked when using a desktop is, of course, visiting the Facebook website. So, open a web browser and go to facebook.com.
Sign in to your account if you are not already signed in. If your account is saved on your browser, skip this step.
Click the down arrow icon at the upper-right corner of the Facebook screen. That will open a drop-down menu.
From the drop-down menu, click “Settings & Privacy.” It will show you another set of options. Choose “Settings.”
That will take you out of your Facebook Homepage and into the settings window. On the side panel on the left, click on “Blocking.”
The panel on the right will then display the “Manage Blocking” window. There are eight sections on that.
The 8 Sections of the Manage Blocking Page
The first is the “Restricted” list. It is like a pseudo-block feature. The things you share on Facebook with “only to Friends” selected for their privacy would not reach them. They can see the posts you share publicly, though.
And don’t worry. Facebook will not notify your friends when you add them to your Restricted list.
In the second section, you can find the list of users you blocked on Facebook. These users can’t see things you post on your timeline, tag you, and invite you to events or groups. Furthermore, they can’t message you or even add you as a Facebook Friend.
The next section is the “Block messages” section. These are the people you blocked on Messenger; they can neither send you messages nor call you.
Following that is the “You May Want to Block” section. Facebook’s algorithm searches for accounts that you may want to block based on your Account Center. If another account in your Account Center blocks that user, Facebook will list them here.
Below that is the “Block App Invites” and “Block Event Invites” sections. They are as they say. Users you blocked from sending app and event invites to you will be here.
After those sections, you can find the “Block Apps” section. The apps on this list can’t contact you or get non-public information about you through Facebook.
Last is the “Block Pages” section. Adding a page to this list will prevent it from interacting with your posts. If you like that Page, you will unLike and unfollow it automatically. You also can’t post on that Page or message it.
You can add users/apps/Pages to these lists through the textbox provided for each section. If you want to reverse your decision, an “Unblock” button will be beside each item’s name.
Finding the Followers That You Blocked on Mobile
You can see the list of people that you blocked on your iPad, iPhone, or Android smartphone. Here is how you can do it. This is especially useful if you made some regretful decisions about buying Facebook followers from cheap websites.
Start by launching the Facebook app. Then, on Android, tap the hamburger menu (three lines) at the top-right corner of the Facebook screen. On iPhones and iPad, the hamburger menu is in the bottom-right corner instead.
That will bring you to the Menu screen. Scroll down and tap on “Settings & Privacy.” That action will cause a drop-down menu to appear. Tap on “Settings.”
Now, you will be on the Settings and Privacy page. Scroll down and locate the “Audience and Visibility” section. There, find “Blocking” and tap it.
You can now see the list of people that you blocked on Facebook. To add more to the list, tap “ADD TO BLOCKED LIST.” On the other hand, tap on one’s username if you want to unblock them. Please do note that you have to wait 48 hours if you want to block them again.
That’s the only list you can see, though. All the seven other sections available on PC are not here.
Alternatives to Blocking
If you don’t really hate the person, blocking them may be a little too drastic. Thankfully, there are alternatives.
Suppose you want to keep them on your Friends list so you can see their posts, but you don’t want them to see yours. You can put them in your Exceptions list. Under the Custom Privacy Setting for your posts, you can choose to make your posts not visible to some people on your Friends list.
If you don’t want any of that but also think blocking them is unnecessary, you can just Unfriend them instead.
Do not feel guilty if you do any of these actions. You are simply distancing yourself from things that make you uncomfortable. By doing so, you are taking care of your well-being. That is very important. So go on, block, unfriend, or put people in exceptions if your heart tells you to.
