Do Friends Receive a Notification When You Delete Them From Your Facebook?

When you unfriend someone, he will not receive notification from Facebook, but he will be removed from your friends list and will have limited access to your Facebook timeline, photos and posts. He will be able to see your presence on Facebook and will have viewing access to your public content. Unfriending is reciprocal, so you will be removed from that member’s friends list as well. Even without official notification, it’s possible for a member to figure out that he’s no longer your friend. If he finds that he is unable to look at your timeline, and that you no longer appear in his friends list, he may realize that you’ve unfriended him.

Similarly, when you block someone, she doesn't receive notification from Facebook. Blocking is more restrictive than unfriending, as blocked members cannot view any of your Facebook content, and cannot even see that you’re still a member. Blocking is also reciprocal, so you’ll no longer have viewing access to any content that belongs to a blocked member. Although it is highly restrictive, blocking does not prevent all communication, such as group and application interaction. It can be harder for someone to figure out that she's been blocked, since she cannot find you on Facebook. Unlike unfriended members who may still see your presence, blocked members may assume you’ve left Facebook altogether.

As an alternative to unfriending, consider using friends lists to limit content visibility. Create a “Close Friends” list and include Facebook members you wish to share everything with. You’ll see more of their activity in your News Feed. Create an “Acquaintances” list for those members with whom you’re not willing to share as much. Create a “Restricted” list for people you wish to remain friends with while restricting the visibility of most of your content. Friends will not be notified when you add them to your lists.

Use the audience selector tool as you post content to allow or restrict the visibility of your content on Facebook. Settings include “Public,” “Friends,” “Only Me” and “Custom.” Your friends lists will also show up in the audience selector drop-down menu, if you choose to create them. Content you post will be shared with members as designated by you, and no notifications will be sent to others.