How to block someone on Messenger

Open Messenger and find the conversation with the person you want to block. Tap and hold their name at the top of the chat (on mobile) or right-click it (on desktop). Select "Block" from the menu that appears. Messenger will ask you to confirm — tap or click "Block" again. The person will no longer be able to message you, see when you're online, or call you through Messenger.

Once you block someone, they cannot start new conversations with you. Any existing messages from them stay in your chat list, but you won't see new ones arrive. The blocked person won't receive a notification that you blocked them, though they may figure it out if their messages don't go through.

If you change your mind, you can unblock them at any time. Go to your Messenger settings, find "Blocked People," and tap the minus sign next to their name.

Key Takeaways

  • Blocking someone on Messenger stops them from sending you new messages, seeing your online status, or calling you through the app.
  • The person you block will not receive a notification, but they may notice their messages are not going through.
  • You can block someone directly from a conversation by tapping and holding their name (mobile) or right-clicking it (desktop).
  • Blocking is different from muting — a muted conversation silences notifications but the person can still message you.
  • You can unblock someone later through Messenger settings if you decide to restore contact.

The difference between blocking, muting, and deleting a chat

Blocking, muting, and deleting are three separate actions that do different things. Blocking prevents someone from contacting you at all — they cannot send messages, see your status, or call. Muting keeps the conversation open but turns off notifications, so you won't see alerts when they message. You can still read their messages if you open the chat. Deleting removes the conversation from your chat list, but the person can still message you and the old messages may reappear if they do.

Choose blocking if you do not want contact from someone. Choose muting if you want to stay connected but do not need when ready notifications — useful for group chats or people you rarely talk to. Choose deleting only if you want to clean up your chat list but are not concerned about future messages from that person.

What happens after you block someone

After you block someone, they cannot see your profile picture, status, or when you're online. They cannot call you through Messenger. If they try to send you a message, it will appear to go through on their end, but you will never receive it. They may eventually realize the messages are not reaching you, especially if they try multiple times.

The blocked person can still see old messages you sent them before the block took effect. They can also still see group chats you're both in, though they cannot message you directly. If you are both in a group conversation, you will see their messages in that group, but they cannot start a private conversation with you.

How to block someone you have not chatted with yet

You can block someone even if you have never messaged them. Go to their Facebook profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Block." This prevents them from sending you a Messenger request or message. Alternatively, if they have already sent you a message request that you have not accepted, you can open that request and tap "Block" without accepting the conversation first.

Blocking from a profile works the same way as blocking from a conversation — the person cannot contact you through Messenger, and they will not know you blocked them unless they try to message you and notice it does not go through.

How to block messages from a specific word or phrase

Messenger does not have a built-in word filter that blocks messages containing specific text. However, you can use the mute feature to silence notifications from certain conversations, or you can block the person entirely. If you want to filter messages on your own device, some phones allow you to set up keyword-based rules in your phone's native messaging app, but this only works if the person is texting you through SMS, not through Messenger.

If someone is sending you unwanted messages repeatedly, blocking them is more effective than trying to filter individual words. Blocking removes all contact, whereas a word filter would still let their messages through — you would just not be notified.

Blocking on mobile versus desktop

The blocking process is slightly different depending on whether you use Messenger on your phone or computer. On mobile (iPhone or Android), open the conversation, tap and hold the person's name at the top, and select "Block" from the menu. On desktop, right-click the person's name at the top of the chat and select "Block" from the context menu. Both methods take you to a confirmation screen where you tap or click "Block" one more time.

You can also block someone through the Messenger app's settings on mobile. Tap your profile picture in the bottom right, go to "Privacy," then "Blocked People," and tap the plus sign to add someone to your blocked list. On desktop, click the gear icon, select "Privacy," then "Blocked People," and click the plus sign. This method works if you do not have an active conversation with the person.

What to do if someone keeps trying to contact you after being blocked

If someone creates a new account or uses a different method to contact you after being blocked, you can block the new account the same way. If they message you through a different platform (text, email, Instagram), blocking on Messenger will not stop those messages — you will need to block them on each platform separately.

If someone is harassing you across multiple platforms or creating new accounts to get around your blocks, take screenshots of the messages and report them to the platform. On Messenger, you can report a conversation by tapping and holding it and selecting "Report." On Facebook, you can report a profile or message directly. If the harassment is severe or threatening, you can also report it to local law enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I blocked them?

They will not receive a notification, but they may figure it out if their messages do not go through. When they try to message you, it will appear to send on their end, but you will never receive it. If they try multiple times and get no response, they may realize they are blocked.

Can I block someone and still see their messages?

No. Once you block someone, you cannot see new messages from them. Old messages from before the block stay in your chat history, but new ones will not arrive. If you want to see their messages but not get notifications, mute the conversation instead of blocking.

What if I block someone by accident?

Go to your Messenger settings, find "Blocked People," and tap the minus sign next to their name to unblock them. They will be able to message you again when ready. Unblocking does not send them a notification.

Can I block someone in a group chat?

Yes, but blocking only stops them from messaging you privately. You will still see their messages in the group chat, and they will still see yours. If you want to avoid seeing their messages entirely, you can leave the group or mute it.

Does blocking on Messenger also block them on Facebook?

No. Blocking on Messenger only stops them from contacting you through Messenger. They can still see your Facebook profile, message you through Facebook's main platform, or interact with your posts. To block someone completely, you need to block them on Facebook as well.