How to Know If You Are Blocked on Facebook Messenger

By Parth Shah Updated May 13, 2024 Reviewed & Updated by Atish Rajasekharan

Quick Tips

Try sending a message to the person. If it goes through, you’re good. But if it remains stuck on unsent, it could be a block (or they have no internet).
Look for the person in Messenger. If you can’t find them, it’s a red flag (they might have blocked you or deactivated their account).
Ask a mutual friend if they’ve seen the person active on Facebook or Messenger. If they have been active, but your message icon never changes, it’s a good guess you’re blocked.

Method 1: Send a Few Messages and Check the Delivery Status

Step 1: Launch the Messenger app on your phone. Search for the friend’s name at the top and open the conversation.

Step 2: Try sending a few messages and check the message’s status.

Tip: Tap on a message and check the delivery status of the sent message.

Here’s what the delivery statuses mean:

Empty circle with a checkmark: This means your message has been sent from your device and is on its way to the recipient.
Filled circle with a checkmark: This indicates that the message has been delivered to the recipient’s device.
Empty circle with a checkmark: The message is still being processed, or the recipient might have internet connectivity issues.
Icon with the recipient’s profile picture: The message has been read.

If the account doesn’t appear in search results, the person might have deactivated the account on Facebook.

Method 2: You May Have Been Restricted

Apart from blocking, Facebook allows users to restrict someone. When that happens, you can still send messages or call on Facebook, but Messenger hides your text and alerts from the person. Read our post on what happens when you restrict someone on Messenger. Also, understand the differences between block and restrict on Messenger.

Method 3: Check the Message Button on Facebook Profile

While the absence of a message button on someone’s profile doesn’t definitively mean you’re blocked, it can be a clue. Facebook tends to hide the message button if you can’t interact with the user in some way.

However, it’s also possible they’ve simply chosen to restrict who can message them through privacy settings. To solidify your suspicions, try looking for the person in Messenger or searching for them by name to see if you can initiate a chat there.

If you have any queries, check out the FAQ section below.