How to See People You May Know on Facebook
Facebook’s “People You May Know” feature remains a powerful tool for expanding your social network, connecting you with friends of friends, colleagues, classmates, or others with shared connections. This updated guide for 2025 walks you through how to view and manage the “People You May Know” section on Facebook, with new tips to optimize suggestions and address privacy updates.
🤔 What Is the “People You May Know” Feature on Facebook?
Facebook leverages mutual friends, shared interests, workplace, education history, location, and synced contacts to suggest people you might know. These suggestions appear in your News Feed, Friends tab, or as push notifications. In 2025, advanced algorithms also factor in interactions on affiliated platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp (if linked).
📍 Where to Find “People You May Know” on Facebook
On the Mobile App:
- Open the Facebook app (ensure it’s updated to the 2025 version).
- Tap the Menu icon (three lines, bottom-right on iOS, top-right on Android).
- Tap Friends .
- Navigate to the Suggestions tab to view the “People You May Know” list.
On Desktop:
- Visit facebook.com and log in.
- Click Friends from the left sidebar.
- Select Suggestions at the top of the page.
Each profile includes an “Add Friend” button for quick connection.
🔍 How Facebook Suggests People You May Know
Facebook’s 2025 algorithm uses the following factors to suggest potential connections:
- Mutual friends
- Synced phone or email contacts
- Location proximity (based on device data or check-ins)
- Shared groups or events
- Workplace and education history
- Cross-platform activity (e.g., Instagram follows, WhatsApp contacts — if linked)
- Search history and profile interactions
These inputs help Facebook build a dynamic network of users you might know, even if you’ve never interacted directly.
📱 How to Improve or Personalize Your Suggestions
1. Sync Your Contacts
Enable contact syncing in Facebook or Messenger settings. Facebook will cross-reference your device contacts to surface mutual connections.
2. Enhance Your Profile
Add accurate details about your education, workplace, current city, and even interests. In 2025, Facebook also considers affiliations (e.g., alumni groups or hobbies).
3. Engage Actively
React to posts, comment, share content, and join Facebook groups. These interactions help Facebook better understand your network preferences.
4. Link Affiliated Platforms
Optionally connect Instagram or WhatsApp through Facebook’s Account Center . This can help generate more accurate friend suggestions based on your cross-platform interactions.
🛑 How to Turn Off or Hide “People You May Know”
If you’d prefer not to see these suggestions:
Disable Notifications:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings .
- Tap Notifications .
- Select People You May Know and toggle off all notifications.
Remove Specific Suggestions:
On any profile suggestion, tap the three dots and choose Remove Suggestion or Block to avoid future recommendations.
🔐 Privacy and Ethical Considerations
With growing concerns around data privacy in 2025, it’s important to manage how Facebook uses your information:
- Disable contact syncing in both Facebook and Messenger.
- Adjust who can look you up using your phone number or email under Privacy Settings .
- Go to Account Center and opt out of cross-platform data sharing (e.g., Instagram and WhatsApp).
- Visit Ad Preferences to limit how your activity influences Facebook’s suggestion engine.
Facebook now offers transparency tools — you can tap the three dots on a suggested profile to see why the person is being recommended (e.g., “You both attended XYZ Event”).
✅ Final Thoughts
In 2025, “People You May Know” is still one of Facebook’s most useful features for building meaningful digital relationships. With more customization options and advanced algorithms, you can curate suggestions to your benefit while maintaining privacy.
Explore the suggestions, fine-tune your settings, and connect with confidence!
Have insights or questions about Facebook’s friend suggestions in 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments!
