Facebook is one of the oldest and most advanced social networks that has multiple settings that users are sometimes unaware of. As a Facebook user, you have the option to protect your privacy from unknown people, choosing who adds you and who doesn't add you as a friend.
Why can't I get the button to add friends on Facebook?
You are looking for a person you know in the Facebook search engine and you want to add them, but you cannot. The add friends button is not enabled and instead there is only the follow button. This is because the person you want to add doesn't have the option to add friends enabled.
This occurs due to a setting of the Facebook privacy in which people choose who can add them as friends. If you have mutual friends with that person, the Add My Friends button will likely appear. Otherwise you can only follow the person.
This is done to ensure that the people trying to add you to Facebook are people you know. You can make your Facebook profile completely private, to prevent outsiders from seeing your information and contacting you.
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Facebook privacy settings
configure the privacy of your Facebook profile and that only friends of your friends can add you, you have to go to the menu at the top of the page, which is the blue bar and click on the button which has the shape of a triangle. Then just one click on the Settings option.
The configuration window opens and you need to select the Privacy tab in the left panel of the page. There are settings for How They Can Find You and Contact You.
The first option in this setting is Who can send you friend requests? You can choose between everyone, i.e. all Facebook users or the Friends of my friends option. If you choose the latter, you can only add people with whom you have mutual friends.
When this setting is useful
Facebook is a social network, generally used to share personal information. Many times we don't want strangers to have access to this type of information. There is a right to privacy and therefore you can choose what information you want to share and who you want to share it with.
When you choose who can add you as a friend, you have the ability to control who accesses your private information and saves you unnecessary hassle.
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How to add a person when the option to add my friends does not appear?
In case you want to send a friend request to someone who has enabled the button to add only their friends' friends, the options are a bit limited.
Send him a message
Write a private message to the person you want to add to your group of friends. Surely if he meets you immediately he will accept your friend request.
The disadvantage of sending a private message is that, because you are not friends, the message does not go directly to the main inbox, but rather to the incoming mail of others. If so, the person may be slow to read the message or simply not see it.
Add a friend of that person
Another possibility is find a friend you know you have in common and add them. Add that person first and they would already have a mutual friend. Once that person has accepted you, you go back to the profile of the person you want to add and the settings should be changed. The Add Friends button should now appear enabled.
