How to Find a Friend on Snapchat Even If You Aren't Already Contacts

Privately browse for people you know on Snapchat

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: March 17, 2026 Fact Checked

Via Contacts

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Via Username

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Via Find Friends

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Via Other Social Media

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Via Mutual Friends

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FAQ

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Video

Is there someone you want to look up or add on Snapchat, but you don’t want to ask them directly? If you are secretly trying to find your crush, there are a few different methods you can use. Just know that if you actually add them, Snapchat will send them a notification with your request, so make sure you are prepared to talk to them! This wikiHow article will teach you how to find someone on Snapchat without them knowing.

How to Privately Search Snapchat

You can search for people on Snapchat by tapping your profile picture and selecting Add Friends. Sync your contacts to easily find people you already know, or type their name or username into the search bar at the top to do a general search. People you know might also show up in the Find Friends section.

Section 1 of 6:

Find Someone via Your Contacts

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Tap your profile icon at the top of Snapchat. Open the Snapchat app on your device and tap your profile icon. It’s at the top left corner of the screen.
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Tap Add Friends. It’s under the Friends header in your account menu.

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Tap All Contacts. Tap on All Contacts next to the Find Friends heading to look through your entire contacts list on your phone.
- The first time you do this, you might be prompted to give Snapchat access to your contacts. Follow the instructions on your screen to do so.
- Once you grant the right permission(s), Snapchat will import your contacts. They will be sorted into “Already On Snapchat” (if they already have accounts) and “Invite to Snapchat” (if they’re in your contacts but don’t have a Snapchat account yet).
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Search for the person you want to add. Tap the search bar at the top, then type in the name of the person you would like to add. To make sure you find the right person, type in their full name.
- You can also browse your lists of contacts for the person you’re looking for. You can expand each list by tapping View More at the bottom.
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Decide if you want to add them. Adding the person will send them a notification, so only do this if you are ok letting them know you added them! Otherwise, you can save their username and add them later. To add someone, tap the yellow Add button to the right of their name.

Section 2 of 6:

Find Someone via Username

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Tap your profile picture. Open the Snapchat app, then tap your profile icon at the top left side of the screen. This will take you to your account page.
- You don’t necessarily have to know someone’s exact username to search for them using this method, although it might help narrow down the results if you do! You can also search for them by their actual name.
- If someone has “See Me in Find Friends” turned off in their privacy settings, you’ll have to search for them by their exact username.
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Select Add Friends. This option is under the Friends header.
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Search for their name or username in the search bar. Tap the search bar at the top of the page and type the person’s name. If you know their username already, it will be easier to find them.
- Snapchat’s search feature may prioritize results from your contacts if you have synced your phone’s contacts. You’ll see “In my contacts” under these search results.
- If someone isn’t in your contacts but has some kind of shared connection with you (whether it’s mutual friends, mutual contacts, or shared interests), you’ll see “You may know” under their name in the results.
- There’s no way to tell for sure from search results if someone shares mutual friends with you.
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Add them (optional). If you think you have found the person, consider adding them. This will send them a notification, so only add them if you are comfortable with them knowing you looked them up!
- If you want to add the person, but you don’t want them to know you found them by searching, go to their profile and tap the ••• icon at the top right corner. Select Send Profile To and share the person’s profile with yourself or the Team Snapchat account. Tap Add next to the person’s name in the message you sent.
  - When you add the person this way, they will see a notification that says “Added by <username>” or similar instead of “Added by Search.”

Section 3 of 6:

Find Someone via Find Friends

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Tap your profile icon. In the Snapchat app, top your user icon at the top left corner of the screen. This will open your account page.
- This method used to be called “Quick Add.” It’s a quick way to browse for people that you might know without having to search for them.^{[1]
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- You will only see people in Find Friends if they have “See Me in Find Friends” enabled in their privacy settings.
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Tap Add Friends. It’s under the Friends header.
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Scroll through the people listed under Find Friends. Snapchat will recommend people you might know as potential friends. They might be suggested if you already share mutual friends, or if they’re in your device’s contacts (if Snapchat has access to your contacts). Scroll through to find people you know.
- If you don’t want to see a friend suggestion anymore, tap the x to the right of the “Add” button. If you want, you can select a reason you hid the person (“I don’t know this person” or “Other reason”).
To send a friend request, tap the Add button next to the person’s name. Once you add them, they will be able to accept or deny your friend request, potentially giving you the chance to talk to them. Just make sure you are ok with Snapchat telling them you added them!

Section 4 of 6:

Find Someone via Other Social Media

If you are already friends with the person on another social media platform, try checking there. They might have their Snapchat account listed there.
Navigate to the profile of the person you would like to add on Snapchat, then open it.
Sometimes, people will include their Snapchat info in their bios on other platforms like Instagram. If you are lucky, their username might be right in front of you.
Now that you have found their Snapchat info, decide if you are comfortable adding them. Adding them will send them a notification, so make sure that is ok with you!

Section 5 of 6:

Find Someone via a Mutual Friend

First, you will have to find a mutual friend. This will also have to be someone who knows you well enough that they are willing to help.
This step requires some courage, but you might be able to get their Snap without asking the person directly. However, this is still a little risky because your mutual friend might tell that person you asked, so be careful!
Now that you have worked up the courage to ask a friend for the username, think about adding them! This will send them a notification, so make sure you are comfortable with that.

Section 6 of 6:

FAQ

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Can I search for someone with a private profile on Snapchat? Yes, but you can’t contact them or see their private content. You’ll need to friend them before you can interact or see their Snaps.
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Can someone see if I viewed their profile on Snapchat? No, Snapchat doesn’t share information about who visited a profile. However, they can see if you viewed their public Story. They will also get a notification if you take a screenshot of their Snap or Story.
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Is there a way to keep other people from finding me on Snapchat? While you can’t completely prevent other people from finding you on Snapchat, there are lots of ways to limit who can find you and interact with you. For example, you can keep people from finding you if they don’t know your username. To do so:
- Tap your profile picture at the top left side of the screen, then tap the gear icon at the top right corner.
- Scroll down to Privacy Controls and select See Me in Find Friends.
- Toggle off Show me in Find Friends.