If you're trying to build a custom menu, finding a reliable roblox friends list viewer script is usually the first big hurdle you'll hit. It's one of those things that sounds super simple on paper—just show me who I'm friends with—but once you get into the Luau code, there are a few quirks you have to deal with. Whether you're making a custom lobby or just want a way to see who's online without tabbing out of your game, building your own viewer is a great way to learn how Roblox handles data.
Why Bother with a Custom Friends List?
You might wonder why anyone would spend time coding this when you can just press the "Esc" key and see the default Roblox menu. To be honest, the default menu is a bit clunky. It doesn't always fit the aesthetic of a stylized game, and it's pretty limited in what it shows.
When you use a roblox friends list viewer script, you get total control. You can decide if you want to show what specific sub-game they're in, how long they've been online, or even add a "Quick Join" button that looks way better than the standard UI. Plus, it's just satisfying to see your own UI work perfectly with live data.
Getting the Logic Right
The backbone of any roblox friends list viewer script is the Players service. Specifically, you're going to be looking at a function called GetFriendsOnline(). This is the magic button that does most of the heavy lifting for you.
When you call this function, Roblox returns a list (or a table, in coding terms) of all your friends who are currently logged in. It doesn't just give you their names, either. It gives you their UserId, their current presence (whether they're in a game, in the studio, or just browsing the site), and even the JobId of the server they're in.
One thing I noticed when I first started messing with this is that you can't just run this on the server. Since "friends" are specific to a person, you usually want to run this in a LocalScript. The server doesn't really care who your friends are; only your client does.
Dealing with the 200 Friend Limit
Here's a little tip that people often forget: GetFriendsOnline() has a limit. While Roblox increased the friend limit a while back, fetching that data can sometimes be slow if you have a massive list. If you're writing a roblox friends list viewer script, you need to make sure your UI can handle a lot of entries without lagging the whole game.
I usually recommend using a ScrollingFrame for the UI. It keeps everything neat, and you don't end up with a list of names bleeding off the bottom of the screen.
Making the UI Look Good
Once you have the data, you need a place to put it. This is where the creative part comes in. A basic roblox friends list viewer script usually just prints names to the output, but we want something we can actually use.
You'll want to create a "Template" frame. This is a single row that contains a text label for the username and maybe a small image label for their avatar. In your script, you'll clone this template for every friend that the script finds.
Adding Avatar Thumbnails
A friends list is pretty boring without pictures. To get those icons, you'll use GetUserThumbnailAsync. This is a really cool function because it lets you grab a headshot, a bust, or a full-body shot of any player.
For a viewer script, a "Headshot" at "420x420" resolution is usually overkill, so I'd stick to something smaller like "150x150" to keep loading times fast. Seeing your friend's avatar next to their name makes the whole script feel much more professional and "official."
The Basic Script Structure
If you were to sit down and write this right now, the flow would look something like this:
- Define the
Playersservice and theLocalPlayer. - Set up a reference to your
ScrollingFramewhere the list will live. - Call
GetFriendsOnline(). - Loop through the table that the function returns.
- For each friend, clone your template and fill in the details (Name, Status, Avatar).
- Parent that clone to the
ScrollingFrame.
It sounds straightforward, but you'll want to add a "Refresh" button too. Friends go online and offline all the time, and you don't want your list to be stuck showing someone who hopped off ten minutes ago. Just make sure you add a "debounce" (a tiny cooldown) to that refresh button so players don't spam it and hit the Roblox API rate limits.
Handling Privacy and Errors
Not everyone realizes this, but sometimes the Roblox API just fails. Maybe the player's internet blipped, or Roblox is having a bit of a moment. When you're writing your roblox friends list viewer script, it's a good idea to wrap your data-fetching in a pcall (protected call).
This prevents your entire script from breaking if the friends list fails to load. Instead of the UI just staying empty or the game crashing, you can display a nice little message like "Couldn't load friends right now, try again!" It's those small touches that make a script feel like it was made by a human and not just slapped together.
Also, keep in mind that some players have their privacy settings locked down. While GetFriendsOnline usually bypasses this for the player's own list, if you try to expand your script to view other people's friends, you might run into some roadblocks.
Adding the "Join" Feature
If you want to take your roblox friends list viewer script to the next level, you should definitely add a join button. Since the data returned by Roblox includes the GameId, you can use TeleportService to send the player directly to the same server as their friend.
Imagine how much easier it is to just click a button in your custom menu rather than going back to the website, finding their profile, and clicking join. It's a huge quality-of-life improvement for any game with a social focus.
Testing and Optimization
Before you call it a day, you really need to test how the script behaves when you have zero friends online versus when you have a hundred. If you have a ton of friends, the script might try to create a hundred UI elements at once, which can cause a tiny bit of "frame drop" or stutter.
One way to fix this is to add a tiny task.wait() inside your loop. Even a wait of 0.05 seconds makes the list populate smoothly rather than freezing the screen for a split second. It's all about that "feel."
Final Thoughts
Building a roblox friends list viewer script is a fantastic project for any aspiring dev. It covers the basics of UI design, data handling, and working with external APIs. Plus, it's genuinely useful. Once you have a working script, you can carry it over from project to project, tweaking the colors and fonts to match whatever you're working on.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the layout. Maybe you want a grid of icons instead of a list? Or maybe you want to highlight "Best Friends" at the top? The code is your playground, so have some fun with it and make something that actually makes your Roblox experience better.