My advice for dating women will mostly be the same for making friends. You should want to date someone who is your friend first and foremost. Someone who genuinely likes you, wants to spend time with you, and is easy for you to talk to. You will see men on the internet giving dating advice where they act like women are some foreign species meant to be conquered. You have to deploy all these tricks and schemes to get one to sleep with you. You have to be tall, rich, and whatever else to ever have women like you.
You know that isn't true. Most men aren't rich. The average height for men in the USA is 5'9". Most American men (70%), honestly and no offense, are overweight. And yet, how many men do you know are in a relationship? Probably most of them. Your family, coworkers, friends, they have relationships with women.
The sad reality is, women are just people. They aren't special. Some of them really suck. Some of them are the coolest people you'll ever meet. They are just a person like you, full of complex flaws and quirks and deep niche knowledge of something other people might not care about. The issue with dating isn't women or men being too picky or having high standards, it's the lack of socialization.
People are not socializing like they used to. Many people are trapped in their phone all day, pretending to socialize in a parasocial way online and convincing themselves they don't need more. Then there's men who seek a woman companion, probably first motivated by sex but then later by loneliness, and to some degree feel entitled to such a relationship. They aren't wrong to feel that way, it's just human nature to want to seek that.
However, if you're actually serious about wanting female companionship, you have to live in reality. You know it's not money. Every guy I ever slept with was broke just like me. You know it's not height. You just don't know any women who might like you. You just don't have any female friends.
Making friends who are women is the same as making friends who are men. You have to value what a friendship with a woman might bring you, and I don't mean sex with her or her friends. You need to be genuinely interested in and curious about her hobbies and skills. Engage her with the same conversations you would a man, you might get a perspective you never heard.
First, think about yourself. What do you really like? I like to read, so I joined a few book clubs. Both women and men go to it. It's really a great way to ease into socializing with new people if you're nervous. I met lots of people there. You should join clubs, classes, sports, etc. that you really enjoy and just try to make friends. Don't come off as someone immediately trying to date, that is obviously off putting to the whole group. Just get to know people and make friends.
People will eventually like each other over time. Do not put the pressure on women or yourself to be romantic or sexual. You will find out quickly who is open to that sort of thing the more you befriend women. Do it for yourself. You genuinely want more friends, and you want to practice your social skills. Talking to women at groups, events, clubs, etc. about their interests will go a long way. Even if you don't date or sleep with any of them, you will learn more about women in general and feel more at ease when encountering them.