Where to find Facebook's privacy controls
Facebook's privacy settings live in three places, and you need to visit all three to lock down what you share. The main hub is in Settings & Privacy — click the downward arrow at the top right of any Facebook page, then select Settings & Privacy, then Settings. From there, the left sidebar shows Privacy as its own section. The second location is your profile itself: click your name, then the three dots above your cover photo, then Edit Privacy. The third is individual posts — each post has a privacy button (usually showing a globe, lock, or friends icon) that you can click to change who sees that single post before or after you publish it.
Start with the main Settings page because changes there affect everything you post going forward. Individual post controls override these defaults, so you can post something public even if your general setting is friends-only, but the default setting is what matters most.
Key Takeaways
- Your main privacy hub is Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy on the left sidebar, where you control who sees your posts, profile, and friend list by default.
- Each individual post has its own privacy button (globe, lock, or friends icon) that you can click before posting to override your default setting for that post alone.
- Profile visibility controls are separate from post controls — you can hide your friend list, limit who can see your photos, and restrict who can contact you through messenger.
- Facebook's default setting is usually "Friends" for posts but "Public" for your profile name and photo, so you should check both even if you think you have already set them.
Controlling who sees your posts
In Settings > Privacy, look for Who can see your posts? The options are Public (anyone on or off Facebook), Friends (people you have friended), Friends except (everyone except specific people you choose), and Custom (specific people or groups only). Most people choose Friends as their default. If you select Friends except, Facebook lets you type names of people to exclude — useful if you want to post something your boss or a relative should not see.
Below that setting is Who can contact you? This controls whether strangers can message you. The default is usually Everyone, which means anyone can send you a message request. Changing this to Friends means only people you have already friended can message you directly — others can still send a request, but it goes to a separate folder you can ignore.
There is also Who can look you up using the email address or phone number you provided? Leave this on Everyone if you want friends to find you by searching your email or phone, or switch to Friends if you want to be harder to find.
Limiting who sees your profile and photos
Go to your profile by clicking your name, then click the three dots above your cover photo and select Edit Privacy. Here you control who can see your profile itself — separate from individual posts. The options are the same: Public, Friends, or Custom. This setting affects whether someone can visit your profile page at all, not just whether they see your posts in their feed.
While you are on your profile, look for the Friends section. Click the three dots next to it and choose Edit Privacy to hide your friend list from people who are not your friends. This prevents strangers from seeing everyone you know. You can also hide it from specific people — for example, you might hide your friend list from coworkers but show it to close friends.
For photos, go to Settings > Privacy and look for Who can see your photos and videos? This controls the default for new albums you create. Existing photos keep their old privacy setting unless you change them individually. To change an old photo's privacy, click on it, then click the privacy button (usually in the top right) and select a new audience.
Controlling tags and who can post on your profile
In Settings > Privacy, find Who can post on your profile? and set it to Friends or Only me to prevent strangers from writing on your wall. The default is often Friends, which means anyone you have friended can post something visible to your other friends.
Below that is Review posts you are tagged in before the post appears on your profile? Turning this on means you have to approve any post where someone tags you before it shows on your profile. This is useful if you want to prevent unflattering photos or comments from appearing without your permission. When someone tags you, you will get a notification and can choose to approve or reject it.
There is also Who can see posts you are tagged in? This controls whether people can see those tagged posts in your profile. You can set it to Friends to hide tagged posts from strangers, even if the person who posted it set their post to public.
Blocking people and hiding your activity
If you want to block someone entirely, go to Settings > Blocking. Type their name and click Block. A blocked person cannot see your profile, message you, or find you in search. They will not be notified that you blocked them, but they may figure it out if they try to visit your profile and cannot.
If you want to stay friends with someone but hide your posts from them, use the Friends except option described earlier. This is less severe than blocking and does not end the friendship.
Facebook also lets you hide your activity status (the green dot that shows when you are online). Go to Settings > Privacy and look for Who can see when you are active? You can turn this off entirely, or set it to Friends only. Note that if you turn it off, you also cannot see when your friends are active.
Adjusting app and website permissions
Many apps and websites ask permission to access your Facebook data — your name, email, friend list, or photos. Go to Settings > Apps and Websites to see what has permission. Click on any app to see exactly what data it can access, and click Remove to revoke permission. You do not have to keep apps connected to Facebook if you do not use them regularly.
You can also control whether apps can post on your behalf. In the same section, look for Apps and websites and review each one. Most apps do not need permission to post — you can usually remove that permission without breaking the app's core features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make my profile invisible to people I am not friends with?
Yes. Go to your profile, click the three dots above your cover photo, select Edit Privacy, and change the setting to Friends. Now only people you have friended can see your profile page. Your name and profile picture will still appear in search results, but strangers cannot click through to see your posts, photos, or other information.
If I change my privacy settings, do they apply to old posts?
No. Changing your default privacy setting only affects new posts you create going forward. Old posts keep their original privacy setting. To change an old post's privacy, click on it, click the privacy button, and select a new audience. You can do this one post at a time, or use the Limit Past Posts tool in Settings > Privacy to change all old posts to Friends at once.
What happens if I set my posts to public?
Anyone on Facebook or the internet can see your post, even if they do not have a Facebook account. Search engines may also index public posts, so they could appear in Google results. Unless you have a specific reason to post publicly, Friends is safer for most people.
Can someone see my posts if I unfriend them?
No. Once you unfriend someone, they cannot see your profile or any of your posts unless you have posted something publicly. If you want to keep someone as a friend but hide specific posts from them, use the Friends except option instead of unfriending them.
How do I stop Facebook from showing my activity to certain people?
Go to Settings > Privacy and turn off Who can see when you are active? This hides your online status from everyone. If you want to hide it from specific people only, there is no built-in option — you would need to unfriend them or use the Friends except setting on your posts instead.