Facebook is a fantastic way to stay connected with friends and family, but sometimes you might want to keep your profile a little closer to the vest. Whether you’re sharing travel photos you only want your inner circle to see or just craving some extra privacy online, making your profile private is a great option.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps of taking control of your Facebook privacy on your Android phone, iPhone, or laptop/PC. Let’s dive in and make sure your Facebook profile is only visible to those you want to see it!
Securing Your Sanctuary: Making Facebook Private on Android and iOS
The process for making your Facebook profile private is very similar on both Android and iOS devices. Here’s how to do it:
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Open the Facebook App: Fire up the Facebook app on your phone.
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Navigate to Settings: On Android, tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner. On iPhone, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
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Scroll Down to Settings & Privacy: Once you’ve tapped the menu, find the “Settings & Privacy” option and tap on it.
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Select Settings: Within “Settings & Privacy,” you’ll see another option called “Settings.” Tap on that to access your main privacy controls.
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Privacy is Key: Now you’re in the heart of your Facebook privacy settings! Look for the “Privacy” section and tap on it.
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Control Who Sees Your Stuff: This is where the magic happens! Under “Privacy,” you’ll see various options that control who can see your future posts, your profile information, and even who can send you friend requests.
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Who Can See Your Future Posts?: Tap on “Who can see your future posts?” and choose the audience you want. Your options include “Friends” (only your confirmed friends can see your posts), “Friends of Friends” (friends of your friends can also see them), or “Only Me” (for the ultimate privacy).
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Reviewing Tags: Another important setting is “Review tags before they appear on your profile?” Enabling this ensures you have control over what appears on your timeline. If someone tags you in a post, you’ll get to approve it before it shows up on your profile.
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Who Can Send You Friend Requests?: You can also control who can send you friend requests by tapping on “Who can send you friend requests?” Here, you can choose “Everyone” or limit it to “Friends of Friends” for a more curated friend list.
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Fine-Tuning Privacy: There are many other privacy settings you can explore under the “Privacy” section. Take some time to browse through them and adjust them to your comfort level.
Remember: Once you’ve made these changes, your future Facebook posts will only be visible to your chosen audience. This also applies to any existing posts you change the privacy settings on.
Taking Charge on Your Desktop: Making Facebook Private on Laptop/PC
Making your Facebook profile private on a laptop or PC follows a similar process:
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Head to Facebook.com: Open your favorite web browser and head over to https://www.facebook.com/.
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Click the Downward Arrow: Once you’re logged in, look for the downward arrow in the top right corner of the Facebook screen. This is your account menu. Click on it.
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Select Settings & Privacy: From the dropdown menu, choose “Settings & Privacy.”
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Go to Settings: Within “Settings & Privacy,” click on “Settings” to access your main privacy controls.
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Privacy Matters: Just like on the mobile app, look for the “Privacy” section on the left-hand side of the screen and click on it.
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Controlling Your Audience: Here you’ll find all the same settings you saw on the mobile app, allowing you to control who can see your future posts, profile information, and who can send you friend requests.
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Making Adjustments: Follow the same steps outlined in the previous section to adjust your privacy settings to your liking.
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Reviewing Past Posts: One additional feature on the desktop version is the ability to review the privacy of your existing posts. Under “Your Activity,” click on “Manage Your Activity” and then “Your Posts.” Here you can change the privacy settings of any posts you’ve already shared.
Remember: After making these changes on your desktop, any future Facebook posts you create will be visible only to your chosen audience. You can also revisit these settings anytime to further customize your Facebook privacy.
