How Do I Make My Facebook Private?
Strangers on Facebook can see a lot more than most seniors realize — your old posts, your friends list, photos you're tagged in. This guide walks through every setting that matters in plain English. After 10 minutes, only the people you choose will see your activity.
To make Facebook private: go to Settings → Privacy. Set 'Who can see your future posts?' to Friends. Set 'Who can send you friend requests?' to Friends of friends. Set 'Who can look you up using the email address you provided?' and 'phone number' both to Friends. Then go to Privacy → 'Limit Past Posts' and click 'Limit Old Posts' to apply the same Friends-only setting to everything you posted before. Total time: 10 minutes. Privacy settings save automatically as you change them.
Step-by-step practice mode
Click through each step to practice. The screens look like the real Facebook app — but nothing here changes anything in your real account or device.
Step 1 — Open Settings & Privacy → Settings
Click the down arrow at the top right of Facebook
Click here
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Open Facebook on a computer (easier than phone for this)
Privacy settings are easier to manage on a computer because everything fits on one screen. Go to facebook.com and log in.
- 2
Click the down arrow → Settings & Privacy → Settings
In the very top-right corner of Facebook, click the small down arrow. A menu appears. Click 'Settings & Privacy', then 'Settings'. The Settings page opens with a menu on the left side.
- 3
Click 'Privacy' in the left menu
On the left side of the Settings page, click 'Privacy'. The right side fills with privacy settings — there are about 8 important ones we'll change.
- 4
Set 'Who can see your future posts?' to Friends
First setting on the page. Click 'Edit' next to it, click the dropdown, pick 'Friends'. This means new posts only show to your friends — not the public.
- 5
Set 'Who can send you friend requests?' to Friends of friends
Click Edit next to it, change from 'Everyone' to 'Friends of friends'. This stops random strangers from sending requests, but legitimate mutual contacts still work.
- 6
Set both email and phone lookup to Friends
'Who can look you up using the email address you provided?' and 'phone number?' both default to 'Everyone'. Change both to 'Friends'. This stops strangers from finding your profile by typing your email or phone number.
- 7
Click 'Limit Past Posts'
On the same Privacy page, look for 'Limit who can see past posts'. Click it. Click 'Limit Past Posts'. Confirm. This applies your new 'Friends only' setting to everything you've ever posted on Facebook.
⚠ Important: If you skip this step, every post you ever made publicly stays public forever — friends-only setting only affects FUTURE posts unless you do this. - 8
Hide your friends list
Go to your profile → Friends tab. Click the pencil/edit icon → Edit Privacy. Set 'Friends List' to 'Only me'. Hidden friends list makes you a much worse target for cloned-account scams (because cloners need to see who to friend-request).
- 9
Turn on 'Profile review' for tagged photos
Settings → Profile and Tagging. Turn ON 'Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on Facebook?' Now anything someone tries to tag you in must be approved by you first.
What if it's not working?
Problem: After changing settings, my old posts are still showing publicly
Likely cause: You skipped the 'Limit Past Posts' step.
How to fix: Go to Settings → Privacy → 'Limit who can see past posts' → 'Limit Past Posts'. This is required to retroactively change visibility on old posts. May take a few minutes to apply across thousands of posts.
Problem: I want to block strangers from seeing my profile photo
Likely cause: Profile photos are public by default in most regions.
How to fix: Click your profile photo → 'Edit Profile Picture' → 'Edit Picture Privacy' if your region offers it (varies). Otherwise, the profile photo stays semi-public — but limit it by uploading a generic photo of a flower or pet instead of your face.
Problem: I made it private but my profile still shows in Google search
Likely cause: Search engines cache old public versions.
How to fix: Settings → Privacy → 'Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?' set to OFF. Google's cache will update over weeks.
Problem: Some settings are missing on the phone app
Likely cause: Mobile app doesn't show every setting — desktop browser shows the full list.
How to fix: Use a computer to set up privacy. Open facebook.com in a browser even if you mostly use the app — settings sync across all devices automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make my Facebook completely invisible to strangers?
Mostly, yes — but not 100%. Strangers can always see your name, profile photo (in most cases), and gender. Everything else (posts, photos, friends, location, work history, etc.) can be locked to friends-only with the right settings. The 8-step checklist in this guide gets you about 95% private.
Should I make my profile photo private too?
If possible. Some regions support 'Profile Picture Guard' which prevents strangers from saving or screenshotting your profile photo. If your region doesn't have this, the next best step is to use a generic photo (flower, pet, scenery) as your profile picture — you avoid the cloned-account scam since cloners need a real face photo.
What is 'Friends of Friends' and is it private enough?
'Friends of friends' means people who share at least one common friend with you. So if your friend has 500 friends, all 500 might be able to see what you set to 'Friends of friends'. For posts, this is usually too open — pick 'Friends' instead. For friend requests, 'Friends of friends' is a good middle ground.
Will making my Facebook private affect my Messenger?
Not directly — Messenger has separate privacy settings. By default, Messenger lets anyone message you. To restrict: Messenger app → your photo → Privacy → 'Who can reach you' → set to 'Friends and Connections of yours'. Strangers' messages then go to a hidden 'Message Requests' folder that you can ignore.
Can I see what my profile looks like to strangers?
Yes. Go to your profile, click the three dots near 'Edit profile', and click 'View as'. Facebook shows your profile exactly as a stranger would see it. Use this to verify your privacy settings are working — if you see any post or photo there, the public can see it.
How often should I check Facebook privacy settings?
Every 6 months. Facebook periodically adds new types of data (face recognition, location history, etc.) — and often these default to ON. Set a calendar reminder twice a year to revisit Settings → Privacy and Settings → 'Your Facebook Information' to make sure nothing has been turned on without you knowing.
Does Facebook show my information to advertisers?
Yes — for free Facebook accounts, advertising is how Facebook pays for the service. Settings → Ads → 'Ad preferences' lets you remove some interests and categories advertisers target. You cannot opt out of advertising entirely without deleting your account, but you can reduce data sharing significantly here.
What's Facebook's 'Off-Facebook Activity' and should I clear it?
Off-Facebook Activity is data Facebook collects about you from OTHER apps and websites you use. It's how you see ads for things you searched on a different site. Settings → Your Facebook Information → Off-Facebook Activity → Clear History. Then turn OFF future activity. This significantly improves privacy without affecting how Facebook works for you.
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