How to Make Facebook Private in 6 Steps, with Photos

Key Points

• Making a Facebook profile private involves customizing what others see and how they communicate with us.
• The Privacy Checkup tool on Facebook allows users to quickly go through all the privacy settings.
• Steps to make Facebook private include accessing the Privacy Checkup tool, choosing an option, and making changes.
• To make Facebook completely private, users can hide their posts, friends list, friend requests, and contact information.
• Users can check their Facebook Public view to see what others can see on their profile.

Not everyone wants to be a social media influencer, and most people don’t want the entire world to see everything they post on Facebook. Assuming your goals are only to share posts with your closest friends, Meta lets us make a Facebook profile private.

The following sections will teach you everything you must know about making your account private, including how to do it on all devices. Of course, if you want to know a little more about what happens when you make an account private, scroll through the first section.

Without further ado, let’s get to work!

What to Know When You Make Facebook Private

Making a Facebook profile private isn’t as simple as clicking a button. In fact, the platform gives us several options to choose from so we can customize what others see and how they communicate with us. While it may seem a little cumbersome, the process isn’t too challenging when you learn how to access the settings.

What Can You Change to Make It More Private?

Fortunately, you don’t have to deactivate your account to be private. However, before diving into our tutorials, let’s take some time to learn about all the options available. Here’s what you can change to make your account more private:

• Future Posts – You can set your default privacy setting on all posts to Private.
• Limit Audience for Past Posts – If you want to make past posts private, you can do that in the Settings.
• Who can see People, Pages, and Lists you follow – You can keep others from seeing who you’re following.
• Your Friends List – You can hide your friends list from all other Facebook Users.
• Making Contact Information Private – You can hide your phone number, email, and even location from other users.

The Facebook Privacy Checkup Tool

Another nifty feature we can use on Facebook is Privacy Checkup. This quick tool lets users go through all the privacy settings quickly.

These options are categorized into five sections. We’ll show you how to access these settings below, but here is what each one means:

• Who can see what you share? – Choose this to make your posts private.
• How people can find you on Facebook? – Choose this option to keep your contact information and location private.
• How to keep your account secure. – This lets you change your password and other security features.
• Your data settings on Facebook. – Choose this to see which apps and websites can access your Facebook account.
• Ad preferences. – Select this option to change your ad preferences.

The following sections will teach you how to use the Privacy Checkup tool to make your Facebook profile private.

How to Make Facebook Private with the Privacy Checkup Tool

The fastest and easiest way to make your Facebook profile private is to use the Privacy Checkup tool. This helpful tool will walk you through everything you can change to make your account more secure and private.

We’ll show you how to use the tool on a web browser, but the steps are also the same for mobile apps. Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Click Your Profile Icon

Click the Profile icon in the top right corner of Facebook.

Note: This is a three-line menu icon in the top right corner of the Android mobile app. It’s the profile icon in the bottom right corner of the iOS mobile app.

Step 2: Click Settings & Privacy

You’ll see a new menu regardless of which device you’re using. Click the Settings & privacy option in that menu.

Step 3: Click Privacy Checkup

You may need to scroll down a little, but you will see the Privacy Checkup option. Click it.

Step 4: Choose an Option

Choose the option that aligns with your Facebook privacy goals.

Step 5: Click Continue

A pop-up window will appear with a list of features you can change. Click Continue when you’re ready to move forward.

Step 6: Make Changes

Finally, scroll through the list and click the Edit buttons to make your Facebook account private.

Options to Make Facebook Completely Private

Some of us enjoy being social media recluses. We don’t accept random friend requests, we don’t want people to find us easily, and we certainly don’t want to enlarge our digital footprint. In the following sections, we’ll outline the changes you must implement to make your Facebook completely private.

Your Posts

Naturally, you’ll want to ensure your posts are private. Whether you post pictures of your kids or don’t want bad actors snooping on your account, you can hide all past and future posts from the public.

Follow the steps above to access the Privacy Checkup tool and click the Who can see what you share? box. Click Continue to move forward. Check your contact information, and click Next. This page allows you to change the privacy of your past and future posts.

Your Friends

An easy way for scammers to take advantage of you is to pretend to be a friend. All they have to do is look at your friends list on Facebook, choose an account, steal a profile picture, and send you a request.

If you don’t want others on Facebook to see who you’re friends with, you can hide the list from everyone. Select the Who can see what you share? option in the Privacy checkup tool and click Continue. Then, scroll down to the Your Friends section. Change the option to the right to Only Me.

Your Friend Requests

Fortunately, you can further protect your Facebook account by limiting who can send you friend requests. Follow the steps above and click the How People Can Find You option in the Privacy Checkup tool. Then, change Everyone to Friends of Friends.

Now, only people with mutual Facebook friends can send you requests. If you accept, the other user can see your profile, posts, and stories and send you Facebook messages.

Your Contact Information and Location

Lastly, if you want your Facebook account to be private, you should hide your contact information. Facebook has your hometown, phone number, and email. If you don’t set these to private, everyone can see it.

Go to the Privacy Checkup tool and select Who can see what you share? Click Continue and change all of your contact information to Only Me.

How to Check Your Facebook Public View

You can check your Facebook Public view if you want to see what other Facebook users can see. This feature will show you what your profile looks like to anyone who isn’t your friend. Here’s how to see it:

Note: We’re using the mobile app for this section. If you’re using the website, the instructions are the same.

Step 1: Tap Your Profile Icon

Launch Facebook and tap your profile icon in the What’s on your mind? box.

Step 2: Tap the Three-Dot Menu

Tap the three-dot menu icon to the right of Edit Profile.

Step 3: Tap View As

Tap View As.

Your Facebook profile will appear and show you what everyone else can see. If you feel exposed, follow the steps above to limit all your past posts and hide your contact information.

Your Facebook Is Now Private

Social media has changed the privacy landscape worldwide. Anything you put on the internet lasts forever. Facebook, in particular, has a lot of information about you and your life. Making your Facebook profile private is an excellent way to keep yourself safe.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Pepsco Studio/Shutterstock.com.