The simplest way to hide posts from one person
Facebook does not have a single "hide my posts from this person" button. Instead, you have three working options: unfriend the person (they cannot see your posts or profile), restrict them (they see only posts you make public), or block them (they cannot find you at all). Most people choose restrict because it keeps the connection without sharing anything private.
Restrict is the middle ground. The person stays your friend in name, but they only see posts you mark as "Public" — not posts shared with "Friends" or smaller groups. They cannot message you, see when you are online, or know you have read their messages. You can restrict someone in under a minute from their profile or from a post they commented on.
If you want them to see nothing at all, unfriend them instead. They will no longer see your profile, posts, or photos. They may notice the unfriend (Facebook does not notify them, but they might check), whereas restrict is invisible unless they pay close attention.
Key Takeaways
- Restrict a person to let them stay your friend but see only your public posts — this is invisible to them and takes 30 seconds.
- Unfriend someone to remove them entirely — they see nothing, but they may notice if they check your profile.
- Block someone to prevent them from finding you, messaging you, or seeing anything you post — use this only when you need a hard boundary.
- You can restrict or unfriend one person without affecting your other friendships or changing your privacy settings overall.
How to restrict someone in three steps
Open Facebook and go to the person's profile. You can search for their name at the top of the page, or find them in your friends list. Once you are on their profile, look for the three dots (⋯) button in the top right corner of their profile header — it sits next to the "Message" button.
Tap or click those three dots. A menu will appear. Select "Restrict [Name]" from the list. Facebook will confirm the action with a small notification. That is all — the person is now restricted.
From this moment on, they will see only posts you mark as "Public." Posts shared with "Friends," specific groups, or individuals will be hidden from them. They will not know they are restricted unless they notice your posts have stopped appearing, which most people do not.
How to unfriend someone
Go to the person's profile the same way — search for their name or find them in your friends list. Click or tap the three dots (⋯) in the top right of their profile header.
Select "Unfriend" from the menu. Facebook will ask you to confirm. Click "Confirm" and the unfriend is complete. The person is no longer your friend. They cannot see your profile, posts, photos, or friend list unless you have made those things public to everyone on Facebook (which most people have not).
Unfriending is cleaner than restricting if you do not want any connection at all, but it is more visible — if the person checks your profile or looks for you in their friends list, they will realize you unfriended them. Facebook does not send a notification, so they will only know if they actively look.
How to block someone completely
Blocking is the strongest option. A blocked person cannot find your profile, see your posts, send you messages, add you as a friend, or see your comments on mutual friends' posts. Use this when you need a hard boundary — for harassment, safety concerns, or someone you do not want contact with at all.
Go to the person's profile and tap the three dots (⋯). Select "Block [Name]" from the menu. Facebook will confirm. The person is now blocked.
If you block someone, they may realize it because they will not be able to find your profile or message you. Facebook does not tell them they are blocked, but they will notice when they try to search for you. If you later unblock them, Facebook does not notify them of that either — they will only know if they try to find you again and succeed.
Hiding individual posts from one person
You can also hide a single post from a specific person without restricting or unfriending them. This is useful if you want to share something with most friends but not one person.
Open the post you want to hide. Click or tap the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of the post. Select "Hide from [Name]" or "Edit audience." If you choose "Edit audience," you can select exactly who sees the post — remove the person's name or group from the list.
This approach works for one post at a time. If you find yourself hiding many posts from the same person, restricting them is faster and cleaner.
What happens to old posts when you restrict or unfriend
When you restrict someone, they lose access to posts you made before the restriction took effect — unless those posts are marked "Public." All your old "Friends only" posts disappear from their view when ready.
When you unfriend someone, they lose access to all your posts and your profile, with the same exception: anything marked "Public" remains visible to them. If you want to hide old public posts from someone, you will need to change those posts to "Friends only" or delete them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I restricted them?
No. Facebook does not send a notification. They will only know if they notice your posts have stopped appearing in their feed, which most people do not actively monitor. Restrict is invisible unless they specifically check your profile.
Can I restrict someone and then unrestrict them later?
Yes. Go back to their profile, tap the three dots, and select "Unrestrict [Name]." They will not be notified. You can restrict and unrestrict the same person as many times as you want.
What is the difference between unfriend and block?
Unfriend removes them as a friend but they can still see your public posts and search for you. Block prevents them from finding you, messaging you, or seeing anything you post. Block is stronger and more visible if they notice.
If I restrict someone, can they still message me?
No. When you restrict someone, they cannot message you. Their messages go to your message requests folder, which you can ignore. You can read them without replying.
Can I restrict someone on mobile?
Yes. The steps are the same on the Facebook app or mobile web. Go to their profile, tap the three dots, and select "Restrict [Name]."