Creating an album takes three steps: open Photos, select New Album, and choose which friends see it

Facebook albums let you group photos together and control who sees them. When you create an album, you decide whether it's visible to everyone, friends only, specific people, or just you. The album itself — not individual photos — gets one privacy setting, though you can change it later. Creating an album doesn't automatically share anything; the photos stay private until you add them and set the visibility.

The process is the same whether you're using Facebook on a computer or phone. You start in the Photos section of your profile, create a new album, add photos, write a description if you want, and choose your audience. Facebook then stores the album under your profile where people can find it based on your privacy choice.

Key Takeaways

  • An album is a folder that holds multiple photos and has one privacy setting that applies to the whole folder, not to individual photos inside it.
  • You can create an album from your profile's Photos section by clicking New Album, selecting photos from your device, and choosing who can see it.
  • Privacy options for albums are: Public (anyone), Friends (your friends list), Specific People (you choose which friends), or Only Me (just you).
  • After you create an album, you can add more photos to it, change the privacy setting, or delete the album entirely without deleting the original photos from your device.
  • Facebook stores information about which photos are in which album and who viewed them, separate from the photo files themselves.

How to create an album on a computer

Go to your Facebook profile and click the Photos tab. On the left side, you'll see a menu with options including "Your Photos" and "Albums." Click "Albums," then look for a button that says "Create Album" or a plus sign icon. Click it.

A window will open asking you to select photos. You can choose multiple photos from your computer at once by holding Ctrl (or Command on Mac) and clicking each one. Once you've selected them, click Open. Facebook will upload them and ask you to name the album, add a location or date if you want, and write a description. None of these are required — you can leave them blank.

At the bottom of the album creation window, you'll see a privacy dropdown. The default is usually "Friends," but you can change it to "Public," "Only Me," or "Specific Friends." Choose your setting, then click "Create Album." The album is now on your profile with that privacy level applied.

How to create an album on a phone or tablet

Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Scroll down and tap "Photos." At the top, tap "Albums," then tap the plus sign or "Create Album" button.

Your phone will open your photo library. Select the photos you want by tapping each one — a checkmark will appear on selected photos. Tap "Next" or "Create" once you've chosen them. Name the album, add a location or date if you want, and set the privacy level using the dropdown at the bottom. Tap "Create Album" to finish.

Changing an album's privacy setting after you create it

You can change who sees an album at any time, even after you've created it and added photos. Go to the album, click or tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Edit Album." The privacy dropdown will appear. Choose your new setting and save.

Changing the album's privacy setting does not change the privacy of individual photos you've already posted elsewhere on Facebook. If you've shared a photo in your News Feed and then move it into a private album, the News Feed version stays visible to whoever saw it before. The album privacy only controls access to the album itself.

What information Facebook stores about your albums

When you create an album, Facebook stores the photos themselves, the album name and description, the date you created it, the privacy setting, and a record of which friends viewed it. Facebook also tracks when photos were uploaded, what device they came from, and any location data attached to the image file.

If your photos contain location information (called EXIF data), Facebook can read it even if you don't type in a location. You can remove this data before uploading by using your phone's or computer's built-in tools, or by using a free online EXIF remover. Facebook doesn't automatically strip location data from photos, so if you want to keep your location private, check before you upload.

Facebook also stores information about who viewed your album and when, though you can't see this data yourself. This viewing history is part of Facebook's record of your activity and is used to show you ads and recommendations.

Controlling who can tag you in album photos

Even if you create a private album, friends can still tag you in their own photos and albums. When someone tags you, that photo appears on your profile under "Photos of You" regardless of your album privacy settings. You can control this by going to Settings, clicking "Privacy," and changing "Who can see posts you're tagged in?" to "Only Me" or "Friends."

You can also review tags before they appear on your profile. Go to Settings, click "Privacy," and turn on "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on your profile." After you turn this on, you'll get a notification when someone tags you, and you can approve or reject the tag before it's visible.

Deleting an album or removing photos from it

To delete an entire album, go to the album, click the three dots, and select "Delete Album." Facebook will ask you to confirm. Deleting the album removes it from your profile, but it does not delete the original photo files from your computer or phone — they stay on your device.

To remove a single photo from an album without deleting the album, open the album, click the photo, and look for a delete or remove option. You can also edit the album and uncheck photos you no longer want in it. Removing a photo from an album does not delete the photo from Facebook entirely if you've posted it elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move photos between albums after I create them?

Yes. Open the album, click the photo you want to move, and look for an option to move it or edit it. You can move it to a different album or remove it entirely. The photo stays on Facebook; only its album location changes.

What happens if I change an album from Public to Only Me?

The album becomes private when ready. Anyone who could see it before can no longer access it. However, if you've shared individual photos from that album in your News Feed or in comments, those posts keep their original privacy setting and remain visible to whoever saw them.

Can I read all the photos in an album at once?

Facebook doesn't have a built-in tool to read an entire album at once. You can read photos one at a time by opening each photo and clicking the read icon, or you can use third-party tools designed for this purpose. Be aware that third-party tools may store your login information or data about your albums.

Do my friends know when I create an album?

Facebook doesn't send a notification when you create an album. Friends can see it if they visit your profile and you've set the privacy to Friends or Public, but they won't receive an alert that you've created it. You can manually tell people about an album by sharing a link to it.

What if someone I blocked creates an album with my photo in it?

You can still report the photo or ask Facebook to remove it if it violates their policies. You can also use the tag review feature to prevent the photo from appearing on your profile. However, you cannot control whether someone else's album is public or private — only they can change that.