Where to find Facebook's privacy controls
Facebook's privacy settings live in one place: the Settings and Privacy menu in the top right corner of your screen. Click the downward arrow next to your profile picture, then select "Settings and privacy," then "Settings." On the left side, you'll see a menu with "Privacy" as one of the options. This is where you control who sees your posts, who can contact you, and what information appears on your profile.
The settings are the same whether you use Facebook on a computer or phone, though the phone layout is slightly different. On a phone, the menu icon (three horizontal lines) replaces the arrow, but it takes you to the same place. Once you're in Settings, the Privacy section works identically on both devices.
Key Takeaways
- Your main privacy controls are in Settings and Privacy > Settings > Privacy, where you choose who sees your posts and who can contact you.
- The "Who can see your posts?" setting controls your audience for new posts; changing it does not automatically hide old posts from the same audience.
- You can block specific people, limit what old friends see, and control whether strangers can message you — each setting works independently.
- Your profile picture and name are always visible to everyone on Facebook, even if you set all other posts to private.
- Facebook's default settings favor visibility; you need to actively change them to restrict who sees your information.
Controlling who sees your posts
The first setting you should change is "Who can see your posts?" In the Privacy section, this dropdown menu lets you choose between Public (everyone on and off Facebook), Friends (only people you've added), Friends except (friends minus specific people), or Specific friends (only certain people you select). Most people choose Friends unless they have a reason to post publicly.
This setting only applies to new posts you create after you change it. Posts you made before the change stay visible to whoever could see them then. If you posted something as Public three months ago and now change your setting to Friends, that old post remains public. You have to go back and change the privacy of individual old posts if you want to hide them.
You can also set privacy for a single post when you create it. Before you hit "Post," click the audience button (it shows a small icon like a globe or people) and choose who sees that one post. This overrides your default setting for that post only.
Limiting contact from people you don't know
Facebook lets strangers message you by default. In the Privacy section, find "Who can contact you?" and change it from "Everyone" to "Friends" if you don't want messages from people outside your friend list. This does not delete messages you've already received — it only stops new ones from arriving.
You can also control who can see your friends list. In the Privacy section, look for "Who can see your friends list?" and change it from "Everyone" to "Friends only" or "Only me." This prevents strangers from using your friends list to find people they know or to understand your social connections.
If someone is already messaging you and you want them to stop, you can block them. Go to their profile, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Block." Blocked people cannot see your profile, message you, or find you in search.
Managing what appears on your profile
Your profile picture and name are always visible to everyone, even if you set everything else to private. You cannot hide these. However, you can control what else shows up. In the Privacy section, find "Who can see your profile info?" and set it to Friends or Only me.
You can also hide your email address and phone number from your profile. In Settings (not the Privacy subsection), go to "Personal information" and look for "Email" and "Phone." Click each one and change who can see it. Most people set these to "Only me" or "Friends only" so strangers cannot contact them outside of Facebook.
Your birthday is another piece of information people often want to hide. Go to "Personal information" in Settings, find "Birthday," and change the visibility. You can show the full date to friends, hide the year, or hide it entirely. Facebook will still send you birthday reminders and let friends see it if you choose — you're only controlling whether it appears on your profile.
Controlling who can tag you in photos and posts
When someone tags you in a photo or post, it appears on your profile and in your timeline. You can require approval before tags show up. In the Privacy section, find "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on your timeline?" and turn it on. After you do, any tag someone adds waits for your approval before it goes live.
You can also control who can tag you at all. In the Privacy section, look for "Who can tag you in posts?" and change it from "Everyone" to "Friends" or "Only me." If you set it to "Only me," only you can tag yourself — no one else can tag you in anything.
Even if you approve a tag, you can remove it later. Go to the post or photo, click the three dots, and select "Remove tag." This removes your name from the post but does not delete the post itself.
Hiding your activity from specific people
If you want to stay friends with someone but don't want them seeing your posts, you can "Unfriend" them (which removes them from your friends list) or "Restrict" them. Restricting is less obvious — restricted people can still see your public posts and your profile picture, but they cannot see your friends list, posts you share with friends, or when you're online. Go to their profile, click the three dots, and select "Restrict."
You can also limit what old friends see. If you had a public profile in the past and want to hide those old posts from people who aren't your friends now, go to the Privacy section and find "Limit the audience for posts you've shared with friends of friends or Public?" Click "Limit past posts." This changes the audience of old posts from Public or Friends of Friends to Friends only, but it does not affect posts you made while your profile was already set to Friends.
Reviewing what apps and websites can see
Apps and websites you've connected to Facebook can access some of your information. In Settings, go to "Apps and websites" and look at "Active." This shows every app or website that can currently see your data. Click on any one to see what information it can access — usually your name, email, and friends list, but sometimes more.
If you don't recognize an app or no longer use it, click on it and select "Remove." This cuts off its access when ready. You can also click on an app and change what information it can see by toggling individual permissions off, though most apps require certain permissions to work at all.
Check this list every few months. Apps you used once and forgot about may still have access to your profile. Removing old apps is one of the fastest ways to reduce how much of your information is floating around.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make my profile completely private so only I can see it?
No. Your profile picture and name are always visible to everyone on Facebook. You can set all your posts and information to "Only me," but people will still be able to see that you exist and find you in search. If you want complete privacy, you would need to deactivate or delete your account instead.
If I change my privacy settings, will old posts automatically become private?
No. Changing your default privacy setting only affects new posts. Old posts keep the privacy level they had when you posted them. You have to go back to individual old posts and change their privacy manually, or use the "Limit past posts" option to change posts shared with Friends of Friends or Public to Friends only.
What happens if I restrict someone instead of unfriending them?
Restricted people stay on your friends list, but they cannot see your posts shared with friends, your friends list, or when you're online. They can still see your public posts and profile picture. You can restrict multiple people without them knowing, whereas unfriending is more obvious if they notice you're gone from their friends list.
Can someone message me if I set my contact settings to "Friends only"?
Only people on your friends list can message you. If someone who isn't your friend tries to message you, it goes to a separate "Message Requests" folder that you can ignore or delete. You can check this folder in your Messages section if you want to see what strangers have tried to send you.
Do I need to change privacy settings on my phone differently than on a computer?
No. The settings are the same and sync across devices. If you change a privacy setting on your phone, it takes effect on your computer and vice versa. The phone interface looks different because of screen size, but you're changing the same underlying settings.