You can hide your profile picture from most people or remove it entirely
Facebook lets you control who sees your profile picture through privacy settings, or you can delete it altogether. The steps differ depending on whether you want to hide it from specific people, make it visible only to friends, or remove it completely. Most people use the privacy controls rather than deleting the image, since that keeps your account from looking abandoned.
Your profile picture appears in search results, on your timeline, next to your comments, and in other people's friend lists. Changing its visibility affects all of these places at once.
Key Takeaways
- You can restrict who sees your profile picture by changing its privacy setting from "Public" to "Friends Only" or a custom list.
- Hiding your picture from specific people requires creating a custom privacy list, which takes a few extra steps but works on desktop and mobile.
- Deleting your profile picture entirely removes it from Facebook, though you can upload a new one at any time.
- Your profile picture privacy setting is separate from your overall profile privacy — changing one does not automatically change the other.
Restrict your profile picture to friends only
This is the most common choice and takes about one minute. On desktop, click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "Settings and privacy" and "Settings." In the left menu, click "Privacy." Find the row labeled "Who can see your profile picture?" and click the dropdown that currently shows "Public." Select "Friends" from the menu.
On mobile, open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom right (Android) or top right (iPhone), scroll down to "Settings and privacy," then tap "Settings." Scroll to "Privacy" and tap "Who can see your profile picture?" Change it from "Public" to "Friends."
Once you change this setting, only people on your friends list can see your picture. It will no longer appear in search results or to people who are not your friends.
Hide your profile picture from specific people
If you want most people to see your picture but hide it from certain individuals, you need to create a custom privacy list. On desktop, go to Settings, then Privacy, and find "Who can see your profile picture?" Click the dropdown and select "Custom." A window will open with two sections: "Include" and "Exclude."
Leave "Include" set to "Public" (or select "Friends" if you prefer). In the "Exclude" section, type the names of people you want to hide your picture from. Facebook will suggest matches as you type. Click each person's name to add them to the exclude list, then click "Confirm."
On mobile, the process is similar but the interface is slightly different. Tap "Who can see your profile picture?" and select "Custom." You will see the same Include and Exclude options. Type names in the Exclude field and confirm when done.
This method works for hiding your picture from ex-partners, coworkers, or anyone else you do not want viewing it, while keeping it visible to your broader network.
Delete your profile picture completely
To remove your profile picture entirely, click on your profile picture anywhere on Facebook. A menu will appear with options including "Delete photo." Click that option and confirm the deletion. The picture will be removed from your profile when ready.
On mobile, tap your profile picture, then tap the three dots in the top right corner of the image. Select "Delete photo" and confirm. Your profile will no longer display a picture.
If you delete your picture, your profile will show a blank circle or generic placeholder where the image was. You can upload a new picture at any time by clicking that blank space and selecting a photo from your device.
Understand the difference between profile picture and cover photo privacy
Your profile picture and cover photo have separate privacy settings. Changing one does not affect the other. If you want to hide both, you need to adjust the privacy setting for each image separately.
To change your cover photo privacy, go to Settings, then Privacy, and look for "Who can see your cover photo?" The steps are the same as for your profile picture. Most people keep their cover photo public and restrict only their profile picture, since the cover photo is less personal.
What happens when you change profile picture privacy
When you restrict your profile picture to friends only, it stops appearing in several places: search results, the profiles of people who are not your friends, and next to your comments on public posts. People who are not your friends will see a blank circle instead.
If someone was already your friend before you changed the setting, they will still see your picture. The privacy change only affects people who are not currently on your friends list. If you later add someone as a friend, they will when ready see your picture.
Deleting your picture has the same effect as restricting it to friends only, except that even your friends will see a blank circle. You can restore a deleted picture by uploading a new one, but Facebook does not keep a copy of the old image.
Manage profile picture privacy on different devices
Facebook syncs your privacy settings across all devices, so changing the setting on your phone will take effect on your desktop and vice versa. However, the steps to find the setting differ slightly between desktop and mobile, and between iPhone and Android.
If you use Facebook on both a phone and a computer, you only need to change the setting once. Check one device to confirm the change went through, then you can manage it from whichever device is most convenient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hide my profile picture from one person without hiding it from everyone?
Yes. Use the Custom privacy option and add that person to the Exclude list. Everyone else will see your picture unless you also restrict it to Friends only. If you want to hide it from multiple people, add each name to the Exclude list separately.
If I delete my profile picture, can people still see it somewhere?
No. Once you delete it, the image is removed from your profile and from search results. People cannot view it through your profile or through their own devices. If you want to restore it, you must upload a new picture.
Does changing my profile picture privacy affect old photos I posted?
No. The privacy setting only controls your current profile picture. Old photos you posted to your timeline keep their own privacy settings. If you want to hide those photos, you must change their privacy individually or delete them.
What do people see if I restrict my profile picture to friends only?
Non-friends see a blank circle or generic placeholder where your picture would be. They cannot see your actual image, and the blank circle does not link to anything. Your name and other profile information may still be visible depending on your overall profile privacy settings.
Can I hide my profile picture from friends but show it to the public?
No. Facebook does not offer that option. You can only choose Public, Friends, or a custom list that excludes specific people. If you want to hide it from friends, you would need to either delete it or restrict it to a custom list that does not include those friends.