How to Make Your Facebook Profile Private
Change your Facebook privacy settings so only friends can see your posts and personal information.
Steps
- 1
Open Facebook
and click your profile picture in the top right corner to open Settings.
- 2
Click "Settings & Privacy"
and then "Settings" from the drop-down menu.
- 3
Click "Privacy"
in the left sidebar to see your privacy options.
- 4
Change each setting
from "Public" to "Friends" for who can see your posts, friend list, and email address.
- 5
Review your past posts
by clicking "Limit the audience for past posts" and click "Limit Past Posts" to change all old posts to Friends only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can people who are not my friends see my profile picture?Show
Even with a private profile, your profile picture and cover photo may still be visible to everyone.
Can I block specific people from seeing my posts?Show
Yes, use the "Exclude" option when creating a post. You can also add someone to your Restricted list in settings.
Will old posts become private too?Show
Only if you use "Limit Past Posts." Otherwise, old posts keep the privacy setting they had when you posted them.
Can people find me by searching my name?Show
You can change "Who can look me up" in privacy settings to "Friends" so only friends can find you in search.
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Written by the HowToDoStuff.online editorial team. Last updated .