Where to find Facebook privacy settings

Facebook privacy settings live in one place: the Settings & Privacy menu in the top right corner of your screen. Click the downward arrow or three horizontal lines (the menu icon), then select Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On a phone, tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right, scroll down, and tap Settings & Privacy, then Settings.

Once you're in Settings, look for the left sidebar menu. Click or tap Privacy — this is where almost every control you need lives. The settings here control who sees your posts, who can contact you, who can find you, and what information appears on your profile.

Facebook also scatters some privacy controls elsewhere. Your profile itself has privacy buttons next to individual posts, and your profile picture and cover photo have separate privacy menus. But the Privacy section in Settings is where you set the defaults that explore to everything new you post.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings, then Privacy in the left menu to reach the main privacy controls.
  • The "Who can see your posts?" setting controls whether new posts go to friends only, friends of friends, or the public.
  • The "Who can contact you?" setting lets you block messages from people outside your friends list.
  • The "Who can look you up?" settings control whether strangers can find you by name, phone number, or email.
  • Individual posts and photos have their own privacy buttons that override your default settings for that single item.

Controlling who sees your posts

The first setting you'll see in the Privacy menu is "Who can see your posts?" This controls the default audience for everything you post going forward. You have three main choices: Friends, Friends of Friends, or Public.

If you choose Friends, only people on your friends list can see your new posts. If you choose Friends of Friends, your friends and anyone who is friends with your friends can see them. If you choose Public, anyone on Facebook or even people not logged in can see your posts.

This setting does not change posts you've already made — it only applies to new posts. If you want to change the privacy of old posts, you'll need to edit them individually. You can also override this default when you post: every time you create a post, a button shows your current audience, and you can click it to change that single post to a different audience.

Limiting who can contact you

The "Who can contact you?" setting controls whether people outside your friends list can send you messages. If you set this to Friends, only your friends can message you directly. Messages from non-friends will go to a separate "Message Requests" folder that you can check or ignore.

If you set it to Everyone, anyone on Facebook can message you, and those messages go straight to your main inbox. Many people choose Friends to reduce spam and unwanted contact, then check their Message Requests folder occasionally if they're expecting to hear from someone new.

You can also block specific people from messaging you without changing this setting. Go to your profile, click the three dots next to their name, and select Block. That person won't be able to message you, see your profile, or find you in search.

Controlling who can find you by name or contact info

Under "Who can look you up?" you'll find two separate controls. The first, "Who can search for you by name?", determines whether people can find your profile when they type your name into Facebook's search bar. If you set this to Friends, only your friends can find you this way. If you set it to Everyone, anyone can.

The second control, "Who can look you up using the phone number or email you provided?", works the same way. If someone has your phone number or email address and searches for it on Facebook, this setting determines whether your profile appears. Setting both to Friends makes you much harder to find unless someone already knows you.

These settings are useful if you want to keep your Facebook profile but don't want strangers or old acquaintances stumbling across it. Combined with a restrictive "Who can see your posts?" setting, they give you real privacy even while staying on the platform.

Changing privacy for individual posts and photos

Every post and photo you create has its own privacy button. When you're writing a post, look for the button that shows your current audience — it usually says Friends, Public, or shows a specific group name. Click it to change who sees that single post, without changing your default setting.

The same applies to photos. When you upload a photo or album, a privacy button appears. You can set that photo to be visible to friends only, a specific group, or the public, regardless of your default post privacy. This is useful if you want to share most things with friends but make one photo public, or vice versa.

You can also change the privacy of posts you've already made. Find the post, click the three dots in the top right corner, select Edit privacy, and choose a new audience. This does not notify people that you've changed it — it just changes who can see it going forward.

Managing profile information visibility

Your profile itself — your name, profile picture, cover photo, and basic information — has separate privacy controls. Go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture, then click the three dots and select Edit profile. Next to each section (About, Photos, Friends, etc.), you'll see a privacy icon that lets you control who sees that information.

You can make your About section visible to friends only while keeping your photos public, for example. Your profile picture and cover photo are usually visible to everyone by default, but you can change this by clicking the privacy icon on those images directly from your profile.

Your friends list is a common concern. By default, everyone can see who your friends are. To hide your friends list, go to your profile, click the three dots, select Edit profile, find the Friends section, and change its privacy to Friends Only or Only Me.

Blocking and limiting specific people

If you want to restrict what one specific person sees without unfriending them, use the Restrict feature. Go to their profile, click the three dots, and select Restrict. That person will still be your friend, but they'll only see posts you've made public, and they won't see when you're online or when you've read their messages.

If you want to prevent someone from seeing your profile entirely, use Block instead. A blocked person cannot see your profile, find you in search, message you, or see your posts. You can unblock them later if you change your mind. Go to their profile, click the three dots, and select Block.

You can also limit what past friends see. If you unfriend someone, they can no longer see posts you've marked as "Friends Only," but they can still see anything you've marked public. If you want to hide old posts from someone specific, you'll need to change those posts' privacy individually or delete them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make my profile completely private so no one can see it?

Not completely — your name and profile picture will always be visible to other Facebook users. But you can set your posts to "Friends Only," hide your friends list, restrict your About section, and set who can search for you by name. This makes your profile very limited for strangers, though friends will still see everything you post.

If I change my privacy settings, do old posts become private too?

No. Changing your default privacy setting only affects new posts. Old posts keep whatever privacy level they had when you posted them. If you want to make old posts private, you need to edit them individually or delete them.

What's the difference between "Restrict" and "Block"?

Restrict lets someone stay your friend but limits what they see — they'll only see your public posts and won't see when you're online. Block removes them entirely; they can't see your profile, message you, or find you in search. Restrict is useful for people you want to keep as friends but limit access to. Block is for people you don't want contact with.

Can people tell if I've changed my privacy settings?

No. If you make old posts private, people won't get a notification. If you restrict or block someone, they won't be told directly, though they may notice they can no longer see your profile or posts. Facebook doesn't announce privacy changes to anyone.

Why can't I find the privacy settings on my phone?

The phone app has the same settings, but the menu is in a different place. Tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right, scroll down to Settings & Privacy, tap Settings, then tap Privacy. The controls are identical to the desktop version.