Where to find Facebook privacy settings

Facebook privacy settings live in your account menu, not in a separate privacy section. Open Facebook on any device, click the downward arrow in the top right corner (or the three horizontal lines on mobile), then select Settings and privacy. From there, click Settings. On the left side, you will see Privacy listed among the options — click it to see all your controls.

The privacy page shows your current settings at a glance. Each setting has a dropdown menu showing who can see that information: Public (anyone on or off Facebook), Friends (only your connections), Friends except (everyone except specific people you choose), or Only me (private). You change any setting by clicking its dropdown and selecting a new audience.

If you are on a phone or tablet, the layout is the same but the menu icon may look different depending on whether you use the Facebook app or the mobile website. The settings page itself works identically on all devices.

Key Takeaways

  • Your privacy settings are in the main Settings menu under the Privacy section, not in a separate privacy tool.
  • The most important controls are who can see your posts, who can contact you, and who can look up your profile by phone number or email.
  • You can hide past posts from specific people without deleting them by using the "Friends except" option.
  • Changing a privacy setting affects only new content or new contacts — it does not automatically hide old posts from people who already saw them.

Who can see your posts and profile information

The first privacy setting controls who sees your posts going forward. This is separate from who saw your old posts — changing this setting does not hide anything you already shared. The dropdown next to "Who can see your posts?" lets you choose between Public, Friends, or Friends except. If you select Friends except, Facebook will ask you to name the people you want to exclude.

Below that is "Who can see your friends list?" — most people leave this on Friends, but you can set it to Only me if you want to keep your connections private. Your friends will still know they are connected to you; this just hides the full list from others.

The "Who can look you up using the email address you provided?" and "Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?" settings control whether strangers can find your profile by searching your contact information. The default is Friends, but you can change it to Only me if you do not want people to discover you this way.

Controlling who can contact you and see your activity

Facebook lets you limit who can send you messages and friend requests. Under "Who can send you friend requests?" you can choose Everyone or Friends of friends. If you choose Friends of friends, only people who share a mutual connection with you can request to add you.

The "Who can send you messages?" setting is separate. You can allow messages from Everyone, Friends only, or Friends of friends. If you choose Friends only, messages from people outside your friends list will go to a separate folder called Message Requests, and you will not get a notification unless you check there.

You can also control who sees when you are active on Facebook. The "Who can see your active status?" setting lets you hide your online status from everyone, show it to Friends only, or show it to Everyone. If you turn this off, people cannot tell whether you are currently using Facebook, though they can still see when you were last active.

Limiting what apps and websites can see

Third-party apps and websites can request permission to see your Facebook data. In the Privacy section, look for "Apps and websites" — this shows every app you have ever connected to Facebook. You can click any app to see what information it can access and remove its permission entirely by clicking "Remove."

You can also control whether apps see your email address, phone number, or other profile details. Click "Edit" next to "Apps and websites" to change what information new apps can request. Most people set this to the minimum — apps do not need your phone number or email to function, and limiting access reduces the amount of data floating around.

Websites that have a "Log in with Facebook" button are also tracked here. If you see a website you no longer use, removing it takes seconds and stops that site from seeing your activity.

Hiding old posts without deleting them

If you posted something years ago that you want to hide from certain people, you do not have to delete it. Go to your profile, find the post, click the three dots in the top right corner of that post, and select "Edit the audience." You can then change who sees that specific post — choose Friends except and name the people you want to exclude, or set it to Only me to hide it from everyone.

This works for any post you created, including photos and status updates. The person you are hiding it from will not get a notification that you changed the audience — they straightforward will not see it anymore. If they saw it before you changed the setting, they already have the information, but new viewers will not find it.

Changing the audience of old posts is slower than changing your default privacy setting, so use it only for specific posts that bother you. For everything going forward, adjust your default "Who can see your posts?" setting instead.

Privacy settings for photos and tags

Facebook has separate controls for who can tag you in photos and posts. In the Privacy section, find "Who can tag you in posts and photos?" and set it to Friends, Friends of friends, or Everyone. If you set this to Friends, only your friends can tag you — strangers cannot tag you in their photos, which prevents you from appearing in their albums without your knowledge.

You can also control whether tags need your approval before they appear. Look for "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on your profile?" and turn this on. When someone tags you, the tag will be hidden until you approve it. This gives you a chance to untag yourself if the photo is unflattering or the tag is incorrect.

The "Who can see posts you have been tagged in on your profile?" setting controls whether people can see the photos and posts where you are tagged when they visit your profile. You can set this to Friends only if you want to keep tagged content more private.

Blocking and limiting specific people

If you want to hide your activity from one person without unfriending them, use the "Friends except" option on your privacy settings. When you post something, click the audience dropdown and select "Friends except," then type the person's name. That person will not see that post, but they will still be your friend and will not know you excluded them.

For stronger privacy, you can also restrict someone. Find their profile, click the three dots, and select "Restrict." A restricted person can still see your public posts, but they cannot see when you are active, whether you have read their messages, or your full friends list. They can still message you, but their messages go to Message Requests.

If you want to block someone entirely, click the three dots on their profile and select "Block." A blocked person cannot see your profile, message you, or find you in search. You can unblock them later if you change your mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing my privacy setting hide old posts from people who already saw them?

No. Changing your default privacy setting affects only new posts. If someone saw your post when it was public, they already have that information. To hide an old post from specific people, go to that post, click the three dots, select "Edit the audience," and choose who can see it.

What does "Friends except" actually do?

When you post something and set the audience to "Friends except," you name specific people who will not see that post. Those people remain your friends and will not receive a notification that you excluded them — they straightforward will not see that particular post in their feed.

Can I see what information apps have access to?

Yes. Go to Settings, click Privacy, then find "Apps and websites." You will see every app you have connected to Facebook and what information each one can access. Click any app to see details or remove its permission.

If I restrict someone, can they still message me?

Yes. A restricted person can still send you messages, but the messages go to your Message Requests folder instead of your main inbox, and you will not get a notification. You can read and respond to them if you choose, or ignore them.

What is the difference between blocking and restricting?

Blocking is complete — a blocked person cannot see your profile, message you, or find you in search. Restricting is lighter — a restricted person can still see your public posts and message you, but cannot see when you are active or your full friends list. Use restrict if you want to limit someone's access without fully cutting them off.