What "private" means on Facebook and why you might want it
Making your Facebook account private means changing who can see your posts, photos, friend list, and profile information. When your account is private, only people you have accepted as friends can see most of what you share. Strangers and people not on your friends list cannot view your posts, send you messages without a request, or see details like your email or phone number if you have not shared them publicly.
People often make their accounts private to control who knows where they are, what they are doing, or personal details about their life. If you use Facebook for work or professional reasons, a private account keeps your personal life separate. If you are concerned about identity theft or someone tracking your location, privacy settings are one layer of protection.
Facebook's default settings have changed over the years, but your account may still show some information to people outside your friends list. The steps below show you how to lock down the most common places where your data is visible.
Key Takeaways
- You control privacy through Facebook's Settings menu, not through a single "make private" button — each type of content has its own setting.
- Your profile visibility, post audience, friend list visibility, and search visibility are four separate controls you should check and adjust.
- Even after changing settings, old posts you shared publicly will remain public unless you go back and change each one individually.
- Facebook Messenger requests from non-friends go to a separate folder, but people can still send them — changing this requires a specific setting in Messenger.
- Deactivating your account hides it entirely; deleting it removes it permanently after 30 days, but neither option is the same as making it private.
How to change who sees your posts going forward
Open Facebook on a computer or phone and go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Privacy. Under "Who can see your posts?" you will see a dropdown menu — click it and choose "Friends" if you want only people on your friends list to see new posts. If you choose "Friends" here, only friends can see posts you make from this point forward.
This setting does not change old posts you made when your account was set to public. If you have years of public posts, you can use Facebook's "Limit Past Posts" feature in the same Privacy menu. Click "Limit Past Posts" and confirm — this changes all old posts to "Friends only" in one action. Note that this does not delete the posts; it just changes who can see them.
Every time you make a new post, you will also see an audience selector (usually a small icon showing "Friends," "Public," or a custom group). You can override the default setting for individual posts by clicking that icon before you post.
How to hide your friend list and profile details
In the same Privacy menu, look for "Who can see your friends list?" and set it to "Friends only" or "Only me." If you choose "Only me," not even your friends will see the full list — only you can see it. This prevents strangers from using your friend list to find other people or build a map of your social circle.
Next, find "Who can look you up using the email address you provided?" and "Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?" Set both to "Friends" or "Only me." This stops people from finding your account by searching your email or phone number.
Go to your profile page and check what information is visible there. Click the three dots near your profile picture and select "Edit Profile." Review each section — work, education, phone number, email, hometown, current city. Click the audience icon next to each field and change it from "Public" to "Friends only" or "Only me." Information you do not want to share at all can be left blank.
How to control who can send you messages and friend requests
In Settings & Privacy, go to Settings, then Inbox. Under "Message Requests," you can choose who can message you. If you set this to "Friends only," people who are not your friends cannot send you direct messages — their messages go to a separate "Message Requests" folder that you can ignore or delete without reading.
For friend requests, go to Privacy in Settings. Look for "Who can send you friend requests?" and change it from "Everyone" to "Friends of friends" if you want to limit who can request you. This does not prevent strangers from sending requests, but it narrows the pool to people who share at least one mutual friend with you.
If someone is harassing you through messages or requests, you can block them. Search for their name, go to their profile, click the three dots, and select "Block." A blocked person cannot message you, see your profile, or send you a friend request.
How to control who can tag you in photos and posts
In Settings & Privacy, go to Settings, then Privacy. Find "Who can see posts you are tagged in on your timeline?" and set it to "Friends only" or "Only me." This controls whether people can see the posts and photos where someone else has tagged you.
Next, look for "Who can tag you in posts and comments?" and change it to "Friends only." This does not stop people from tagging you, but it limits who can do the tagging. If you want to review tags before they appear on your profile, find "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on your timeline?" and turn it on. When someone tags you, you will get a notification and can approve or reject the tag.
What to do about old public posts
If you have been on Facebook for years and made posts when your account was public, those posts are still public even after you change your privacy settings. The "Limit Past Posts" feature changes the audience for old posts, but only if you use it. Go to Settings & Privacy, Settings, Privacy, and click "Limit Past Posts." Confirm the action, and Facebook will change all posts made before that moment to "Friends only."
If you want to delete specific old posts instead of just hiding them, you have to do it manually. Go to your profile, click "Posts," and scroll through your history. Click the three dots on any post and select "Delete." This removes the post entirely. For accounts with many years of posts, this can take a long time, so many people use the "Limit Past Posts" option instead.
Deactivating versus deleting versus making private
Making your account private is different from deactivating or deleting it. A private account still exists and is still active — you can still log in, post, and message. Deactivating your account hides it from Facebook temporarily; your name and profile disappear from search results and other people's friend lists, but your account can be reactivated if you log back in. Deleting your account is permanent — after 30 days, Facebook removes all your data, and you cannot get the account back.
If you want to keep using Facebook but control who sees your information, making your account private is the right choice. If you want to step away from Facebook entirely but might come back, deactivation is reversible. If you want to leave permanently, deletion is the final option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can people still find me on Facebook if my account is private?
Yes, people can still find your profile through search or if they know your name, but they cannot see your posts, photos, or most of your profile information until you accept them as a friend. If you also change your search visibility settings to "Friends only," fewer people will find you in search results, but people who know your exact name may still locate your profile.
If I make my account private, will my old public posts become private automatically?
No. Changing your privacy settings only affects new posts you make going forward. Old posts remain at whatever privacy level they were set to when you posted them. Use the "Limit Past Posts" feature to change all old posts to "Friends only" at once, or delete old posts individually if you prefer.
What happens to messages from people who are not my friends?
If you set your message settings to "Friends only," messages from non-friends go to a separate "Message Requests" folder. You can see them, but they do not show up in your main inbox. You can read, delete, or ignore them without the sender knowing. You can also block the person if they are harassing you.
Does making my account private protect me from identity theft?
A private account reduces the amount of personal information available to strangers, which makes it harder for someone to impersonate you or use your details for fraud. However, privacy settings are not a complete security solution. Use a strong password, enable two-factor authentication, and avoid sharing sensitive information like your Social Security number or financial details anywhere on Facebook.
Can I make my account private on my phone?
Yes. Open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines (menu), go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings, then Privacy. The same options are available on mobile as on a computer. The steps are the same, though the layout may look slightly different depending on whether you use iPhone or Android.