Facebook allows users to control the privacy settings for who can view their profile and activity. By default, your Facebook profile link is visible to the public, allowing anyone to access your profile even if they are not friends with you on Facebook. However, you can change your settings to limit who can see your profile link.
Is your Facebook profile link public by default?
Yes, when you first create a Facebook account, your profile link is public by default. This means that anyone can see and access your profile, even people who are not your Facebook friends. Your profile link is the web address that leads directly to your profile, usually in the format www.facebook.com/yourusername.
For example, if your username is johnappleseed, your public profile link would be www.facebook.com/johnappleseed. Anyone who clicks on or searches for that link can view your profile information, photos, posts, and more.
What can someone see if your profile link is public?
If your Facebook profile link is public, here are some of the things that are visible to anyone viewing your profile:
- Your profile picture
- Your cover photo
- Your username
- Any information you have made public on your profile, like your workplace, education, location, relationship status, etc.
- Your list of friends and followers
- Any public posts or photos you’ve shared
- Comments you’ve left on public posts
- Groups and Pages you’ve liked
- Mutual friends you share with the viewer
So someone could potentially see a good amount of information about you if your profile is public. They would have a snapshot of your profile details, connections, activities, interests, photos, and more.
How can you make your Facebook profile link private?
If you want to make your Facebook profile link private, go to your Facebook Settings and adjust the privacy options:
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings”.
- In the left sidebar, click “Privacy”.
- Go to the “How people find and contact you” section.
- Disable the toggle for “Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?”
- Change the “Who can see your future posts?” setting to “Friends” or a more limited audience.
- Change “Who can see your friends list?” to “Only Me” or another option you’re comfortable with.
- Change “Who can look you up using the email address you provided?” to “Friends” or “Only Me”.
With these settings adjusted, your profile link will no longer show up in public Facebook searches. Only your Facebook friends will be able to navigate directly to your profile.
Are there any exceptions?
In some cases, certain people may still be able to see your Facebook profile link even if you’ve made it private:
- Friends of friends – If you allow “Friends of Friends” to see any part of your profile, your link may be visible to connections beyond just your friends.
- Linked accounts – If you’ve connected your Facebook account to other apps or services, your profile link may be accessible through them.
- Pages and Groups – If you are an admin of a Facebook Page or Group, people can navigate to your personal profile from there.
- Mutual friends – Even if your link is private, mutual friends can still potentially share it with others.
- Your network – Depending on your settings, some of your school, work, or location networks may still be able to search for and view parts of your profile.
So while making your profile private limits public access, be aware that some people within your network may still potentially see your profile link.
Can you have a completely invisible Facebook profile?
It is not possible to make your Facebook completely invisible or hidden from everyone. Facebook requires users to provide their real identity, and your profile must be visible to at least your confirmed friends.
However, here are some steps you can take to have the most private profile possible:
- Make your profile fully private by adjusting your privacy settings.
- Decline or delete friend requests from people you don’t know.
- Remove yourself from public search directories.
- Block any users that you don’t want accessing your profile.
- Limit old posts and photos through the “Limit Past Posts” privacy setting.
- Go through and delete any old posts, photos, or details you don’t want public.
- Disable your Facebook activity status so no one sees when you’re online.
While this will make your profile very private, it still cannot be completely invisible to all users. There will always be some basic profile information visible to your accepted friends.
Should you make your Facebook profile link private?
Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether to make your Facebook profile link public or private:
- Privacy – Making your link private limits what strangers can see about your personal life, connections, and activities.
- Security – A private link reduces the chances of being targeted by scammers, hackers, or spammers online.
- Professionalism – Employers or colleagues may view a public social media presence unprofessionally.
- Usage – A public link makes it easier for people to find and connect with you on Facebook.
- Searchability – Having a public link means your profile can show up in searches by name.
- Accessibility – Friends and family may find it inconvenient to not be able to freely share your profile link.
In general, keeping your profile private boosts your privacy and security with minimal effect on legitimate access to your profile. But you can decide what balance is right for your needs.
What happens if you deactivate your Facebook account?
If you deactivate your Facebook account, your profile link will no longer work. It will result in an error page saying that the content is unavailable. Your profile information remains saved for if you choose to later reactivate your account.
However, deactivating your account does not free up your username. No one else will be able to register using your past username. If you joined Facebook again in the future, your old profile link would still take you to your profile.
Permanently deleting your Facebook account is the only way to completely remove your profile link and associated data. But this process is irreversible.
Conclusion
By default, Facebook sets profile links to be public, allowing anyone to access and view your profile information. But through your privacy settings, you can limit access to just friends or even greater restrictions. While it’s not possible to make your profile completely invisible on Facebook, setting your link to private gives you much greater control over who can see details about your personal life and activity.
| Setting | Public | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Default profile link visibility | Public to all users | Only visible to friends |
| Accessibility | Shareable, shows in searches | Harder to share and find |
| Information visibility | All public info visible | Limited info visible |
| Privacy and security | Lower | Higher |
Key Takeaways
- Facebook profile links are public by default, allowing anyone to access your profile.
- You can change privacy settings to limit access to friends or smaller audiences.
- With a private profile, only certain bio details and posts are visible.
- Deactivating your account removes the profile link, deleting removes it permanently.
- Making your profile private enhances privacy and security.