Facebook comments allow users to interact with posts and start conversations. However, some users may want more control over who can see their comments. Fortunately, Facebook provides options to limit the audience for comments.
Making Comments Private
The easiest way to control who sees a comment is to change the privacy setting for that specific comment. When writing a comment, click the audience selector below the comment box. This opens a menu where you can choose who can view that comment.
The options include:
- Public – Anyone can see the comment
- Friends – Only your friends can see the comment
- Friends except… – Friends except specific people you exclude
- Specific friends – Only friends you select can see the comment
- Only me – Only you can see the comment
Selecting any option other than Public will make the comment private. Friends, friends except, and specific friends allow you to choose who can see it from your friends list. The only me option makes it completely private.
Private Comment Indicators
When you post a private comment, Facebook adds an indicator saying who it’s visible to. This helps avoid confusion about whether others can see it. If the audience is only you, it will say “Visible only to you.” For other audiences like friends, it will say “Visible to [Audience].”
In addition, private comments are color-coded with a different background. This makes it easy to identify at a glance which comments are private.
Limiting All Comment Privacy
Making each comment private one-by-one can be time consuming. Fortunately, you can also set a default privacy setting for comments in your Facebook settings.
To do this:
- Click the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Select Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click Privacy on the left sidebar.
- Look for the “Who can see your future posts?” setting under Privacy.
- Click Edit, and change the Comments dropdown to your desired setting.
This will make all future comments use that privacy setting by default. You can still change the privacy for individual comments when posting them. But this spares you from manually adjusting it each time.
Privacy Options for All Comments
The visibility options for all comment defaults include:
- Public
- Friends
- Friends except…
- Specific friends…
- Only me
These are the same options available when changing privacy for a single comment. So you can choose the default that fits your commenting needs.
Controlling Visibility of Old Comments
Changing future comment privacy settings doesn’t affect existing comments. You’ll need to edit old public comments individually to make them private. Here’s how:
- Go to the post with the comment and click on the comment.
- Click the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select Edit Privacy.
- Choose who can now see the comment.
- Click Confirm to save the new privacy setting.
You can edit comment privacy this way for both old and new comments. It lets you adjust visibility at any time.
Bulk Editing Old Comments
For profiles with many public comments, editing them individually could take forever. Fortunately, Facebook offers a tool to edit multiple old comments at once.
To use the bulk editing tool:
- Go to your profile and click Comments below your cover photo.
- Click Manage All Comments on the right.
- Adjust the privacy setting dropdown and click Change Comments.
This will change the visibility for all comments matching the original setting. For example, you can change all public comments to friends-only with one click.
Preventing Comment Tags
Comment tagging is when someone includes your profile name with @ in a comment. This notifies you and links to your profile.
You may want to prevent tagging to limit tag notifications or keep your profile private. You can disable tagging in two ways:
- Turn off comment tagging in your Facebook settings. This prevents anyone from tagging you.
- Type your name manually without the @. Others can still type your name but it won’t tag.
To disable tags completely:
- Click the down arrow > Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click Privacy on the left sidebar.
- Toggle off “Who can tag you in posts/comments/Photos?”
With tagging off, your name appears normal text without linking or notifying you.
Drawbacks of Preventing Tags
While preventing comment tags provides more privacy, there are some drawbacks:
- You won’t be notified when mentioned in comments.
- It’s harder to track conversations mentioning you.
- People may tag the wrong profile with a similar name.
Consider your preferences and needs when deciding if you want to allow comment tagging or not.
Blocking Specific People From Commenting
You may want to prevent specific people from interacting with you on Facebook. Blocking them prevents them from commenting on your posts.
To block someone:
- Click the three dots next to a comment from that person.
- Select Block [Name].
- Confirm that you want to block them.
This stops them from commenting, tagging you, and viewing your profile. You can adjust block settings to customize what a blocked person can and can’t do.
Drawbacks of Blocking
While blocking stops unwanted interactions, it has some downsides:
- You won’t see any comments from a blocked person.
- They may still see some of your activity in public areas.
- Blocking is all-or-nothing rather than customized restrictions.
Consider whether limiting visibility for certain comments might work better before blocking someone completely.
Disabling Comments on Posts
Rather than manage privacy on each comment, you can disable commenting on individual posts. This provides full control over who can comment.
To disable comments when sharing a post, click the audience selector below the post and select “Don’t allow comments on this post.”
You can also disable comments on old posts. Click the three dots above the post and select “Turn off commenting.”
With commenting disabled, only you can react or interact with the post.
Benefits of Disabling Comments
- Total control over who interacts.
- Avoid unwanted conversations.
- Reduce noise and clutter.
The downside is it limits discussion. Consider your goals before disabling comment.
Deleting Comments
If a comment contains unwanted content, you can simply delete it. This completely removes the comment from Facebook.
To delete a comment:
- Click the three dots above the comment.
- Select Delete Comment.
- Confirm that you want to delete it.
The comment immediately disappears. Other people won’t be able to see, react, or reply to it.
When to Delete Comments
Some reasons you may want to delete a comment include:
- It shares private information.
- It contains harmful or abusive language.
- It’s spam or a repeat comment.
- The conversation has run its course.
Deleting cleans up the comment section and removes unwanted content. Keep in mind others may have seen the comment before it was deleted.
Hiding Comments Without Deleting
Instead of fully deleting a comment, you can temporarily hide it. This prevents others from seeing it until you unhide it.
To hide a comment:
- Click the three dots above the comment.
- Select Hide Comment.
The comment will disappear from view on Facebook. To unhide it:
- Go to the post and click View Hidden Comments.
- Click the three dots on the comment and select Unhide.
Reasons to Hide Instead of Delete
Hiding a comment allows you to remove it without fully deleting. Reasons you may want to temporarily hide a comment rather than permanently delete include:
- You want time to review or respond to the comment.
- It contains mild language violations.
- You want to privately discuss the comment with the poster before taking action.
Hiding gives more flexibility than deleting right away.
Preventing Comment Spam
Spam comments can clutter up post conversations. Here are some ways to prevent and reduce comment spam:
- Use comment privacy settings to limit visibility.
- Disable commenting on posts prone to spam.
- Moderate comments to quickly delete spam.
- Block users who repeatedly spam.
- Report spam comments to Facebook.
Enabling comment moderation can also filter spam. In moderation settings, toggle “Automatically filter comments with links” on.
Signs of a Spam Comment
Some red flags that indicate a comment may be spam include:
- Contains unrelated links or promotions
- Uses excessive caps, emojis, or repetition
- Sent from a dubious or fake profile
- Copied and pasted across multiple posts
Delete or report suspicious comments to help keep your comment section useful.
Using Comment Moderation
Facebook’s comment moderation tools allow controlling and reviewing comments before they are visible. Enabling this can filter spam and inappropriate comments.
To set up comment moderation:
- Click Comments below your cover photo.
- Click Manage Comments on the right.
- Enable comment moderation using the toggle.
With moderation on, comment visibility depends on your settings:
- Manual Approving – You review and approve each comment.
- Automatic filter – Facebook hides questionable comments for review.
The filters provide powerful moderation without approving every single comment manually.
Benefits of Comment Moderation
Enabling comment moderation provides these helpful benefits:
- Review comments before visibility
- Block spam and inappropriate language
- Automatically filter questionable comments
- Prevent unwanted conversations
The tradeoff is requiring more effort to manage settings and review comments.
Using Keywords to Filter Comments
Facebook moderation allows blocking comments with certain keywords, phrases, or names. This automatically hides comments for review if they contain banned words.
To set up keyword filtering:
- Go to comment moderation settings.
- Under Manual Filtering, click Add Keywords or Names.
- Enter banned words, phrases, or names. Click Save.
Keywords can include profanity, spam triggers, or other undesirable terms. Comments with those words will be hidden until approved.
Tips for Effective Keyword Filtering
To make the most of keyword filtering:
- Add common misspellings of banned words.
- Include variations like adding spaces or symbols.
- Filter entire phrases in addition to individual words.
- Regularly review and update banned terms.
Filtering keywords helps avoid unwanted comments without needing to approve every single one.
Troubleshooting Comment Privacy Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Public seeing private comments | Double check audience selector when commenting. Check privacy settings. |
| Can’t find privacy options | Make sure you’re using the latest Facebook app or site version. |
| Friends not seeing comments | Ensure friend is added on Facebook. Check they weren’t excluded. |
| Excluded friends seeing comment | Make sure spelling of names matches Facebook profiles. |
| Cannot tag friends in comments | Tagging may be disabled in your settings. Or post privacy prevents tags. |
Consult Facebook Help if issues persist. Report bugs or problems with comment privacy features.
Conclusion
Facebook provides many options to take control of comment privacy. You can limit visibility for each comment, change default privacy levels, and disable commenting. Tools like moderation give powerful filters to prevent unwanted conversations.
Use a combination of privacy settings, blocking, deleting, and disabling commenting to shape interactions. Find the right approach based on your preferences and goals for discussion.
Keep an eye out for new privacy options since Facebook frequently adds features. Find the right balance for your profile between public discussion and controlled commenting with family and friends.