Yes, it is possible to make your Facebook profile completely private so that only you can see it. Facebook has privacy settings that allow you to control who can view your profile, posts, photos and other content. By adjusting these settings, you can limit visibility to just yourself.
Why Make Facebook Profile Visible Only to You?
There are a few key reasons why someone may want to make their Facebook presence completely private:
– Avoid unwanted contacts – By locking down settings, you prevent random friends of friends or distant acquaintances from looking you up. This allows you to avoid unwanted friend requests or messages.
– Increased privacy – Making your profile fully private gives you complete control over who can access any of your info. This prevents snooping from nosy relatives, co-workers or anyone else you don’t want nosing around your profile.
– Take a break from social media – If you need a digital detox but don’t want to fully delete your profile, you can essentially hide it from yourself for a while by making it invisible. This removes the temptation to check notifications or scroll the News Feed while still preserving your profile.
– Avoid online harassment – Unfortunately online harassment is a real problem for some groups, especially women. Making yourself totally invisible to everyone except confirmed friends is one way to protect yourself from unwelcome attention.
How to Make Facebook Profile Visible Only to You
Making your Facebook presence completely incognito is a multi-step process of adjusting various privacy and visibility settings. Here is an overview of what’s involved:
Step 1 – Adjust Privacy Settings
– Go to Settings > Privacy
– Under “Who can see your future posts?” select Only Me. This hides new posts from anyone but you.
– For “Who can send you friend requests?” choose Only Me to block new friend requests.
– Do the same for “Who can see your friends list” and “Who can look you up using the email address you provided”.
Step 2 – Limit Visibility of Past Posts
– Under Privacy Settings, go to Limit Past Posts
– Change visibility of previous posts to Only Me by clicking on each post and adjusting audience
– You can also bulk-change all prior posts to be visible Only to Me
Step 3 – Review App Settings
– Go to Settings > Apps and Websites
– Remove any app you don’t want having access to your info
– Change visibility of profile info accessible to remaining apps to Only Me
Step 4 – Adjust Ad Settings
– Go to Settings > Ads
– Opt out of allowing your information to be used for ads targeting
– Disable ads based on data from partners and Facebook products
Step 5 – Lock Down Your Profile
– Go to your public profile and click on the three dots in the upper right
– Select View As…
– Preview what your profile looks like to the public or to specific friends
– If anything is still visible, adjust privacy settings until only you see it
Other Ways to Increase Facebook Privacy
In addition to the steps above, here are some other tips for locking down your Facebook profile:
– Remove timeline cover photo – This displays publicly so upload a blank or generic image
– Delete your profile and cover photos – You can still see them but no one else can
– Turn off search engine indexing – This prevents your profile from showing up in Google/Bing searches
– Change username to something unsearchable – Ditch your real name for something more anonymous
– Remove all friends – Keeping your profile completely empty of connections ensures maximum privacy
– Disable read receipts and typing indicators – Prevent others from knowing when you’ve read their messages or are typing a reply
– Use extra authentication methods – Set up two-factor authentication and login approvals for added security on your invisible account
Pros and Cons of a Fully Private and Hidden Facebook Profile
While limiting Facebook visibility has clear privacy advantages, there are also some potential drawbacks to weigh:
Pros
– Total control over who can access your info and content
– Avoid spam friend requests and messages
– Reduce social media addiction by removing app visibility
– Stop worrying about oversharing personal details
– Prevent snooping from co-workers, relatives, exes or other unwanted connections
Cons
– Lose touch with friends and family who can no longer see your posts and updates
– Unable to share photos, life events or news to your broad network
– Disconnect from groups and events you enjoy on Facebook
– Miss out on notifications for page posts and live videos you follow
– Lose access to Facebook services and features that require a public profile
How to Restore Default Facebook Visibility Settings
If you decide you want to restore your Facebook profile to its original public visibility, you simply need to reverse the steps taken to hide it. Here’s an overview:
Reset Privacy Settings
– Go back through each privacy setting and change it from Only Me back to the default Public, Friends or Custom setting
– Change settings for who can send requests, see posts, see friends list, etc. back to original defaults
Make Old Posts Visible Again
– Go to Limit Past Posts and remove all visibility limits
– Posts will return to their original audience settings
Re-enable Apps
– Under App Settings, re-authorize any apps you want to have access again
– Grant apps permission to access your public info as desired
Turn Ads Back On
– Go to Ad Settings and enable ads based on partner data and Facebook data
– Allow your info to be used again for targeted advertising
Confirm Public Profile
– Use View As tool to check what general public or friends can now see
– Restore original profile and cover photos, friends, featured posts etc.
Conclusion
Making your Facebook presence completely invisible and private is absolutely possible by tweaking various account and privacy settings. This allows you to limit visibility to just yourself. Before doing so, weigh the pros and cons of disconnecting your profile from friends, family and services that may rely on accessing your Facebook account. But if privacy is your top concern, locking down all settings fully is an option to severely restrict who can see your profile and activity.