Facebook is the world’s largest social networking platform, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of Q4 2021. On Facebook, users can connect with friends and family, join groups, follow Pages and public figures, share photos and videos, and more. Two key features on Facebook are liking and commenting on posts. When you like or comment on something on Facebook, by default it is public and visible to anyone who can see that post. However, Facebook does give you some options to control the privacy of your likes and comments.
Can you make your Facebook likes private?
Yes, you can make your Facebook likes private so that only you can see the posts and Pages you’ve liked. Here’s how:
Via Desktop
1. Go to Facebook.com and click on the arrow in the top right corner.
2. Select “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”.
3. On the left sidebar, click “Privacy”.
4. Under the “Your Activity” section, click on “Activity Log”.
5. Next to “Limit Past Posts”, click on the “Limit Old Posts” link.
6. In the popup box, switch “Limit Old Posts” to “On”.
7. Under “Who Can See Your Future Posts”, select “Only Me”.
8. Click “Review a Few Other Settings” at the bottom.
9. Under “How People Find and Contact You”, switch “Who can see your likes and reactions” to “Only Me”.
10. Scroll down and click “Save Changes”.
Once you limit old posts and set who can see your future likes to only yourself, all your current and future likes will be private. People visiting your profile will not see anything you’ve liked.
Via Mobile App
1. Open the Facebook app on your iPhone or Android.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines menu icon in the bottom right.
3. Scroll down and choose “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”.
4. Tap “Privacy”.
5. Under “Your Activity”, tap on “Limit Past Posts”.
6. Switch “Limit Old Posts” to the “On” position.
7. Tap “Limit Old Posts” again.
8. Select “Only Me” next to “Who Can See Your Future Posts”.
9. Tap “OK”.
10. Scroll back up and tap on “How People Find and Contact You”.
11. Change “Who Can See Your Likes and Reactions” to “Only Me”.
12. Tap “Back” and then “Done” to save your settings.
These steps will restrict your current and future likes to be viewable only by yourself going forward. You’ve now successfully made your Facebook likes private.
Can you make your Facebook comments private?
Yes, you can configure your Facebook comments to be private and only visible to you. Here’s how to do it:
Via Desktop
1. Go to Facebook.com and click the arrow in the top right.
2. Choose “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”.
3. Click on “Privacy” in the left sidebar.
4. Under “Your Activity”, click “Limit Past Posts”.
5. Next to “Limit Old Posts”, click “Limit Old Posts”.
6. In the popup, switch “Limit Old Posts” to “On”.
7. Under “Who Can See Your Future Posts”, select “Only Me”.
8. Click “Review a Few Other Settings”.
9. Under “How People Find and Contact You”, change “Who Can See Your Comments” to “Only Me”.
10. Scroll down and click “Save Changes”.
This will make all your current and new comments private moving forward. Only you can see your comments on posts when logged into your account.
Via Mobile App
1. Open the Facebook app and tap the hamburger menu.
2. Choose “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
3. Tap on “Privacy”.
4. Under “Your Activity”, tap “Limit Past Posts”.
5. Switch “Limit Old Posts” to the “On” position.
6. Tap “Limit Old Posts” again.
7. Select “Only Me” next to “Who Can See Your Future Posts”.
8. Tap “OK”.
9. Scroll up and tap “How People Find and Contact You”.
10. Change “Who Can See Your Comments” to “Only Me”.
11. Tap “Back” and “Done” to save.
Now your current and new comments will be private and only visible to you when logged into Facebook.
What happens when you make your likes and comments private?
When you configure your Facebook likes and comments to be private, here is what happens:
– Your current and future likes and comments will only be visible to you when logged into your account. No one else will be able to see them.
– Likes and comments you made in the past before enabling the privacy settings will still be visible to the audiences they were originally shared with. The privacy settings are not retrospective.
– You can still see the number of total likes and comments on posts, but won’t see names or profiles of individual people who liked/commented.
– Other people will not get notified when you like or comment on their posts since you have limited the audience.
– Your likes and comments will not appear on your friends’ News Feeds or your followers’ feeds.
– You can still interact with posts and express your opinions, but only you will be aware of it.
– Private likes and comments will not be visible on public Pages and profiles you visit. Only you can see your activity.
So in summary, making your likes and comments private limits their visibility to just yourself. It gives you more control over your activity without affecting how you use Facebook.
Should you make your likes and comments private?
Here are some pros and cons to weigh when deciding whether to make your Facebook likes and comments private:
Pros
– Increased privacy and control over who sees your activity.
– Avoid embarrassing or problematic situations if people see your interactions.
– Reduce clutter for your friends and followers by eliminating your likes/comments from their feeds.
– Focus more on your own Facebook experience rather than what others will think.
– Your employer or coworkers won’t see your likes and comments if connected.
– Don’t have to worry about liking or commenting on something controversial publicly.
Cons
– Lose out on public social validation when friends/followers like and comment on your posts.
– Harder for Pages and creators you support to track your engagement.
– Some of the social fun is lost when your interactions are totally private.
– Friends may interact with you less if they don’t see your likes and comments.
– More difficult to find and reconnect with people you’ve interacted with.
So in summary, the pros are increased privacy and control while the cons revolve around reduced visibility and social activity. You’ll have to evaluate which set of factors matter more to you.
Conclusion
You can definitely make your likes and comments private on Facebook so that only you can see your activity. This gives you greater control over your privacy.
To do this, you need to limit your past posts, restrict visibility of future posts, and customize your privacy settings around likes/comments. The process is simple on both desktop and mobile.
Going private does mean losing out on some social aspects of Facebook, but enhances privacy. Think about what matters most to you and how visible you want your interactions to be. That will guide your decision on whether to keep your likes and comments public or make them private.