Does Facebook automatically hide your friends list?

Facebook allows users to control the visibility of their friends list through their privacy settings. By default, Facebook shows a limited set of friends on your profile. However, users can choose to hide their full friends list from public view if they wish.

Does Facebook hide some of your friends by default?

Yes, Facebook does automatically hide some friends from your public profile by default. Specifically, Facebook only shows your “Close Friends” on your profile’s friends list to the public.

The rest of your connections are hidden from public view but visible to your other friends on Facebook. This allows you to connect with lots of people while only showcasing your closest friends publicly.

Why does Facebook hide some friends by default?

There are a few reasons why Facebook hides some of your friends from your public profile by default:

Privacy – By only showcasing your Close Friends publicly, Facebook gives you more control over your privacy. This prevents random strangers from being able to see your full friends list.
Relevancy – Your Close Friends are likely the connections most relevant to someone viewing your public profile. Hiding other friends declutters your profile.

Control – The default settings allow you to control what connections are publicly visible. You can customize as needed.
Adoption – Since most people don’t change default settings, this approach helps encourage user adoption of the platform.

So in summary, it comes down to privacy, relevancy and user control. The default settings balance making connections while preventing oversharing.

How many friends are visible by default?

By default, Facebook will showcase between 10-15 of your Close Friends on your public profile. The exact number may vary a bit depending on your settings and number of close connections.

These Close Friends are selected algorithmically based on factors like:

How frequently you interact with them on Facebook

How recently you’ve interacted with them
The total number of connections you share
Whether they are family members

So in most cases, your public friends list will showcase between 10-15 of your closest, most frequently interacted with connections on Facebook.

Can you view your full friends list?

Yes, you can view your full friends list containing all of your Facebook friends through your account settings:

Click on the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page.

Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
Click “Settings”.
Click “Friends” in the left sidebar.

Click “View All Friends” to see your full list.

This will display your full list of Facebook friends that are hidden from public view. You can browse through them here.

How do you customize your visible friends list?

You can customize which friends are visible on your public profile through your Facebook privacy settings:

Go to your Profile page.
Click the “Friends” box just below your cover photo.
Click the pencil icon to edit your friends list settings.

Select “Edit List” to choose which friends to showcase.
Click “Review All Friends” to browse your full friends list.
Hover over each friend and click “Add to Another List” to add them to your public list.

Click “Done” when you’ve customized your list as desired.

This allows you to hand-pick which friends show up on your public profile. You can showcase as many or as few friends as you like this way.

Can you completely hide your friends list?

Yes, you can configure your Facebook settings to completely hide your friends list from public view if you wish. To do so:

Go to your profile page.
Click on the “Friends” box just below your cover photo.
Click the pencil icon to edit your friends list settings.

Select “Only Me” from the audience selector dropdown.
Click “Confirm” to hide your friends list from everyone.

This will prevent anyone from seeing any portion of your friends list publicly. You can always change it back later if desired.

Pros of hiding your full friends list

Here are some of the advantages to hiding your full friends list instead of leaving it public:

Privacy – Keeping your full friends list private protects your contacts’ privacy as well.
Security – It reduces the ability for strangers to data mine your connections.

Relevancy – Showcasing your closest friends keeps your profile focused.
Cleanliness – It presents a tidier public profile compared to hundreds of connections.
Professionalism – For work accounts, it keeps your profile appropriately focused.

In general, hiding your full friends list helps protect your privacy while showcasing your closest connections.

Cons of hiding your full friends list

Here are some potential disadvantages to keeping your full friends list private:

Less Transparency – It may appear like you are hiding something.

More Difficult Discovery – Friends of friends can’t browse your full connections.
Less Context – Visitors get less insight into your life and connections.
Reduced Engagement – There are fewer pathways for people to interact and connect with you.

Higher Maintenance – You have to manually add close friends to your public list.

So balancing privacy with transparency takes some consideration when configuring your settings.

Should you hide your full friends list?

Whether you should hide your full friends list depends on your specific goals and privacy concerns:

If you want to showcase your closest friends while protecting your privacy, hiding your list is recommended.
If you want maximum transparency and engagement, keeping it public may work better.
For professional profiles, hiding your list can be advisable to focus on relevant connections.

If you have privacy concerns around certain connections being visible, hiding your list gives you more control.

There is no one “right” approach that fits everyone’s needs. Evaluate your own preferences and priorities to decide what works best for your profile. You can always change these settings later on as well.

How can you tell if someone has hidden their friends list?

Here are some signs that someone may have hidden their full friends list on Facebook:

They only have a small number of friends (e.g. under 50) displayed.
You know they have way more connections from personal interactions.
Their profile says “X chose to show their close friends on their profile.” when you try to view all friends.

You can’t click on “See all friends” or browse their full friends list.
You have mutual friends that don’t show up on their profile.

If you notice these indicators, it likely means they have customized their friends list privacy settings beyond the default. Their full friends list is hidden from public view as a result.

Should you ask someone why they hid their friends list?

It’s generally not recommended to directly ask someone why they hid their Facebook friends list. Here are some reasons why:

It can come across as invasive, confrontational or judgmental.
They may have personal privacy reasons they do not wish to discuss.

You can’t assume their motivations – curiosity drives more questions than answers.
They may find the question awkward, inappropriate or annoying.
It’s ultimately their personal choice what to share or hide on their profile.

Rather than asking directly, it’s better to simply respect their privacy. If they wish to share their reasons with someone, they will do so voluntarily. The decision on what connections to showcase is a personal one.

How can you tell if someone blocked you vs hiding their list?

Trying to view someone’s full friends list and finding it hidden doesn’t necessarily mean you are blocked. However, you can check for a block by:

Searching for their profile from a mutual friend’s account. If it doesn’t come up, you are likely blocked.

Looking for their comments on mutual friends’ posts. If you can never see their comments, they probably blocked you.
Checking if you can still view their public content or interact with them. If not, it is likely a block.
Seeing if old messages disappear from your inbox thread. Vanished messages indicate a block.

So while a hidden friends list alone doesn’t confirm a block, combined with these other signs it becomes clear. A block prevents any viewing or interacting in either direction.

Conclusion

In summary, Facebook does automatically hide most friends from your public profile by default. This allows you to showcase your closest friends while maintaining your privacy. If desired, you can fully customize or hide your friends list through your account settings. Consider both the benefits and downsides of showcasing your connections publicly before configuring your privacy settings.

Pros of Hiding Friends List	Cons of Hiding Friends List
– Increased privacy	– Appearance of hiding something
– Enhanced security	– Reduced discoverability
– Focus on closest connections	– Less context provided
– Tidier public profile	– Lower engagement potential
– Professional focus (work accounts)	– Manual list maintenance

Evaluate your own priorities, connections, and goals when deciding whether to showcase your Facebook friends publicly or keep them private. Just know the option is there in your settings either way.