Facebook’s privacy settings allow you to control who can see your posts, photos, videos, and more. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook hosts a ton of personal information, so it’s important to adjust your privacy settings to your comfort level.
Here are some quick answers about Facebook privacy settings:
– Facebook’s default privacy settings are public. This means anyone can see your posts, profile info, photos, videos, and more unless you customize your settings.
– You can make posts visible to only your Facebook friends vs public. The same goes for photos, videos, comments, and more.
– Limit old posts and profile info visibility. Facebook allows you to limit which past posts are visible.
– Control who can search for you on Facebook and see your public profile.
– Review and limit app permissions so random games/quizzes don’t access all your data.
– Limit ad targeting in your Ad Preferences so advertisers have less data to target you with ads.
– Use tools like Activity Log and Access Your Information to manage your Facebook data.
– Set up Legacy Contacts to let someone manage your account if you pass away.
Who can see my Facebook posts?
When you post something on Facebook, you can choose who is able to see that post by selecting your privacy settings. By default, Facebook sets your posts to be public, which means anyone on or off Facebook can see them. Here are the options for post privacy settings:
Public
Public posts can be seen by anyone on or off Facebook. Public posts also appear in search engines like Google. Setting posts to public means there are no restrictions on who can see that post.
Friends
Friends settings means only people you are friends with on Facebook can see your posts. Friends of friends cannot see posts set to this privacy level.
Friends except…
With this setting, you can post something so all your friends can see it except for those you uncheck from seeing the post. For example, you can share a post and prevent your boss or coworkers from seeing it.
Specific friends
You can also post something and select only certain friends to view it. For example, you can post something meant just for your closest friends and exclude other friends.
Only me
Setting a post to be viewable by only you makes it private. No one else, including your Facebook friends, can see posts set to this privacy level. You can still go back and edit the audiences for past posts at any time.
How do I review my privacy settings?
Facebook’s Settings menu lets you review and adjust various privacy options. Here’s how to access it:
1. Click the arrow in the top right of any Facebook page.
2. Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
3. Click “Settings” in the left column.
4. Click “Privacy” on the left sidebar.
This will open your Privacy Settings page. From here you can:
– Review who can see your posts by default.
– Manage your audience selector for posts so friends except specific people.
– Limit profile visibility settings like your bio, featured photos, posts you’re tagged in, and more.
– Review which apps you’ve given permission to access your data.
– Adjust ad setting preferences.
– Manage your blocking settings.
– Set visibility for future posts.
It’s a good idea to review your privacy settings every so often to make sure you still agree with the privacy level for all the info you share on Facebook.
How do I limit who can see my past posts?
For posts you’ve already shared, you can limit their visibility so only specific people can see them. Here’s how:
1. Click the three line “hamburger” icon in the top right of Facebook.
2. Select “Activity Log”.
3. Click “Posts” in the left menu.
4. This will show you a feed of only your past posts. For each post, click the three dots at the top right.
5. Select “Edit audience” or for images/videos select “Edit privacy”.
6. Choose who you want to be able to see that post. You can select friends, only me, custom friends, or public.
7. Click “Confirm” to save the new audience.
8. Repeat for each post you want to adjust.
This lets you easily go back and make old posts more private if needed. You can access your post history any time to make updates.
How do I manage my profile privacy?
You can control who gets to see certain sections of your Facebook profile. Here’s how to update profile privacy:
1. Go to your Privacy Settings.
2. Click “Profile Privacy” in the left menu.
3. Here you can toggle different parts of your profile on and off from public visibility:
– Bio and featured photos
– Friends list and family members
– Relationship status, work info, education
– Posts you’re tagged in
– Birthdate
– Contact info like phone, email, address
– “About” details like places lived, relationship details, bio.
4. For each section, use the dropdown to select who can view it. Options include public, friends, only me, or custom friends list.
5. Click “Review a few important privacy settings” to enable settings like who can look you up with your phone number or email address.
Adjusting profile privacy prevents random strangers from accessing personal info tied to your Facebook profile. You can still share details publicly on your timeline while limiting profile visibility.
How do I manage post visibility for friends except certain people?
Facebook offers advanced privacy settings for status updates called Friends Except. This allows you to post something while excluding certain friends from seeing it. To use this:
1. When writing a post, click on the audience selector, it defaults to public.
2. Choose “Friends except” from the dropdown menu.
3. Type in the names of friends you want to exclude from seeing this post.
4. Click “Save Changes”.
5. Post as normal.
That post will now be visible by all your friends except those you excluded. This lets you post while preventing specific people like coworkers, your boss, or acquaintances from seeing certain posts. You can customize the list each time you post something new.
How do I review and limit app permissions?
Every Facebook app you connect asks for permission to access your data. It’s important to review these and make sure you’re comfortable with the access level. Here’s how to manage app permissions:
1. Click the dropdown arrow and select “Settings & Privacy”.
2. Choose “Settings”.
3. Click “Apps and Websites” in the left sidebar.
4. Toggle “Apps, Websites and Games” to the on position.
5. Under “Active”, you’ll see a list of all apps you’ve given access to and what data they can see.
6. To remove access, hover over the app and click “Remove”.
7. Under “Expired”, view apps you’ve disconnected from in the past.
8. Click “Logged In with Facebook” to see sites you use Facebook to log in to.
9. Toggle platform permissions off if needed.
Regularly reviewing and limiting app access ensures random games, quizzes, websites and connected apps don’t have access to personal data like your friend list, email address, hometown and more. Only leave access to apps you actually use.
How do I adjust my ad preferences?
Facebook uses your personal data to determine which ads are most relevant to show you. You can review these interests and limit data used for ads. Here’s how:
1. Click the arrow and select “Settings & Privacy”.
2. Click “Settings”.
3. Select “Ads” in the left menu.
4. Under “Advertisers and Businesses”, click “Your Information”.
5. Click “Your Categories”.
6. Review the list of interests Facebook thinks you have based on activity.
7. Remove any categories you want excluded from advertising targeting.
8. Under “Your Information”, click “Your interests”.
9. Toggle categories on/off to prevent or allow ads related to them.
10. Under “Ad Settings” further limit data used for ads by toggling options on/off.
Adjusting ad preferences limits the personal data advertisers can use to target you with their ads. However, it does not stop ads from appearing entirely.
How do I download a copy of my Facebook data?
Facebook allows you to download all the data associated with your account. Here’s how to access and download it:
1. Click the arrow and select “Settings & Privacy”.
2. Click “Settings”.
3. Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu.
4. Select “Download Your Information”.
5. Toggle categories to select the types of data to download. Options include posts, photos, videos, friends list, your activity, ads, and more.
6. Click “Create File”. Facebook will prepare a download of your selected data.
7. Once ready, you’ll get a notification to download your data. Click the link in the notification to view the download.
8. Save the download .ZIP file to your computer. Extract it to view your Facebook data files.
9. Optionally, set a reminder to download your info on a regular basis to monitor your Facebook activity.
Downloading your Facebook data lets you see your complete profile info, posts, photos and more in an exportable file format. It’s a good way to backup your Facebook data for personal records.
How do I permanently delete my Facebook account?
If you no longer want a Facebook account, you can permanently delete it:
1. Click the account arrow and select “Settings & Privacy”.
2. Click “Settings”.
3. Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu.
4. Select “Deactivation and Deletion”.
5. Choose “Delete Account” and click “Continue to Account Deletion”.
6. Select your reason for deleting and click “Continue to Account Deletion”.
7. Enter your password and click “Permanently delete account”.
8. Click “Delete Account” to confirm.
Once deleted, your profile, photos, posts, videos, and all other account data is permanently gone. You have a limited window of 10 days to log back in and cancel the deletion if you change your mind.
Deactivating is temporary, but deletion is permanent. Deleting removes your account and info from Facebook, Messenger and Instagram if linked. It’s irreversible, so only delete if you’re absolutely certain.
How do I memorialize or delete a deceased person’s account?
Facebook allows you to either memorialize or delete the account of someone who has passed away:
– Memorialize – This freezes the account as-is. Friends can still post condolences but profile info is locked.
– Delete – This permanently deletes the account and all associated data.
To adjust account settings for a deceased friend or relative:
1. Click “Memorialization Request” on their profile. Or visit facebook.com/help/contact/382278911846699 directly.
2. Select whether you want to memorialize or delete the account.
3. Fill in your information, your relationship to the deceased, and their name, birthday and email address.
4. Click submit and Facebook will process your request.
5. If approved, the account will be memorialized or deleted based on your selection.
Memorializing keeps the account and memories accessible while protecting privacy. Deleting removes all associated data permanently but can be done upon request.
How do I improve my Facebook privacy outside of settings?
Beyond the standard privacy settings, there are additional ways to be smart about protecting your privacy on Facebook:
– Be selective about friend requests. Don’t accept from strangers.
– Customize your audience when posting and use Friends lists.
– Limit old posts visibility with the Activity Log.
– Don’t take questionable apps and games that ask for data access.
– Use aliases or nicknames where possible instead of full names.
– Be vague about birthdays and use Years Only instead of full dates.
– Don’t post addresses, phone numbers or emails publicly.
– Limit profile visibility when job searching or pursuing opportunities privately.
– Don’t use your personal Facebook for work – make a page instead for professional use.
– Review tagging notifications and untag yourself from unwanted posts.
– Don’t check in to locations or use location services on posts.
– Use extra privacy measures if posting publicly sensitive content.
– Never share passwords or login credentials.
– Enable two-factor authentication for account security.
– Consider using a VPN if accessing Facebook on unsecured networks.
– Log out of Facebook when using public computers.
Conclusion
Facebook’s evolving privacy settings let you customize exactly who sees your posts, how people find you, what info is tied to your profile, and more. Take the time to review all your privacy settings on both desktop and mobile and make adjustments for your comfort level. Limit old post visibility, be selective about app permissions, update your profile privacy, and leverage settings like Friends Except lists for maximum control. Monitor your privacy on Facebook as a whole and not just via your settings. With over 2 billion active users, Facebook hosts a ton of personal data – so lock it down by using the platform’s robust privacy settings coupled with smart privacy habits.