Changing your Facebook cover photo is a great way to update your profile and showcase a new photo. However, you may not want the new cover photo to be announced in all of your friends’ News Feeds. Luckily, Facebook provides a way to change your cover photo without having it appear in other people’s feeds. In this article, we will go over the steps to change your Facebook cover photo privately.
Understanding News Feed Visibility
Whenever you make a major change to your profile on Facebook, such as changing your cover photo, profile picture, or relationship status, Facebook considers that a “Life Event.” Life events are announced in your friends’ News Feeds so they can see what’s new with you.
This makes sense in many cases. For example, when you change your relationship status to “In a Relationship,” you likely want your friends to know you’re dating someone new. However, you may not need everyone to be notified when you simply update your cover photo.
The good news is you can control the visibility of your cover photo change. By adjusting some settings, you can upload a new cover photo without having it appear in any News Feeds.
Step 1: Upload New Cover Photo
First, upload the new cover photo you want just like you normally would:
1. Click on your profile picture at the top of your News Feed.
2. Select “Update Cover Photo” from the dropdown menu.
3. Choose the new photo you want and click “Save Changes.”
This will immediately update your profile with the new cover photo. At this point, the change is visible to you but has not yet been shared.
Step 2: Adjust News Feed Visibility
Once your new cover photo is uploaded, you need to adjust the visibility settings:
1. Click the three dots in the top right corner of your cover photo.
2. Select “Who can see this post?” from the dropdown menu.
3. Change the audience selector from “Public” to “Only me.”
4. Click “Close” to save the settings.
This will prevent your new cover photo from appearing in any of your friends’ News Feeds. The change will only be visible to you when you view your own profile.
Step 3: Confirm Settings
To confirm your new cover photo is only visible to you, check your activity log:
1. Click on the arrow in the top right corner of Facebook.
2. Select “Activity Log.”
3. Click on your profile name at the top of the page.
4. Check that the cover photo update shows “Only me” under the audience selector.
If it says “Only me,” you have successfully updated your cover photo without notifying anyone! You can repeat this process any time you want to change your cover photo privately.
Troubleshooting Tips
If your new cover photo still appeared in your friends’ News Feeds even after adjusting the visibility settings, here are some things to check:
– Confirm the audience selector says “Only me” on your activity log. If it shows anything else, your cover photo is public.
– Make sure you changed the audience before leaving the update window. If you wait too long, Facebook may automatically share it.
– Check that you did not make any other public profile changes at the same time. Those could still appear in News Feeds.
– Give it some time. It can take up to an hour for News Feed changes to take effect across Facebook.
Additional Considerations
Here are some other things to keep in mind when changing your cover photo visibility:
– Friends visiting your profile will still see your new cover photo. Adjusting the audience only removes it from News Feeds.
– Some apps and integrations may still show your new cover photo. You may need to check settings in other places.
– If you later make the cover photo public again, it can still appear old to others who visited in the meantime.
– Be thoughtful about why you want the change private. Consider if completely hiding it from friends is necessary.
– The feature works the same way for profile picture changes too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about changing your Facebook cover photo without posting it:
How long does it take for News Feed changes to happen?
It typically takes up to one hour for a new audience setting to be reflected across Facebook. Give it some time before expecting your new cover photo visibility to take effect everywhere.
Can I prevent my new relationship status from appearing too?
Yes! The process works the same way. Upload the new status, adjust the audience to “Only me,” and confirm it worked in your activity log.
What happens if I adjust the audience before uploading a photo?
Setting the audience to “Only me” before uploading your cover photo will prevent it from ever being public. No one but you will be able to see it.
Is there a way to do this on mobile?
Yes, you can follow the same steps in the Facebook mobile app. Just tap the three dots above your cover photo instead of on the right corner.
Can I still share my cover photo in a post if I want?
Sure! Even if your cover photo is set to private, you can still choose to share it in a status update, photo post, or story at any time.
Conclusion
Updating your Facebook cover photo without posting it to News Feeds is easy: just upload it, adjust the audience to “Only me,” and confirm the settings. This prevents unnecessary notifications about minor profile changes. Now you can freely customize your cover photo as often as you want!
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Upload New Cover Photo |
| 2 | Adjust News Feed Visibility |
| 3 | Confirm Settings |
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00 am | Upload new cover photo |
| 10:05 am | Change settings to “Only me” |
| 11:00 am | Check activity log shows “Only me” |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long do News Feed changes take? | Up to 1 hour |
| Can I prevent relationship status updates? | Yes, same way |
| Does this work on mobile? | Yes |