Facebook allows you to hide your phone number so that it is not visible to other users. Your phone number is required when you sign up for a Facebook account, but you can choose to hide it later on if you want more privacy. Here are the key steps to hiding your phone number on Facebook:
- Go to your profile page
- Click on the About section
- Click on the Contact and Basic Info link
- Uncheck the box next to Show my phone number on my profile
Once you uncheck this box, your phone number will no longer be visible to other Facebook users (except your friends who you’ve shared it with directly). It’s a good idea to hide your phone number if you want to keep your contact information more private on Facebook.
Why Would You Want to Hide Your Phone Number?
Here are some of the top reasons you may want to hide your phone number on Facebook:
- Avoid unwanted calls or texts – Hiding your number prevents people from contacting you directly without your permission.
- More privacy – Keeping your phone number off your profile limits who can access it.
- Avoid spam risks – Phone numbers can sometimes attract spammers or scammers.
- Professional image – You may not want colleagues or clients contacting you directly.
- Stalker concerns – A hidden number provides protection from harassment.
- Limit telemarketers – You don’t want sales calls based on your Facebook info.
The main motivation for most people is simply having greater control over who can contact them directly. Your Facebook profile provides a lot of personal information, so removing your phone number is an extra privacy safeguard.
Step-by-Step Guide to Hiding Your Number
Hiding your phone number on Facebook only takes a few steps. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough:
- Go to your Facebook profile page and click on the downward arrow in the top right. Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- On the left sidebar, click on “Settings”.
- On the Settings page, click on “Profile” in the left column.
- Under the Contact Info section, uncheck the box next to “Show my phone number on my profile”.
- Click the “Review” button. This will take you to your public profile page where you can confirm your phone number is now hidden.
And that’s it! These simple steps will remove your phone number from public view. Just keep in mind that your current friends may still see it if you’ve previously shared it with them directly.
Who Can Still See Your Number After Hiding It?
Even if you hide your phone number on your Facebook profile, certain people will still have access to it:
- Friends you’ve shared it with directly
- Facebook admins/moderators if required for security purposes
- Third-party apps you’ve authorized and shared it with
- Facebook internal systems for operational purposes
So your number is not completely private, but hiding it does limit exposure to the general public. Any friend you’ve previously given your number to (such as on your original profile or via Messenger) will still have access. But they are unable to share or display your number publicly if you’ve hidden it.
You can choose to reveal your phone number to new friends on a case-by-case basis going forward. Just be thoughtful about who gains access if you want to keep your number more restricted.
Can You Completely Delete Your Number?
Unfortunately you cannot permanently delete your phone number from Facebook altogether. Since your number is required during the initial account creation process, Facebook will always have it on record even if hidden.
The phone number serves as an important security measure. Facebook needs it in order to verify your identity in case you ever lose access to your account.
If you do decide to deactivate your Facebook account someday, the company will still retain your phone number in its internal records. This allows them to confirm it’s really you if you want to reactivate the same account.
So in summary – you can hide your phone number from public view, but you cannot completely erase it from Facebook’s systems. The privacy tradeoff for having a Facebook account is providing your number upfront for security and identification purposes down the road.
Pro Tips for Hiding Your Number
Here are some advanced tips and options related to hiding your phone number on Facebook:
- Double check that your number is hidden from your profile using different browsers or devices logged out of Facebook.
- Consider hiding your Facebook profile from search engines for even more privacy.
- Remove your number from past posts or bios where you may have shared it publicly.
- Avoid giving your number to new friends. Only share it privately when you really know and trust someone.
- Use a Google Voice number or app like Burner as your Facebook number to protect your real number.
Being proactive about limiting your number’s visibility will provide greater security and privacy. But keep in mind your phone number itself will always be retained by Facebook to verify your identity.
The Impact of Hiding Your Caller ID
It’s important to note that hiding your caller ID on Facebook is separate from disabling caller ID for outgoing calls from your phone.
On most mobile phones, you can choose to hide your caller ID (number) for specific outgoing calls rather than showing it to the recipient. This can be done by entering *67 before the number when dialing out.
This gives you call-by-call control over when your number appears vs. remains hidden. It’s a good option if you want your number blocked for certain calls but visible for others. Just know that hiding caller ID regularly this way can seem suspicious.
But disabling your outgoing caller ID does not affect your Facebook profile or prevent your number appearing there. Be sure to follow Facebook’s profile settings outlined above to keep your number private on social media. The two settings are fully separate.
Limitations of Hiding Your Number on Facebook
While hiding your phone number on Facebook does improve privacy, there are certain limitations:
- Friends who already have your number can still see it
- You cannot fully delete the number from Facebook’s records
- Any apps you’ve authorized could retain your number
- Facebook may provide it to law enforcement if legally required
- Number could appear in cached versions of your profile
- People can find your number on other sites or public listings
So even a hidden phone number remains somewhat vulnerable. For true security, using alternatives like Google Voice or a burner app instead of your primary number may be smarter.
You also need to be proactive about removing your number anywhere else it’s posted publicly online. And only share it privately with those you truly trust. A Facebook profile is just one piece of the privacy equation.
What Happens When You Hide Your Number?
Here’s a recap of what happens when you hide your phone number on Facebook:
- Your number will no longer be visible on your public profile
- Friends you shared it with still have access but can’t display it
- You control who can see the number on a case-by-case basis
- Facebook retains the number internally for security/verification
- You can still use Facebook normally with a hidden number
- It prevents random people from contacting you directly
- There is no way to permanently delete the number from Facebook
In summary, hiding your number gives you greater privacy control without limiting use of Facebook itself. But for true security, also be cautious where else you make your number available publicly online or offline. Your Facebook profile is just one piece of the phone privacy puzzle.
Pros and Cons of a Hidden Number on Facebook
Hiding your phone number on Facebook has both advantages and potential drawbacks:
Pros
- More control over who can see and contact you
- Limits spam calls/texts from strangers
- Prevents misuse of your number via Facebook
- Added privacy and identity protection
- Reduces chances of social engineering attacks
- Convenient way to manage incoming calls/texts
Cons
- Some friends may still have access to your number
- Can’t fully delete number from Facebook database
- Slightly more difficult to recover account if hacked
- Need to reveal number manually to new friends/contacts
- Apps you use may still have your number stored
- Doesn’t prevent number being posted elsewhere
So in most cases, the privacy benefits outweigh the disadvantages. But hiding your number alone is not a foolproof security solution.
How To Permanently Delete Facebook Number
Many Facebook users want to know how to permanently delete their phone number from Facebook. Unfortunately, this is not possible while still maintaining your account.
When you first sign up for Facebook, providing your phone number is mandatory. It serves as a unique identifier for your account in Facebook’s internal systems.
Even if you later hide your phone number on your profile, Facebook will retain it in their private records indefinitely. It is tied too closely to your account security and identity verification to be removable.
The only way to fully delete a phone number from Facebook is to permanently delete your Facebook account altogether. However, this means you lose access to the account and all its data. Most people don’t want to delete their entire Facebook presence.
For true privacy, your best options are:
- Use an alternate phone number like Google Voice for your Facebook account
- Hide your real number on your profile and be selective in who you share it with
- Remove mentions of your number anywhere else online or public listings
But there is unfortunately no way to erase your registered phone number completely while still using Facebook. Part of having an account means they will retain your number in their internal systems, whether visible publicly or not.
Conclusion
Hiding your phone number on your Facebook profile is easy to do and provides greater privacy control. Just use the settings to toggle your number visibility off.
However, be aware Facebook still retains your number internally for account security purposes. And existing friends may still have access if previously shared.
For true security, also limit where else you post your number publicly. And consider using an alternate number just for Facebook. Overall, a hidden phone is safer but not completely private.
Key Points
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Profile” to hide your number
- Facebook keeps your number for internal verification even when hidden
- Friends who have your number already can still see it
- Completely deleting number requires deleting your Facebook account
- For greater security use an alternate number just for Facebook
Hiding your digits provides more control without sacrificing use of Facebook. But true privacy means being cautious wherever you share your number online and off.