With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook has become one of the most popular social media platforms for connecting with friends, family, and even strangers. However, sharing your profile openly also makes it visible to people you don’t know and may not want accessing your personal information and posts.
Fortunately, Facebook provides several options for controlling who can see and interact with your Facebook page. Here are some tips on how to block strangers from viewing your Facebook profile.
Adjust your Facebook privacy settings
The first step to limiting access to your Facebook page is to adjust your overall privacy settings. This controls the default audience for your posts, profile info, and more. You can restrict settings to friends only or customize options for individual post types.
To edit your privacy settings:
- Click the arrow in the top right and select “Settings & Privacy”
- Go to “Settings” and click “Privacy”
- Under “Privacy Settings,” click “Edit” next to “Who can see your future posts?”
- Change the audience for “Who can see your future posts?” and any other options to “Friends” or customize the settings
This will make all your future Facebook activity visible only to confirmed friends by default. However, it won’t change visibility settings for existing posts.
Limit past post visibility
To hide existing posts from strangers and loose Facebook connections:
- Go to your Facebook profile and click the three dots in the top right
- Select “View As” and preview your profile as a public user
- Identify any posts you want to limit access to and select the audience option from the dropdown
- Choose “Friends” or “Only Me” to block it from public viewing
You can also limit visibility by date range or by post type (photos, videos, etc). Repeat this process regularly to restrict access to new posts over time.
Review your friend list
Another simple way to ensure strangers can’t see your profile is to review your Facebook friends list and remove any unknown connections.
- Go to your profile and select “Friends” along the left side
- Browse your list for any names you don’t recognize
- Remove the friend connection by clicking the “Friends” button next to their name and selecting “Unfriend”
Pruning your friends list regularly can prevent strangers from accessing your private content. You can also organize friends into Lists like “Close Friends” or “Acquaintances” to customize post visibility and interactions.
Block specific users
If there are particular users you want to prevent from viewing your Facebook profile, you can block them individually.
- Go to the user’s profile page
- Click the three dots in the top right corner and choose “Block”
- Select “Block User” to confirm
This completely blocks your posts, info, and more from the user’s view. You can also report or restrict unwanted users as needed.
Disable search engine visibility
Prevent your Facebook profile from showing up in Google and other search engine results with these steps:
- Go to “Settings” and open the “Privacy” section
- Scroll down and turn off “Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?”
This will remove public search indexing of your page. However, your profile could still appear in results within Facebook’s internal search.
Use a pseudonym
If you want an extra layer of identity protection, consider using a pseudonym or shortened version of your name. This makes it harder for strangers to find your profile.
- Click your profile picture and select “View and Edit Profile”
- Click the pencil icon to edit your name
- Input a made-up first/last name or nickname
A fake name isn’t against Facebook policy, but be aware they may ask for ID verification later to confirm your identity.
Deactivate your account
If you want to block your profile completely, deactivating your account removes it from public viewing and search results. To deactivate:
- Go to “Settings” and select “Your Facebook Information”
- Choose “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Click “Deactivate Account” and confirm
Your profile will disappear until you choose to reactivate it. You can also permanently delete the account if desired.
Conclusion
Here are some final tips for securing your Facebook profile:
- Avoid connecting with strangers and limit added apps/third-party integrations
- Check tagging notifications to remove any tags from strangers
- Turn off location services for your posts
- Set up two-factor authentication for extra login security
By customizing your privacy settings, monitoring your sharing, and being cautious with new connections, you can keep your Facebook profile invisible to strangers. Pay attention to your visibility and review settings regularly to stay in control of who can access your personal information online.