Keeping your Facebook profile and wall private from people you don’t know is an important way to protect your privacy online. Here are some tips on how to hide your Facebook wall from strangers:
Adjust Your Privacy Settings
The first thing you should do is review your general Facebook privacy settings. This controls who can see your profile information, posts, photos and more. To edit your privacy settings:
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings”.
- On the left sidebar, click “Privacy”.
- Review the different sections like “Who can see my stuff?”, “Who can contact me?” and “How people find and contact me.”
- For each section, you can choose options like “Friends”, “Friends except…” or “Only me” to limit visibility.
Setting these to “Friends” will help ensure only people you know can see your full profile.
Adjust Post Privacy
In addition to your general privacy settings, you can also control who sees individual posts you make:
- When making a post, click the audience selector underneath where you write your post.
- Here you can choose options like “Public”, “Friends” or “Only me” to control who can see that post.
- You can also create lists of friends or custom groups and post just to them.
Setting posts to “Friends” or “Only me” ensures strangers can’t see them on your timeline.
Limit Old Posts Visibility
For posts you’ve already made in the past, you can limit their visibility as well:
- Go to your profile and click on “Posts” in the left sidebar.
- Use the filters at the top to control which posts are shown.
- Click the three dots next to a post and select “Edit audience” to change who can see it.
- Choose a more limited audience like “Friends” or “Only me.”
This allows you to retroactively make old posts more private.
Restrict Relationship Status Updates
Your relationship status and family details can reveal a lot about you. To keep these private from strangers:
- Go to your profile and click “About” in the left sidebar.
- Click the three dots next to “Relationship” and “Family members.”
- Choose “Friends”, “Close friends” or “Only me” for visibility.
This will limit who can see sensitive relationship information.
Review Tagging Settings
Being tagged in posts and photos can also expose your content to strangers:
- Go to “Settings” and click on “Timeline and Tagging.”
- Review the “Who can see posts you’re tagged in on your timeline?” section.
- Select “Friends” to limit tagged post visibility.
- You can also disable tagging completely in the “Review” section.
This gives you control over what others can show on your profile.
Block Strangers
If strangers are contacting you or posting on your Facebook page, you can block them:
- Click the three dots next to a post or comment from the person.
- Select “Block” to prevent them from interacting with you.
- To block a user profile, click the three dots at the top of their profile and select “Block.”
Blocking strangers makes it so they can’t see or contact you on Facebook at all.
Limit Apps and Sites
Apps and websites connected to your Facebook could also be exposing info to strangers:
- Go to “Settings” and click on “Apps and Websites.”
- Remove any unfamiliar or unused apps.
- Click “Edit” next to Platform and remove website access.
This ensures third-party integrations aren’t sharing your personal data.
Use Friend Lists
Putting friends into lists lets you share to just a portion of your network:
- Go to your profile, click “Friends” and then “Create List.”
- Give your list a name like “Close Friends” and add friends to it.
- When making a post you can share just to that list.
Friend lists give you granular control over who sees your content.
Conclusion
Keeping your Facebook presence private from strangers takes a bit of work but is important for maintaining control of your personal information. Use privacy settings, limit old posts, be selective in sharing, and leverage tools like lists and blocking. With a few adjustments, you can shape your Facebook profile to be visible only to the people you select.
Here are some key tips to recap how to hide your Facebook wall from strangers:
- Set your general privacy settings to “Friends Only.”
- Limit the audience on individual posts.
- Restrict relationship status visibility.
- Control tagging permissions.
- Block unwanted strangers.
- Remove unused apps.
- Use friend lists for granular sharing.
With these steps, you can keep your Facebook profile private and secure from outside eyes. Be proactive about managing your settings and sharing preferences. A small time investment goes a long way in protecting your online presence in the long run.
Want to learn more? Check out my other articles on Facebook privacy:
- How to Make Your Facebook Completely Private
- 7 Facebook Privacy Settings You Need to Know
- Facebook Privacy Tips: 5 Ways to Lock Down Your Profile
Stay tuned for more social media security advice. With a few simple tweaks, you can control your visibility and feel more secure online.
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