There are a few options for preventing someone from seeing your Facebook posts without unfriending them. The most straightforward way is to add them to your Restricted list. This allows them to remain friends with you, but they will no longer be able to see your posts. You can also unfollow someone, which means you stay friends but their posts no longer show up in your News Feed. Or you can block someone temporarily, which prevents them from seeing your posts, messaging you, or adding you as a friend during that time period.
Add to Your Restricted List
The Restricted list allows you to remain friends with someone on Facebook while limiting their access to your posts. When someone is on your Restricted list they can still see your public information and search for you, but your posts will no longer appear in their News Feed. Here are the steps to add someone to your Restricted list:
- Go to their Facebook profile page
- Click on the Friends button below their cover photo
- Select Add to Restricted List from the dropdown menu
Once you confirm, this person will immediately be unable to see any of your posts moving forward. Any posts they could previously see will also be hidden. You can remove people from your Restricted list at any time to restore their access.
Keep in mind that restricting someone only limits what they see from your profile – it does not prevent them from seeing posts you may be tagged in by others. If you want to fully block someone from any contact or info about you on Facebook, you would need to unfriend or block them.
Unfollow Them
Another option is to unfollow someone you are friends with on Facebook. This stops their posts from appearing in your News Feed, but has no effect on what they can see from your profile. Here is how to unfollow someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Hover over the Following button below their cover photo
- Click on Unfollow
When you unfollow someone, their posts and updates will no longer be added to your News Feed. You will remain friends and can still interact through chat, posts on each other’s timelines, groups and events.
Unfollowing is different than unfriending because it’s one-directional – they will still see your posts and updates in their own News Feed. The only change is what you see from them.
Temporarily Block Them
If you only need to prevent someone from viewing your profile temporarily, you can block them for a set amount of time. This removes you from their view and them from your view until the blocking period is over. Here is how to temporarily block someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner
- Select Block
- Choose to block for 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month
Blocking will immediately restrict all communication and viewing between you and this person in both directions. You will not see their posts, and they will not see yours.
Temporary blocking can be a good solution if you just need a short break from someone but don’t want to unfriend or restrict them permanently. Once the time period ends, the block will expire and your profiles will be fully visible to each other again.
Prevent Someone From Seeing Your Posts Using Privacy Settings
In addition to the options above, you can use Facebook’s privacy settings to customize who sees certain posts without unfriending or restricting anyone. Here are some ways to limit the audience for your posts:
- Post to your timeline and select “Friends Except” to exclude specific people
- Create a list of close friends and post only to that list
- Use the audience selector when posting to choose “Some Friends” and hand pick who can view it
- Post photos and limit visibility to people tagged or locations tagged
Adjusting your default privacy settings can also help limit who interacts with your profile. For example, you can:
- Limit who can see your friends list and recent posts
- Review tags people add before they appear on your timeline
- Enable comment approvals so you have to sign off before they are visible
While not as complete as blocking or restricting someone, custom privacy settings give you granular control over what various friends see from your profile on Facebook.
Remove Someone’s Ability to Tag or @ Mention You
In addition to limiting what someone sees from your profile, you can also restrict their ability to interact with your timeline. This includes removing permissions for:
- Tagging you in posts – this prevents posts you are tagged in from appearing on your timeline
- Checking in with you at locations – removes ability to share your location
- Adding you to groups – you have to approve before joining groups
- @ mentioning you in posts and comments – this hides any @ mentions from your view
Revoking these permissions means you have full control over what posts and interactions appear associated with your profile. The person will still be able to take these actions, but it will not be visible to you or impact your timeline at all. You can find these options in your timeline and tagging settings.
Download Your Information
If you need a clean break and fresh start from someone on Facebook, you can download all of your information from your account. This gives you a backup of your photos, posts, messages and more that you can save or use if you decide to delete your account. Here’s how to download your Facebook data:
- Click on the down arrow at the top right and select Settings
- On the left sidebar, click on Your Facebook Information
- Select Download Your Information
- Choose your requested format – HTML, JSON or PDF
- Select the data types you want to download
- Click on Create File
Facebook will compile all of your selected information into a downloadable file that may take a few minutes up to a few hours to prepare depending on how much data is gathered. You’ll get a notification when your download is ready.
Delete Your Facebook Account
If limiting visibility does not give you the separation you need, deleting your Facebook account permanently removes your presence and severs all connections on the platform. Keep in mind:
- Deleting your account removes all of your information, messages, photos and posts
- You have a short period after deleting where you can still recover your account if you change your mind
- People will no longer be able to search for you or view any info linked to your account
- Any Facebook Messenger conversations will be deleted
To delete your account:
- Click the down arrow and select Settings
- Go to Your Facebook Information in the left menu
- Select Deactivation and Deletion
- Choose Delete Account, then Continue to Account Deletion
- Enter your password and click Confirm
Deleting your account is permanent, so be certain before proceeding. In some cases you may find it better to just take a break or restrict visibility rather than fully deleting your profile and connections.
Conclusion
There are a few different options on Facebook for limiting someone’s access to your profile and posts without going as far as unfriending them. The Restricted list and unfollowing keep them as friends but reduce what they see. Blocking provides a temporary visual separation in both directions. Customizing your privacy settings gives you granular control over audiences for individual posts. And deleting your account permanently removes you from their view. Consider which approach aligns best with your specific circumstances and preferences on Facebook.
| Method | Impact on Their View | Impact on Your View |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted List | Cannot see your posts | Can still see their posts |
| Unfollow | No change | Cannot see their posts |
| Temp Block | Cannot see your info or posts | Cannot see their info or posts |
| Limit Post Audience | Limited info based on settings | No change |
| Revoke Permissions | Restricted interactions | No change |
| Delete Account | All access and info removed | All connections severed |
Additional Questions
Can someone tell if you restricted them?
No, there is no notification when you add someone to your Restricted list on Facebook. It will seem like you have simply stopped posting anything from their perspective. The only indication would be if they try to view your profile directly and get limited access to your posts.
What happens when you delete Facebook?
Deleting your Facebook account permanently removes your profile, photos, posts, messages, and all other personal information from Facebook. Your profile and content will no longer show up in searches, and people will no longer be able to view any info associated with your account. Facebook Messenger conversations will also be deleted.
Can you tell if someone deleted you on Facebook?
There is no definitive way to know if someone specifically deleted or blocked you on Facebook unless they tell you directly. But there are some signs that may indicate you have been deleted or blocked:
- You can no longer find or view their Facebook profile
- Chat messages will no longer go through
- Attempting to tag them in photos generates an error
- Mutual friends disappear from both of your friends lists
- Their name disappears from group member lists
If you experience a combination of these issues when interacting with someone on Facebook, it likely means they have either blocked or deleted you.