Facebook Stories allow users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. However, users can still take screenshots of your stories which defeats the purpose of their ephemeral nature. If you want to share stories but don’t want people saving or sharing them, there are a few things you can try.
Use Facebook’s Restrict Feature
The easiest way to prevent screenshots of your Facebook stories is to use the ‘Restrict’ feature. Here’s how it works:
- Go to your Facebook story that you want to restrict.
- Tap the more icon (three dots) in the bottom left.
- Select ‘Restrict’
- Choose ‘Restrict to people and Page followers’ or ‘Restrict to followers you choose’
This will prevent anyone who is not your friend or page follower from viewing or taking screenshots of that particular story. Just be aware that even your friends and followers will still be able to screenshot your restricted stories if they choose to.
Avoid Sensitive Content
If you are concerned about certain people taking screenshots, it’s best to avoid posting anything too private or sensitive. Remember that anything shared online can easily be copied, saved and distributed.
So if you don’t want your boss, parents or other unintended viewers seeing something, don’t post it publicly on social media at all. Be thoughtful about the photos, videos and information you share to Facebook stories.
Customize Your Audience
You can customize the audience for each Facebook story to reduce the chances of it being seen by someone you don’t want. Here’s how:
- Tap ‘Custom’ below the audience selector when creating a story.
- Choose ‘Friends’ or ‘Hide Story From’ to exclude specific people.
- Tap ‘Done’ to save your settings.
This prevents certain people like coworkers or acquaintances from ever seeing or taking screenshots of that story.
Report Unauthorized Screenshots
If you notice someone taking screenshots of your private Facebook stories and re-sharing them publicly, you can report them to Facebook.
- Tap the three dots above the screenshot post.
- Select ‘Give Feedback or Report This Post’
- Choose ‘This shouldn’t be on Facebook’ and select a reason.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish your report.
Facebook may remove the content and take action against accounts that repeatedly violate privacy rules.
Use a Screenshot Prevention App
Third party apps like Story Saver for Facebook promise to prevent others from capturing screenshots of your Facebook stories. They overlay an invisible layer to block and detect screenshot attempts.
However, reviewers say they are not 100% foolproof. Savvy users can still grab images and videos using workarounds. Plus these apps require you to provide access to your Facebook data and activity.
Delete Stories Frequently
Instead of posting stories that stick around for 24 hours, consider deleting them yourself more frequently, such as after just 1-2 hours. This gives less time for people to see and screenshot them.
Of course, this means your stories will have less exposure. But if controlling access is your top priority, it’s an option to consider.
Disable Notifications
You can prevent story screenshots from automatically notifying you and appearing in your messages. Just toggle off notifications.
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications
- Turn off ‘Screenshot and Recording Notifications’
This stops you from seeing screenshot alerts, but it doesn’t actually stop anyone from taking screenshots unfortunately.
Use Additional Privacy Tools
Facebook offers additional tools you can use to protect photos and videos in your stories:
- Rights Manager – Lets you report copyright violations or ask to have content removed.
- Privacy Checkup – Step-by-step guide to adjust your privacy settings.
- Activity Log – View and delete your Facebook activity history.
- Supported Restrictions – Limit story reactions, sharing, profile picture downloads and more.
Enabling these can help give you more control over who sees your Facebook content.
Always Use Caution
Ultimately there is no bulletproof way to prevent screenshots on Facebook stories or other social media apps. Even with protective measures, someone could still grab images using external tools and addons.
So remember to carefully consider what you share. Never post anything that would be problematic if it became public later on.
Conclusion
Screenshotting Facebook stories is easy to do, making it hard to prevent completely. But you can reduce unauthorized sharing by using privacy restrictions, limiting your audience, reporting violations, and enabling screenshot notifications. Being selective about what you post is also key to maintaining control.
While frustrating, it helps to accept that anything online can be copied. Focus more on sharing positive content that aligns with your personal brand, rather than trying to maintain total control.
At the end of the day, your followers on social media ought to be people you genuinely trust. Take time to curate your connections and avoid oversharing with strangers or vague acquaintances online.
What strategies do you use to protect your privacy on social media? Let me know in the comments!
Here are some key points to remember:
- Use Facebook’s restrict feature to limit story access
- Customize your audience for each story
- Report unauthorized sharing and screenshots
- Disable screenshot notifications
- Enable additional privacy tools
- Exercise caution when posting any sensitive content
Social media privacy can be tricky, but following basic precautions will help minimize your risks. Always think carefully before posting and focus on creating content you feel comfortable sharing publicly.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Restrict Stories | Limits visibility | Friends can still screenshot |
| Customize Audience | Exclude specific people | Time consuming to update |
| Report Screenshots | Violations may get removed | Doesn’t prevent initial screenshot |
| Disable Notifications | Avoid screenshot alerts | Doesn’t stop screenshots |
| Delete Stories Quickly | Reduces viewing window | Less exposure for your content |
This table summarizes the key pros and cons of different methods for protecting your Facebook stories from unauthorized screenshots. While not perfect solutions, they provide some helpful safeguards and give you more control.
What do you think is the best approach? Let me know in the comments which strategy you find most effective for limiting story screenshots.
Facebook’s privacy settings and tools are constantly evolving. Here are some additional methods they have introduced lately:
Limit Story Replies
You can now disable public story replies to prevent unwanted comments and engagement.
Hide Stories from Non-Friends
Choose whether to show your stories to friends-of-friends or only to direct friends for more privacy.
Archive Old Stories
Archive your previous stories so they remain visible only to you.
New Notification Filtering
Adjust notification settings for story screenshots, including filtering to hide notifications from specific people.
As you can see, Facebook does provide a variety of tools to help protect your story privacy. While not perfect, using a combination of these options can help limit unwanted sharing and access.
Screenshot prevention will likely continue to be an arms race as social media evolves. But by being selective about your connections, thoughtful about your content, and proactive with privacy settings, you can maintain more control.
What new measures would you like to see social platforms introduce for story privacy? What third party apps have you found helpful? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
Here are six key tips to remember when trying to prevent Facebook story screenshots:
- Restrict stories to followers only
- Be extremely selective about your friend list
- Never share truly private or sensitive content
- Report violations and unauthorized sharing
- Turn off screenshot notifications if they bother you
- Use third party apps cautiously as they have limitations
Following these best practices will give you better peace of mind. But also recognize the inherent risks in sharing to any social media platform.
At the end of the day, your comfort level with posting publicly viewable content is a personal decision. Find settings and strategies that work for your needs, and be thoughtful about what facets of your life you choose to share online.
How do you handle social media privacy? I’d love to hear your tips and perspectives in the comments!