Seeing your Facebook page as others see it can give you valuable insights into how you are presenting yourself online. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. The content you post and how your profile looks to others shapes their impressions of you.
Luckily, Facebook provides some tools to help you view your profile from a visitor’s perspective. Here are a few tips on how to see your Facebook page as others see it.
Switch to View As
The easiest way to see your Facebook page as a visitor is to use the “View As” feature. Here’s how to use it:
- Go to your Facebook page
- In the bottom right corner, click on the 3 dots icon next to Notifications
- Select “View As” from the dropdown menu
This will open your homepage in a new window so you can explore as a visitor. You won’t be able to interact with any content, but you can scroll through your profile, photos, videos, and posts as a public viewer.
Use a Private/Incognito Window
Your web browser’s private or incognito browsing mode is another fast way to view your Facebook page anonymously. Here are the steps:
- Open a new private/incognito window in your web browser
- Go to your Facebook page in the private window
When using a private window, Facebook won’t recognize you as a logged-in user. You’ll be viewing your profile as a public visitor would. Private browsing also prevents any activity from being saved to your browser history.
Log Out of Facebook
Logging out of Facebook allows you to view your profile as a non-user. Here’s how to log out:
- Click on the account menu (arrow icon) in the top right corner of Facebook
- Select “Log Out” from the dropdown menu
Once logged out, you can navigate to your page to view it as a general visitor. This option also works if you want to see how your page looks on a computer or device you’re not logged into Facebook on.
Use Another Web Browser
Trying a different web browser that you don’t normally use Facebook on is another option. Here are some browser options to consider:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Safari
- Edge
- Opera
Open your Facebook page in a new browser you don’t have an account connected to. You’ll be able to view your profile anonymously, as any other visitor would.
Preview Your Profile on Mobile
It’s also important to see how your Facebook page looks on mobile. The majority of Facebook users access it on smartphones and tablets. To preview mobile:
- Go to your Facebook page on your computer
- Click on the phone icon in the top right next to Notifications
This will open your page in mobile view so you can see how it looks on different device screen sizes. You can also save photos from your mobile preview.
Ask a Friend to Review It
Having a close friend look over your Facebook page is very useful. They can check for issues or give feedback from a visitor’s perspective. Some things they can check for:
- How your profile photo and cover image look
- What impression your About section gives
- How your posts and content come across
- Any strange old photos or posts still public
- How your page looks on their device
A second pair of eyes helps spot blindspots or areas of improvement you may have missed.
Use Facebook Viewer Tools
There are some third party tools that let you view your Facebook profile anonymously. Two options are:
- ViewLikeMe – Previews your page without logging out
- ViewYourFaceOnFacebook – Shows you an anonymous view of your profile
These tools can provide another layer of insight into how your page looks as a visitor. However, be cautious granting third party services access to your Facebook account.
Adjust Your Privacy Settings
What visitors can actually see on your Facebook page depends on your privacy settings. Here are some key settings to check:
- Public profile – Controls name, profile photo, cover photo visibility
- Posts – Sets who can see your posts by default
- About – Chooses who can view your About info
- Friends – Dictates who can see your friends list
- Photos – Sets visibility for all your photo albums
Adjust these based on how much you want the public or non-friends to see. Remember, search engines can still index your public info and posts.
Check Your Facebook Profile on Google
Many people will discover your Facebook page through Google search. That’s why checking your public profile there is key. Just search your name and scan the results.
Things to look for:
- What profile preview appears?
- What profile/cover images display?
- What biographic text is shown?
- What recent public posts appear?
This will give you an idea of what new visitors see when finding your page through search engines. Try to optimize the results to portray your desired image and interest.
Consider Deactivating Your Account
If you want a true objective sense of how your Facebook looks publicly, deactivating your account can be worthwhile. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Select “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Choose “Continue to Account Deactivation” and confirm
Once deactivated, you can view your profile as a public visitor. Keep in mind you have 30 days to reactivate your account before it’s permanently deleted.
Create a New Facebook Account
Creating a whole new Facebook account lets you view your existing profile completely anonymously. Follow these steps:
- Sign up for a new account with different credentials
- Don’t add any friends or personal info
- Use the new account to view your real profile objectively
This gives you an outside perspective to scrutinize all aspects of your page without any bias. Just don’t violate Facebook’s terms by maintaining multiple accounts.
Conclusion
Checking how your Facebook page looks to public visitors is simple by using built-in viewing tools, different browsers, third party services, and adjusting privacy settings. Objective outside opinions from friends or a new account also help identify areas for improving your profile.
Routinely seeing your page as others see it ensures you are portraying yourself as desired. Remember, your Facebook presence shapes many people’s impression of you.