If you want to see what people who aren’t your friends on Facebook see when they view your profile, there are a few easy ways to do it. Here’s an overview of how to view your Facebook profile as a non-friend:
Switch to View As…
The easiest way to see your Facebook profile from a non-friend’s perspective is to use the “View As…” feature. Here’s how:
- Go to your profile page
- In the top right, click on the downward arrow next to “View As”
- Select “Public” to view your profile as a non-friend would see it
When viewing your profile as Public, you’ll be able to see exactly how your profile appears to people who aren’t friends with you on Facebook. Keep in mind that some content may still be hidden from non-friends even when viewing as Public.
Use a Different Browser or Log Out
Another option is to view your Facebook profile in a different browser or logged out of your account. Here are the steps:
- Open an incognito/private window in your browser
- Go to facebook.com and log out if needed
- Navigate to your profile URL
When viewing your profile logged out or in a private browser, you’ll see the non-friend perspective. This gives you an accurate look at how your profile looks to the public.
Ask a Non-Friend to View Your Profile
You can also ask someone who isn’t friends with you on Facebook to view your profile and give feedback. Some things to ask them:
- What information they can see on your profile
- What photos are visible
- If certain posts or information are hidden
Getting a non-friend’s perspective can help identify anything you may want to hide from the public on your Facebook profile.
Adjust Your Privacy Settings
Once you’ve viewed your Facebook profile as a non-friend, you may want to adjust your privacy settings for greater control. Here are some things you can do:
- Restrict certain posts, photos or information only to friends
- Limit the audience who can see your future posts
- Review tags from friends that are visible to non-friends
Adjusting your Facebook privacy settings can help ensure that sensitive information isn’t visible to the public.
What Non-Friends Can See on Your Profile
Depending on your privacy settings, non-friends may be able to see the following information:
- Your profile picture and cover photo
- Your name, gender, networks and username
- Any posts you’ve publicly shared
- Pages and media you’ve publicly liked
- Your friend list and any mutual friends you share
They will not be able to see your more personal information like your email, phone number, home address or any posts you’ve restricted to friends only.
Examples of Content Non-Friends Can’t See
- Your email address or phone number
- Your family members and relationships
- Your home address
- Your photos and posts marked for friends only
- Personal information in your About section
Make Your Profile Picture Public
Having your profile picture public means that anyone viewing your profile can see it, even if they aren’t friends with you. To make your profile picture public:
- Go to your profile and click on your profile picture
- Click the audience selector next to your profile picture
- Choose Public to allow anyone to see it
Having a public profile picture can make your profile seem more approachable to non-friends checking it out.
Show a Public Cover Photo
Similar to your profile picture, you can make your Facebook cover photo public as well. Here’s how:
- Go to your profile and click on your cover photo
- Click on the audience selector next to the photo
- Select Public to let everyone see it
A public cover photo gives non-friends a glimpse into your interests, hobbies or personality.
Share Posts Publicly
Sharing posts publicly means that anyone viewing your profile can see that post. To share a post publicly:
- As you create a post, click on the audience selector
- Choose Public as the audience
- Click post
Public posts help non-friends engage with your content and get to know you better.
Show Mutual Friends
When non-friends view your profile, one option is showing them any mutual friends you share. This helps give them context on how they may be connected to you. To show mutual friends:
- Go to your profile and click the About section
- Click the audience selector next to Friend List
- Select Public to show mutual friends publicly
Displaying mutual friends makes your profile seem more familiar and approachable to non-friends.
Pages and Interests
Allowing the public to see the Pages and interests you’ve liked on Facebook also gives them a sense of who you are. To make this content public:
- Go to your profile and click Likes
- Click the audience selector in the top right
- Choose Public to show pages/interests to non-friends
Showcasing your public likes allows non-friends to discover shared interests with you.
Final Tips
Here are some final tips for managing how you appear to non-friends on Facebook:
- Review old posts and photos for anything private you should remove or hide from non-friends
- Keep personal information like address, email and phone number fully private
- Periodically check your profile from the non-friend view to monitor what’s visible
- Be selective in what you choose to share publicly vs with just friends
With Facebook’s customizable privacy settings, you have control over what non-friends can see. Take advantage of privacy tools to shape how your profile appears to the public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can non-friends see my friends list?
Non-friends can only see your friends list if you have it set to public. By default, only friends can see your full friends list. But you can customize this in your profile’s About section.
What photos are visible to non-friends?
Non-friends can see any profile pictures or cover photos you’ve made public. They can also see posts where photos are shared publicly. But they won’t see albums or photos shared with just friends.
Can I limit what non-friends see on my profile?
Yes, by using Facebook’s privacy settings you can limit the audience for posts, photos, information and more. You have full control over what non-friends can and can’t see.
Is it possible to be completely private to non-friends?
You can be mostly private, but they will still be able to see your public profile/cover image and username. Totally hiding your profile from non-friends requires making your account fully private in settings.
What if I’m not sure what non-friends can see?
You can always use the “View As” option to view your profile as a non-friend would. This shows you exactly what is publicly visible so you can adjust settings if needed.
Conclusion
Viewing your Facebook profile as a non-friend is the best way to understand what the public can see. Take advantage of privacy settings to control access to posts, photos, information and more. With a few simple tweaks, you can shape your public persona and keep personal details private.