How do I set all posts to only me?

Setting all your Facebook posts to be visible to only you is a useful privacy feature if you want to limit who can see your activity and content. Here are step-by-step instructions to set all your posts to be visible to only you on both desktop and mobile.

Setting All Posts to Only Me on Desktop

Here are the steps to set all your posts to only be visible to you on the Facebook desktop site:

Log into your Facebook account on a desktop browser and click on the downward arrow in the top right corner to access your profile menu.

From the dropdown menu, choose “Settings”.
On the left sidebar, click on “Privacy”.
Under the “Your Activity” section, click on “Limit Past Posts”.

In the “Limit Old Posts” section, click on “Limit Old Posts” and set the toggle to the on position.
Set the date range to “Only Me” using the dropdown menu.
Click “Confirm” to apply the setting to all your past posts.

Once you complete these steps, all your previous Facebook posts will be visible only to you. Any new posts you make going forward will also default to being visible to only you as well.

Setting All Posts to Only Me on Mobile

To set all your posts to only be visible to you on the Facebook mobile app:

Open the Facebook app on your phone and tap the three line menu icon in the top right.

Go to “Settings & Privacy” and select “Settings”.
Tap on “Privacy Shortcuts”.
Under “Limit Past Posts”, tap on “Limit Old Posts”.

Select “Only Me” and choose the date range to apply the setting to.
Tap “Confirm” to make all your past and future posts only visible to you.

The steps are very similar on mobile as they are on desktop. The privacy shortcut menu makes it easy to access the settings quickly.

Important Considerations

Here are some important things to keep in mind when setting posts to be visible to only you:

It only limits visibility of the post itself. If someone was tagged in the post or interacted with it, it may still show up in their profile or News Feed.
The post can show up in search engines or other public areas until Facebook’s systems recrawl and update.

If you shared the post with a Page, the Page admin can still see it.
Comments on the post from others will still be visible to those users.
If you copy text from a post and share it elsewhere, that text will obviously then become public.

While limiting post visibility is useful, it’s important to be aware it doesn’t completely remove the post from being accessed by others in all cases.

Troubleshooting Problems Changing Post Visibility

If changing post visibility does not seem to be working, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Make sure you have confirmed the visibility change. It is easy to miss the last confirmation step.

Be patient. It can take some time for Facebook’s systems to recrawl and update the visibility everywhere.
If specific people can still see the post, check if they were tagged or interacted with that post in any way.
Clear your browser cache then check again if the visibility has updated everywhere.

Make sure you do not have any third party apps connected that are overriding settings.
If all else fails, report the issue to Facebook through their Help Center for additional troubleshooting.

With over 2 billion users, even Facebook’s robust systems can take time to catch up. Allow for some delay as visibility adjustments cascade through their servers.

Conclusion

Controlling post visibility is an important way to exercise privacy and choose who gets to see your content on Facebook. By defaulting posts to “Only Me”, you can share as much as you want without worrying about who it reaches. Just be aware of the limitations and edge cases where limited posts could still be accessible.

With the steps provided above for desktop and mobile, you can easily set all current and future posts to be visible to only you on your account. Combined with the other tips provided, you have multiple methods to adjust post visibility at a granular level on both new and existing content.

Facebook’s privacy features are constantly evolving, so take advantage of the available options. And as always think carefully about what you post, as anything shared online is difficult to permanently erase.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set all my posts to Friends except…?

Yes, you can set all your posts to be visible to Friends except for specific people or lists you want to exclude. On desktop or mobile:

Go to Privacy Settings.

Click Privacy Shortcuts.
Choose Friends except…
Type in the name of the person or list you want to exclude.

This will make all your posts visible to Friends only, except for the folks you excluded. You can edit the exclusion list anytime you want.

What’s the difference between Close Friends and regular Friends for post visibility?

Choosing Close Friends as the audience for a post means only your closest connections on Facebook will see it. Close Friends is a predefined list of your best friends that you can edit anytime. Regular Friends is anyone you are connected to on Facebook.

Close Friends is useful if you want to share posts just with those closest to you and avoid wider sharing. The audience is smaller and more selective.

Can I post so only some friends can see it?

Yes, you can create your own custom lists of friends to control visibility. On desktop:

Go to Friends list in left sidebar.
Create new list.

Add friends to list.
Use list as post audience.

On mobile:

Tap Menu – Friends Lists.
Tap Create List.
Name list and add friends.

Use list to limit visibility when posting.

Custom lists give you granular control over who can see your posts.

Can I set different visibility for individual posts?

Yes, you can customize the audience for every post when you create it. Just use the audience selector tool when making a new post to choose who can see it – Friends, Public, Only Me etc. This overrides your default post visibility setting.

You can also change post visibility after publishing at any time. Just go to the post, click the audience selector tool and adjust. Useful if you change your mind on sharing a post with certain people.

What happens when I limit visibility on an old post?

When you limit visibility on a post that was already shared, here is what happens:

The post itself will be hidden from the now excluded audience.

If others interacted with the post already, it may still show up for them.
Comments will remain visible to original commenters.
It will take time for Facebook to recrawl and update the post everywhere.

So the post won’t completely disappear or revert as if it was never shared outside the new audience. But it does limit any further exposure and sharing if visibility is reduced.

Why do some people still see my post after I limited visibility?

If certain people can still see your post after you limited visibility, here are some potential reasons why:

They interacted with the post before so it may still show up in their profile or feed.

You tagged them in the post.
You shared it directly on their Timeline.
They are part of an audience exception like Friends Except Acquaintances.

Visibility change has not cascaded fully yet.
They have the post URL directly.

Check if any of those apply. You may need to wait for visibility to update everywhere.

Should I delete old posts when changing visibility?

It’s up to your personal preference. If you want those posts fully removed as if they were never posted, delete them. But limiting visibility accomplishes much of the same while still preserving the content in case you change your mind later on.

Many people choose to limit old post visibility rather than mass delete. This allows you to walk back the visibility if needed. Deleting is permanent. So consider your needs before deleting.

Can I schedule posts to be visible later?

Yes, you can use Facebook’s scheduling tool to time when your post becomes visible:

When writing a post, click on the Schedule button.
Choose a date and time for it to be posted.
It will only become visible to your audience at the scheduled time.

This is useful if you want to stagger your posts or write them ahead of time without sharing immediately. Scheduled posts can be edited or canceled any time before their publication date.

What happens if my account gets hacked?

If your Facebook account is hacked, the hacker may be able to access, edit, share, or delete your posts. To secure your account:

Turn on two-factor authentication for added security.

Frequently change your password and do not use the same password anywhere else.
Be wary of phishing emails and links that try and steal your login info.
Monitor your login history and activity log for suspicious access.

Know how to report hacking on Facebook if it occurs.

Enabling extra login protections makes it harder for hackers to access your account and your posts. Be vigilant about account security.

How can I tell who viewed my limited posts?

Unfortunately there is no way to see who specifically has viewed or read your posts on Facebook, even if visibility is limited. Facebook does not make this information available to users.

The best indicators are if someone likes, comments on, or shares the post. That signals they have interacted with it. But passive viewing is not trackable – the technology does not exist on the platform.

Should I be concerned about privacy?

It’s smart to be cautious about your privacy when posting on social media. Here are some Facebook privacy tips:

Review all your privacy settings and modify as needed.

Limit old post visibility if concerned.
Be selective in who you choose as your audience.
Do not share anything you would not want public.

Proactively block abusive/bullying accounts.
Use tools like two-factor authentication.

Think carefully before posting and utilize all the available privacy options. Nothing shared online is ever 100% private, so post accordingly.

In Summary

You can set all posts to Only Me via Privacy Settings on desktop and mobile.
Adjust per-post visibility using the audience selector when composing posts.
Change visibility of existing posts through the Activity Log.

Limited posts may still have remnants visible to excluded audiences.
Combining options gives you maximum control over post sharing.

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