Facebook allows users to control the privacy of their comments to a large extent. You can limit who sees your comments on posts made by friends, Pages you follow, and even your own posts. Here are some ways to stop others from seeing your comments on Facebook:
Adjust Comment Privacy Settings
The easiest way to limit who can see your comments is to adjust your comment privacy settings. Here’s how:
- Go to the Settings menu (top right corner of Facebook) and select “Privacy.”
- Under the “Your Activity” section, click on “Activity Log Controls.”
- Under “Comments,” use the drop-down menu to select who can see your comments. The options are:
- Public: Anyone can see your comments.
- Friends: Only your friends can see your comments.
- Friends Except…: Friends except those you uncheck can see your comments.
- Specific Friends: Only friends you check can see your comments.
- Only Me: Only you can see your comments.
Setting your comments to Friends, Friends Except, or Only Me will prevent the general public from seeing them. You can further restrict visibility by using the Specific Friends option.
Limit Old Comments
Adjusting your comment privacy settings will only affect newly posted comments. To limit visibility of comments you’ve already posted:
- Go to your Activity Log and click “Comments” in the left sidebar.
- Click on any comment to open it, then click on the dropdown arrow at top right.
- Select “Edit Audience” and change who can see that comment.
- Repeat for any other comments you want to limit.
This will let you take full control over who sees your past Facebook comments.
Delete Comments
If you want to remove a comment entirely, you can delete it:
- Click the three dots next to the comment and select “Delete Comment.”
- Click Delete to confirm.
The comment will be removed and no longer visible to anyone.
Turn Off Comment Notifications
If you don’t want to get notifications every time someone replies to your comment:
- Click the arrow in the top right of Facebook and go to “Settings.”
- Click “Notifications” in the left sidebar.
- Scroll down and turn off “Comments” under “Posts.”
This stops notifications for all public comment replies. You’ll still get notifications for replies to comments you limit to Friends/Only Me.
Hide Your Commenting Activity
Even if your comments are visible only to certain people, your commenting activity can show up in friends’ feeds. To prevent this:
- Go to “Settings” and click “Privacy.”
- Under “Your Activity,” click “News Feed and Story Privacy.”
- Deselect “Commenting on posts” under “Things you do on Facebook.”
Now your comments won’t be shown in friends’ News Feeds at all.
Restrict Comments on Your Posts
You can also limit who can comment on your own posts:
- From News Feed, click the three dots above a post and select “Edit Privacy.”
- Click “Custom” and look for the “Comments” section.
- Use the dropdown menu to restrict comments to Friends, Friends Except, or Only Me.
This will prevent unwanted people from commenting on that post.
Conclusion
Facebook gives you granular control over comment privacy. Adjust your default comment audience in Settings, restrict old comments individually, turn off notifications, and limit comments on your own posts. With a mix of these options, you can keep your comment activity private from those you don’t want seeing it.
The key things to remember are:
- Change default comment privacy settings to Friends, Friends Except, or Only Me.
- Edit audience for individual old comments you want to limit.
- Delete comments you want completely removed.
- Turn off notifications if you don’t want comment reply alerts.
- Disable commenting activity from showing up in friends’ News Feeds.
- Restrict commenting on your own posts as needed.
Using these Facebook tools and settings, you can control precisely who sees your comments and when. This allows you to engage in conversations while maintaining your privacy and avoiding unwanted attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I limit who sees my comments on friends’ public posts?
Yes, you can control who sees your comments on any post, including friends’ public posts. Adjust your default comment audience in Settings, or change the audience for individual comments using the “Edit Audience” option.
What if I commented on a post before making my comments more private?
Comments you made before adjusting your privacy settings will still be visible to the original audience. You need to edit the audience for old comments individually to limit their visibility.
Can I restrict comments on photos or videos I’ve shared?
Yes, the same comment privacy controls apply to any post you share on Facebook, including photos, videos, and status updates. Just use the “Edit Privacy” option to customize comment privacy.
What if someone already replied to a comment I now want to delete?
Deleting a Facebook comment also deletes all replies to that comment, so no trace of the conversation remains visible.
Can I turn off notifications for comments on my own posts too?
Yes, the Notifications settings control notifications for all comments, including those on your own posts. Just turn off the “Comments” option there.
Will editing privacy of an old post also change comment privacy?
No, post privacy and comment privacy are separate. You’ll need to update the settings for both the post audience and the comment audience separately.
Step-by-Step Guide
Here is a step-by-step guide to controlling comment privacy on Facebook:
- Adjust Default Comment Audience: Go to Settings > Privacy > Activity Log Controls. Under Comments, pick who can see new comments.
- Limit Old Comments: Check Activity Log > Comments. Open any comment, click the menu, and pick “Edit Audience.”
- Delete Comments: Click the 3 dots next to a comment and choose “Delete Comment.” Confirm deletion.
- Turn Off Notifications: Go to Settings > Notifications. Turn off “Comments” under Posts.
- Hide Commenting Activity: Under Settings > Privacy > News Feed and Story Privacy, deselect “Commenting on posts.”
- Restrict Comments on Your Posts: Click 3 dots above any post, choose Edit Privacy, then customize comment privacy.
Following this process will give you full control over comment visibility and notifications on Facebook.
Conclusion
Managing comment privacy is important on Facebook. The platform makes it possible to limit your commenting activity and engage in conversations selectively. Use a combination of adjusting default comment audience, editing old comments, turning off notifications, and restricting commenting on your posts to gain peace of mind.
The key options to remember are:
- Settings > Privacy > Activity Log Controls to adjust default audience
- Activity Log > Comments > Edit Audience to control old comments
- Delete Comment to remove entirely
- Settings > Notifications to turn off notifications
- Settings > Privacy > News Feed Privacy to hide activity
- Edit Privacy on posts to restrict commenting
With these tools, you can confidently manage comment privacy on Facebook and focus on connecting with the people who matter most.