With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world. While Facebook can be great for connecting with friends and family, many users are concerned about their privacy on the platform, specifically when it comes to Facebook tracking your browsing history.
Facebook collects data about your activity both on and off Facebook to tailor content and ads to your interests. This includes keeping track of pages and posts you view in the Facebook app and website. If you want to browse Facebook without every click and view being logged, you can take steps to turn off browsing history tracking.
Does Facebook track your browsing history?
Yes, Facebook does track your browsing history by default. This allows Facebook to build a profile about your interests to serve you relevant ads and content.
There are two main ways Facebook tracks your browsing history:
- On Facebook: Facebook logs the posts, Pages, Groups, Events and other content you view while using the Facebook app or website.
- Off Facebook: The Facebook pixel on third-party sites tracks your visits if you’re logged into Facebook. The Facebook Login can also share information about your off-Facebook activity.
This browsing history data goes into creating your ad preferences and interests profile. Facebook’s data policy states they use this information to “provide, personalize and improve” their products.
How to turn off Facebook browsing history
If you don’t want Facebook tracking every Page view and post click, there are a few steps you can take to limit browsing history tracking:
Turn off Off-Facebook Activity
The Off-Facebook Activity setting controls whether your off-Facebook browsing history is used for ad targeting. Turning this off will disconnect your off-Facebook browsing history from your Facebook account:
- Go to your Facebook Settings and select “Off-Facebook Activity.”
- Toggle the status to “Off.”
- Click “Clear History” to delete any previously collected off-Facebook browsing history.
With Off-Facebook Activity off, your off-site browsing will no longer inform the ads you see on Facebook moving forward.
Delete your Facebook browsing history
You can also manually clear the record of your browsing activity within Facebook. This removes the logs of your views, clicks, searches and other interactions within Facebook:
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then select “Settings.”
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left column.
- Select “Activity Log.”
- Click “Clear History” at the top to delete your full history.
Clearing your Facebook browsing history will reset your view history and remove details Facebook has collected about your interests based on your activity.
Use Facebook privately in incognito mode
You can also browse Facebook without any of your activity being logged by using Facebook’s incognito mode:
- Click on the account menu (top right) and select “New Private Window.”
- This will open Facebook in a private browsing window not tied to your account.
- Facebook won’t record your browsing session while in this mode.
Browsing Facebook privately prevents your views, searches and other activity from being connected with your account profile. However, this is temporary and only applies to that specific incognito session.
Block Facebook Pixel and plugins
To prevent Facebook from tracking any of your off-Facebook browsing history, you’ll also need to block Facebook’s data collection tools:
- Facebook Pixel: This tracking pixel on third-party sites logs your visits and interactions to inform Facebook ads. Install an ad blocker or Facebook Pixel blocker to stop it from tracking you.
- Facebook Login: Sites that offer Facebook Login can share your activity with Facebook. Log out of Facebook before visiting other sites.
- Facebook SDK: Mobile apps and sites built with Facebook development tools can send usage data back to Facebook. Limit use of apps using Facebook SDKs.
With Facebook pixels, logins and SDKs blocked, your off-Facebook browsing will stay private and disconnected from your Facebook account profile.
Does turning off browsing history remove you from ads?
Disabling Facebook browsing history tracking limits how your personal activity is used for ad targeting, but it doesn’t fully remove you from Facebook ads.
Even with browsing history off, Facebook can still target ads to you based on:
- Your personal info like age, gender and location.
- The interests you’ve listed on your Facebook profile.
- What pages and accounts you follow on Facebook.
- Ads you’ve clicked or interacted with.
- Other websites and apps you use where you’re targeted with the same ads.
Turning off browsing history will make ads feel more generic, but you’ll still see Facebook ads based on broader targeting that’s disconnected from your personal browsing habits.
Limitations of turning off Facebook browsing history
While you can take steps to disable Facebook’s tracking of your browsing history, there are some limitations:
- It doesn’t delete your full history: Clearing your off-Facebook or on-Facebook browsing history gets rid of logs from that point forward, but doesn’t erase your full historical profile.
- Data may still inform rankings: Disconnecting your history doesn’t necessarily remove all its influence on things like how posts appear in your News Feed.
- Facebook may re-personalize ads: If you visit Facebook frequently, it can rebuild ad interests based on your on-Facebook activity.
- Not available on mobile: Facebook’s Privacy Shortcuts tool with browsing history controls isn’t available in iOS and Android apps.
While not perfect, turning off Facebook browsing history can help give you more control over how your personal information is used for advertising profiling.
Other ways to increase Facebook privacy
In addition to managing your browsing history settings, here are some other Facebook privacy tips:
Tighten post audience settings
Control who can see your Facebook posts by default rather than sharing publicly:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Audience and tagging
- Select “Friends” or tighten further to “Only me” for maximum privacy.
This makes all your posts private by default unless you manually change the audience, preventing random people from seeing your content.
Limit old post visibility
Restrict visibility of old posts so only recent posts are visible:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Your Facebook information > View As
- Click “Limit Past Posts” and choose a date cutoff for post visibility.
This can help protect older content you may no longer want public but forgot to delete.
Remove apps and third-party integrations
Delete unused apps connected with Facebook that may be accessing your data:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Apps and Websites
- Remove any unnecessary or unused apps by clicking “Remove.”
Pruning your connected apps minimizes third parties that can access your information.
Enable two-factor authentication
Add an extra login step to keep your account secure:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login
- Select “Use two-factor authentication” and follow setup instructions.
Two-factor authentication requires you to enter a code from your phone or authentication app whenever you log in, adding critical account protection.
Conclusion
While Facebook provides options to limit your browsing history tracking, preventing Facebook ads entirely requires fully deleting your account. For many people, Facebook’s utility makes deleting it impractical even if privacy is a concern.
Disabling browsing history and employing other privacy measures allows you to get more value from Facebook while reducing its ability to build an advertising profile based on your personal activity. Finding the right balance depends on your specific privacy priorities.
But at minimum, all Facebook users should be aware of how their data is being used and utilize tools like browsing history settings and private modes even if they ultimately choose to keep their account. Taking small steps to disable tracking features can still make a meaningful difference in protecting your information.
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