Controlling who can see the posts on your Facebook timeline is an important part of managing your privacy on the platform. Facebook allows you to customize the audience for your posts, so you can choose exactly who gets to view your content.
Quick Answer
To change who can see posts on your Facebook timeline:
- Go to your timeline and click on a post
- Click on the audience selector ( globe icon) next to the post button
- Choose your desired privacy setting from the dropdown menu
- Click “Custom” to customize the audience even further
- Click “Save Changes” to apply your new audience setting
This will change the visibility setting for that individual post. To change the default audience for all your future posts, go to your settings and adjust the “Who can see my posts?” setting.
Understanding Facebook’s Privacy Settings
Facebook’s privacy settings allow you to control exactly who gets to see your posts and profile information. There are several options for customizing your privacy:
Timeline Post Privacy
You can set a default audience for your timeline posts in your settings under “Who can see my posts?”. The options include:
- Public: Anyone on or off Facebook
- Friends: Your friends on Facebook
- Friends except acquaintances: Excludes people you may know or met randomly
- Specific friends: Only people you select
- Only me
You can also change the audience when posting by clicking the audience selector next to the post button. This overrides your default setting for that specific post.
Profile Information Privacy
You can also control who gets to see your profile information like your bio, featured photos, posts you’re tagged in, and more. Go to “Privacy Settings and Tools” and select “Limit Past Posts” to manage this.
Friend List Privacy
Control who gets to see your friends list under “Privacy Settings and Tools” and “Who can see your friends list”. Choose from Public, Friends, Only Me, or customize it.
Block List Privacy
Choose who can see the list of people you’ve blocked under “Privacy Settings and Tools” and “Who can see your blocked list”.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Post Audience
Here is a detailed step-by-step walkthrough for customizing the audience for your timeline posts:
- Go to your Facebook profile and timeline page. This is your default public view.
- Click on the post you want to change privacy settings for. This opens up the post.
- Click on the audience selector icon next to the post button. It looks like a globe icon.
This will open up the audience selection menu:
| Icon | Privacy Setting | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Globe icon | Public | Anyone on or off Facebook |
| Friends icon | Friends | Your Facebook friends |
| User icon | Friends except acquaintances | Excludes people you may know |
| Lock icon | Only me | Only visible to you |
- Select your desired audience from the dropdown menu.
- To customize the audience even further, select “Custom”.
- Type in the name of a friend, group, or Page you want to add or exclude from the audience.
- Click “Save Changes” to apply the customized audience.
- The post privacy is now updated to your selected audience!
Changing Default Post Audience in Settings
In addition to changing the audience for individual posts, you can also set a default audience for all your future timeline posts:
- Go to your profile and click the 3-dot menu in the top right.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then click “Settings”.
- Click “Privacy” in the left sidebar.
- Under “Your activity” select “Who can see your future posts?”.
- Choose your desired default privacy setting.
This will make all your new posts be shared with that audience by default. You can still change the audience for individual posts as needed.
Other Important Privacy Settings
In addition to your default post audience, check that these other important privacy settings are configured:
- Limit Past Posts: Controls who can see posts you’re tagged in, featured photos, and other timeline content.
- Friends List: Controls who can see your friends.
- Block List: Controls who can see people you’ve blocked.
These are found under “Privacy Settings and Tools” in your account settings.
Troubleshooting Problems with Post Privacy
If you are having issues with people seeing posts that should be private, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Make Sure Settings are Saved
Double check that you properly saved your new privacy settings by clicking “Save Changes”. If you navigated away without saving, your changes will not apply.
Check Individual Post Settings
Make sure you did not override your default setting by manually changing the audience on individual posts. Each post’s privacy can be different.
Confirm Friends Can Still See Posts
If you limited posts to “Friends Only”, try confirming that a test friend account can still see them properly. The issue may be unrelated to privacy settings.
Check Privacy on Older Posts
Your new default post audience may not apply retroactively. Use the “Limit Past Posts” tool if you need to change visibility on older posts.
Wait for Changes to Take Effect
Give the new privacy settings some time to take effect across Facebook. Changes are usually applied quickly, but may take up to 24 hours.
Contact Facebook Support
If the steps above do not resolve your issue, you may need to open a support ticket with Facebook detailing the specific problem you are encountering.
Using Groups and Lists for Custom Privacy
Facebook offers some advanced tools to really customize who can see your timeline posts:
Create Lists
- Go to your profile, click Friends in the left sidebar, then Create List.
- Give your list a name like “Close Friends” and add the friends you want.
- When posting, choose this list under Custom in the audience selector.
Use Existing Groups
- Go to Groups and join or create a group with your desired audience.
- Under Custom, select the group when posting to share just with members.
This lets you segment friends and family into discrete groups for posting. You can also create lists based on interests, locations, family members, etc.
Audience Options for Facebook Pages
If you manage a Facebook Page, you have additional options for customizing your audience:
Public
Everyone on or off Facebook can see your posts. This is the standard for Pages.
Friends of Fans
Reaches friends of people who already like your Page. Helps grow your audience.
People You Choose
Select specific people like Page admins or VIPs who can view posts.
Friends of People Who Manage the Page
Reaches friends of Page admins and editors. Keep it in the community.
Page Followers
Only people who already like and follow your Page will see the posts.
These options are located under the audience selector when posting from a Page.
Conclusion
Controlling post privacy is an important part of customizing your Facebook experience and protecting your personal information. Take the time to explore all of Facebook’s granular privacy settings to maximize control over your timeline. Consider segmenting friends into custom lists or groups for more options when sharing personal posts or updates. With the proper configuration, you can comfortably manage what information is visible and who gets to see your content on Facebook.