Facebook allows you to control the privacy settings for your stories so you can choose who gets to view them. Here are some tips on managing the audience for your Facebook stories:
Make Your Story Visible to Only Your Friends
The default setting for stories is that they are visible to all of your friends on Facebook. If you want to limit the audience, go to your story and click on the audience selector in the bottom left. This will open up options for who can see your story.
Select “Friends” to make it so only your friends on Facebook can view the story. Friends of friends or the public will not be able to see it.
Create a Custom List of Friends for Your Story
You can also create a custom list of friends who can view your story:
- Click on the audience selector and choose “Custom”
- Start typing the names of the friends you want to be able to see the story
- Select each friend’s name when it pops up
- Once you’ve added all the friends, click “Done” to save the custom audience
This will make it so only the friends you specifically chose can view that particular story. All other friends will not see it when they visit your profile.
Hide Your Story from Specific People
If you want to block certain people from viewing a story, you can do that too:
- Click on the audience selector and choose “Don’t show to”
- Type in the names of the people you want to hide the story from
- Select each name when it appears
- Click “Done” to save these exclusions
This will prevent the selected people from seeing the story while allowing all other friends to view it.
Change the Audience for a Story After Sharing
You can change the audience for a story even after you’ve shared it:
- Go to your Facebook profile and find the story
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner
- Select “Edit audience”
- Choose who you want to be able to see the story using the steps above
The new audience settings will update right away. Anyone who was able to view the story before but now can’t will no longer see the story on your profile.
Restrict Old Stories to Only You
For older stories you’ve shared, you can limit the audience to be just yourself:
- Go to your profile and click “Stories Archive” in the left menu
- Find the story want to update and click on it
- Click on the audience selector and choose “Only Me”
This will override the previous audience settings so only you can see the story. Friends and others will no longer have access to it.
Remove Personal Stories Completely
If you have an old story with personal content you want to remove completely, you can delete it:
- Go to Stories Archive and click on the story
- Click on the three dots in the corner and select “Delete”
- Confirm that you want to delete the story
This will permanently delete the story from Facebook so that no one can access it anymore.
Manage Tagging Permissions for Your Story
When someone tags you in their story, you can control if you want that tag to be visible to others:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on “Privacy”
- Go to “Tags”
- Adjust the audience for “Who can see posts you’re tagged in on your timeline?”
This controls whether tagged story posts appear on your own profile. You can limit them to just yourself, friends, or allow public tagging.
Remove Tags From a Story
If someone has tagged you in a story you don’t want to be associated with:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Find the story with the unwanted tag
- Click on the tag and select “Remove tag”
This will untag you from the post so it no longer links to your profile.
Block Someone From Tagging You
To prevent a specific person from tagging you in any posts in the future:
- Go to their Facebook profile
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner
- Select “Block”
This will prevent them from tagging you in stories, posts, or anything else on Facebook going forward.
Conclusion
Controlling the privacy around your Facebook stories helps you share more selectively and manage your online presence. Limiting the audience for personal stories, removing old posts, and adjusting tag settings gives you more say in who gets access.
Some key tips include:
- Making stories visible only to your friends list
- Creating custom friend lists for particular stories
- Blocking specific people from seeing a story
- Updating the audience on older stories
- Deleting a story completely if needed
- Managing permissions around tagging
As you share stories, photos, videos, and updates, think carefully about who you want to have access. Facebook’s privacy tools give you control.
| Story Privacy Setting | Who Can View |
|---|---|
| Friends | Your friends on Facebook |
| Custom | Only the specific friends you select |
| Don’t show to | All friends except the ones you exclude |
| Only me | Just you |
This table summarizes the key audience options you have for controlling story privacy on Facebook.
Facebook’s privacy controls allow you to be selective in sharing personal stories and updates. You get to decide exactly who gets to view your content. But it’s also important to be responsible in what you share online in the first place.
Think carefully about the types of stories and information you share, even if the audience is limited. Once something is online, it can sometimes be leaked or get into other people’s hands. So share thoughtfully and make liberal use of Facebook’s privacy restrictions, but also consider the content you share and whether it’s appropriate for any audience.
Responsible social media use means being cautious about both your privacy settings and your actual posts. Don’t assume that privacy controls alone will keep embarrassing or risky stories from getting out. It’s smart to think carefully about what you share in the first place as well.
The internet never forgets, so don’t post anything you wouldn’t want the public or your family and colleagues to see. Privacy settings help, but personal responsibility is the best policy when using social platforms like Facebook.
Be wise, be selective, and be in control of your own privacy through Facebook’s tools. Consider not just who can see your stories, but whether your stories should be seen at all. Then you can relax and enjoy connecting online while keeping your reputation intact.
Balancing privacy controls with responsible sharing is crucial. You should feel empowered to share personal updates, photos, videos, and stories on Facebook. But do so thoughtfully and selectively. The platform provides options like limiting your audience, removing tags, and deleting old posts. Use these tools wisely based on the content you share.
Facebook’s story privacy features enable you to open up or restrict access based on your comfort level. Share fun updates with everyone or close friends only. The choice is yours. But always think first before posting to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward on social media, regardless of the audience. Your online reputation matters.
In summary:
- Use Facebook’s privacy settings to control who can see your stories
- Limit old stories to just yourself if needed
- Be selective and responsible in the stories you share
- Remember the internet doesn’t forget, so post thoughtfully
- Balance privacy controls with wise sharing
Follow these tips and you can comfortably use Facebook stories to connect and share updates without sacrificing your privacy or reputation. Be smart, stay safe, and take advantage of the platform’s security controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prevent specific people from seeing my story without blocking them completely?
Yes, the “Don’t show to” option allows you to exclude certain friends or connections from viewing a particular story. They will remain friends with you on Facebook, but just won’t see that story.
What’s the difference between Close Friends and Acquaintances for stories?
Close Friends is a inner circle of connections you interact with most often. Acquaintances are casual Facebook friends you don’t know as well. You can share stories with just Close Friends to restrict access.
How long do my Facebook stories stay public?
Stories automatically expire after 24 hours. You can also manually delete a story at any time to remove it immediately.
Can I tell if someone has taken a screenshot of my story?
No, there is currently no way to be notified if someone takes a screenshot of your Facebook story.
What happens if I share a story accidentally?
You can quickly delete the story from your profile to remove it. You can also limit old stories to “Only Me” so no one else sees them.
Do story tags have to be approved before going public?
No, story tags do not require approval beforehand. But you can adjust your settings to review tags before they appear on your profile.
Instructions for Controlling Story Privacy
Follow these step-by-step instructions to manage exactly who sees your Facebook stories:
Limit Story Visibility to Friends
- Create or select a story on your profile
- Click the audience selector in the bottom left (should say “Your Story”)
- Change the option to “Friends”
Create a Custom Friends List
- Click the audience selector and choose “Custom”
- Type to search for the friends to include
- Tap each friend’s name to add them to the list
- Click “Done” to save this custom list
Hide a Story From Specific People
- Click the audience selector and choose “Don’t Show To”
- Type in the names of friends to exclude
- Select each name when it pops up
- Click “Done” to save the exclusions
Change Audience After Sharing a Story
- Go to your profile and click on the story
- Tap the three dots in the upper right
- Select “Edit Audience”
- Choose new audience: Friends, Custom, or Only Me
Limit Old Stories to Yourself
- Go to Stories Archive in the left menu
- Click on the story to update
- Click the audience selector and select “Only Me”
Remove Tags From a Story
- Go to your profile and locate the story
- Click on the tag you want to remove
- Choose “Remove Tag” to untag yourself
Following these steps will give you full control over who can view and interact with the stories you share on Facebook.