Keeping your Facebook friends list private is important for maintaining your privacy online. A private friends list allows you to choose who can see your friends and prevents your full network from being visible to everyone. Here are some tips on how to make your Facebook friends list private.
Why Make Your Facebook Friends List Private?
There are a few key reasons you may want to make your Facebook friends list private:
- Prevent strangers from snooping on your friends list and seeing your connections
- Stop companies and apps from accessing your friends data if you connect with them
- Maintain separation between different groups and networks by only allowing certain people to see your friends
- Overall better privacy by controlling access to your connections
Keeping your list private is an important step in locking down your Facebook profile and maintaining control over your information. As Facebook’s default setting is to make friends lists public, it takes a bit of work to change this. But the steps are straightforward.
How to Make Your Facebook Friends List Private
Here is how to make your Facebook friends list private in both desktop and mobile:
On Desktop
- Click on the arrow in the top right and go to Settings
- In the left column click “Privacy”
- Go to “How people find and contact you”
- Under “Who can see your friends list” click “Edit”
- Change the setting from “Public” to “Friends”
- Click “Confirm” to save the changes
This will make your friends list visible only to people you are connected to on Facebook. Others will no longer be able to search and see your list of friends.
On Mobile
- Tap the three line menu icon in the bottom right
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”
- Tap “Privacy”
- Tap “How people find and contact you”
- Tap “Who can see your friends list”
- Change from “Public” to “Friends”
- Tap “Confirm” to save
These steps work the same way and will change your friends list visibility to just friends rather than public.
Other Ways to Enhance Facebook Privacy
In addition to your friends list, here are some other Facebook privacy settings worth checking to better protect your info:
- Review profile privacy – Change who can see posts, info, etc.
- Limit old post visibility – Restrict visibility of past posts
- Turn off search engine indexing – So your profile cannot be searched
- Block app friend permissions – Do not allow apps to access friend data
- Check privacy shortcuts – Quick privacy checkup tool
- Limit ad targeting – Opt out of targeted advertising
Taking the time to go through and adjust these Facebook privacy and security options can give you much better control over who sees your profile and information.
What Happens When You Make Your Friends List Private?
Here are some key things that change when you make your Facebook friends list private:
- Your full friends list will no longer be visible to the public
- Only your confirmed friends will be able to see your list of friends
- Strangers will no longer be able to browse your friends list
- Apps and third party services will have limited access to your friends list data
- People searching on Facebook will not find your friends list in results
- You maintain control over who can see your social connections
In most cases, a private friends list is desirable for privacy-conscious users. It segments your connections and prevents unnecessary exposure of your contacts.
Do Friends Have to Approve Visibility?
An important thing to note is that your friends do not have to approve being on a private friends list. When you make your list private, it simply becomes invisible to the public – your confirmed friends will still be able to see the full list.
Facebook does not notify friends when you make your list private or give them any type of approval. The control is solely with your own account settings. So you do not need to worry about managing settings on a per-friend basis.
Can You Choose Who Sees Your Friends List?
Beyond just public or friends, Facebook does give you some flexibility with friends list visibility. Under “Who can see your friends list” you have three options:
- Public: Anyone can see your friends
- Friends: Only confirmed friends can see your list
- Only Me: No one else can see your friends list
“Only Me” is the most private option, completely limiting visibility. “Friends” is a nice balance, allowing connections without full public visibility. And “Public” is the least private but can be useful if you want broader visibility.
Tips for Adjusting Facebook Privacy
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you evaluate privacy settings like your friends list on Facebook:
- Review all your privacy settings – Friends list is just one option
- Think about what information you want to limit
- Don’t forget old posts – Limit visibility of past content
- Customize by audience where possible – You can target settings to groups
- Check visibility from a viewer’s perspective – See what others see
- Re-check settings occasionally for changes – Privacy evolves over time
- Utilize privacy checkup for an overview – Easy way to audit settings
- Report privacy problems to Facebook – If you encounter issues
Protecting your privacy is crucial on social media. Take advantage of the available settings to gain more control over your information.
Potential Downsides to a Private Friends List
While a private list has clear privacy benefits, there are some potential downsides to be aware of as well:
- Limits some types of connections and friend finding
- Reduces visibility which some people use professionally
- Can fragment visibility of your profile across different groups
- Some apps and services rely on friends data to operate
- Messenger connectivity can be impacted in some cases
- May need to proactively add some new friends if visibility is limited
Evaluate your own use case to determine if these trade-offs are worth it. For many the privacy benefits outweigh the downsides.
Facebook Friends List Privacy Settings
Here is a summary of the key Facebook friends list privacy settings and options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Public | Default setting, anyone can see your friends list |
| Friends | Only your confirmed friends can see your friends list |
| Only Me | No one else can see your friends list, fully private |
| Searchability | Controls if others can find your friends list in search |
These settings provide flexibility for controlling friends list visibility at different comfort levels. Adjust based on your privacy needs.
How Facebook’s Friends List Privacy Has Changed
Facebook’s approach to friends list privacy has evolved over time. Here is a brief history of some key changes:
- Pre-2009: All friends lists fully public by default
- 2009: Introduced “Friends only” option but still public by default
- 2011: Enhanced privacy settings after backlash on defaults
- 2013: Prevented app API access to friends data
- 2018: Limited app friends data due to Cambridge Analytica scandal
- 2021: Further restricted third-party app access to friends
In general, Facebook has strengthened and given users more control over friends list privacy in response to feedback, controversies, and cultural shifts towards valuing privacy. But the public setting remains the default in order to drive engagement.
Conclusion
Keeping your Facebook friends list private is an important way to maintain control over your information and online presence. The steps to make your list private are relatively simple in both desktop and mobile settings. Weigh the pros and cons based on your own preferences and comfort with visibility.
Along with adjusting privacy settings, be thoughtful about what information you share more broadly on Facebook. Your friends list is just one element of how your profile data gets used. Consider all of Facebook’s privacy controls to determine what is right for your needs.