Facebook’s privacy settings allow users to control who can see their profile and posts. One of the most useful privacy features is the ability to “lock” your profile, which prevents non-friends from accessing your timeline. Unfortunately, Facebook does not make the lock profile option available to all users. If you don’t see the lock profile button on your Facebook settings, don’t worry – there are still steps you can take to lock down your profile and protect your privacy.
Why Would the Lock Profile Option Not Be Available?
There are a few potential reasons why someone may not have access to the lock profile setting on Facebook:
- Age – Facebook restricts certain privacy settings for teen users (ages 13-17). Teens may not have the ability to lock profiles.
- New User – New Facebook users may need to be on the platform for a certain period of time before unlocking all privacy controls.
- Country – In some countries, the profile lock option is not available due to local laws.
- Test Groups – Facebook sometimes limits features for certain test groups when rolling out new changes.
- Account Restrictions – Users who have violated Facebook’s terms of service may have limits placed on their accounts.
- Feature Removal – Facebook has full discretion over what features are available and can remove or restrict features at any time.
If you cannot lock your profile through your account settings, one of these reasons likely applies to your account.
How to Tell if You Can Lock Your Profile
To check if the lock profile option is enabled for your account:
- Go to your Facebook profile and click on the three-dot “More” menu in the top right.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then click “Settings”.
- Go to the “Privacy” section of the left menu.
- See if there is an option called “Lock Profile” – if not, the feature is not available for your account.
If this option is missing, do not worry – there are still ways to lock down your profile, which we will cover next.
Limiting Profile Viewers Without Locking
Just because you can’t completely lock your profile, does not mean you cannot limit who can see your content and information. Use these privacy settings to restrict profile viewing:
Adjust Post Audience
Whenever you share a post or photo, use the audience selector to limit visibility. Choose “Friends” or “Only Me” instead of “Public” to prevent non-friends from seeing future posts.
Restrict Old Posts
Use the “Limit Past Posts” tool to make old public posts only visible to friends. Go to your profile, click the three-dot menu, select “Limit Past Posts” and limit visibility of previous posts.
Review Friend List
Unfriend people you do not want accessing your profile. You can also create a “Restricted” friends list and limit access to certain posts/info for those friends only.
Disable Profile Photo Tagging
Prevent others from tagging you in photos posted on their own timelines without your permission. Go to Settings > Timeline and Tagging and disable profile photo tagging.
How to Completely Lock Down Your Facebook Profile
If you want your profile fully private like the lock feature provides, there are still methods to effectively lock your profile:
Switch to a Private Account
You can change your Facebook profile from public to private. Private accounts are similar to having a locked profile. To make your profile private:
- Go to your profile and click the three-dot menu.
- Select “View As” from the menu.
- You will see a preview of your public profile. In the upper right corner, click “Switch to Private Account”.
- Confirm that you want your profile to be private.
This will make your profile viewable only by confirmed friends.
Remove Profile Info
Another option is to delete personal info from your profile like photos, work/education, relationship details, etc. Removing this info will give non-friends less to see if they access your page.
Deactivate Your Account
You can always deactivate your Facebook account which will remove your profile and all information until you re-activate it. Deactivating is the closest you can get to locking your profile if the feature is unavailable.
Other Facebook Privacy Tips
In addition to locking your profile, use these other privacy best practices:
- Enable login notifications to see when your account is accessed.
- Remove your profile from public search engines in the privacy settings.
- Review all apps and services connected to your account and revoke access.
- Disable location services and facial recognition.
- Tighten ad targeting preferences in account settings.
- Create strong passwords that are unique from other accounts.
Monitoring your privacy settings frequently is also recommended as Facebook often makes changes.
Conclusion
While the lock profile feature is useful for controlling Facebook privacy, there are other ways to achieve the same protection when the option is unavailable. Limiting post audiences, unfriending connections, removing personal details, disabling tagging, and switching to a private account can all effectively mimic a locked profile. Combine those settings with strong passwords and frequently reviewed privacy preferences for the best security. With the right techniques, you can still lock down your Facebook profile and data.