Facebook Stories allow users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Unlike regular posts, Stories are only visible to your friends on Facebook. But what if you want to see who is viewing your Stories that aren’t your friends? Unfortunately, Facebook doesn’t have a built-in feature to see who views your Stories if they aren’t your friends. However, there are a few workarounds and third-party apps that can help you see who is viewing your Stories incognito.
Why You Can’t See All Story Views
When you post a Story on Facebook, it is visible to all of your friends by default. Friends who view your Story will show up in the Seen By list under your Story. However, if someone who isn’t your friend on Facebook views your Story, you won’t be able to see them in the Seen By list.
Facebook designed Stories this way intentionally, to protect user privacy. They don’t want you to be able to see exactly who viewed your Story unless they are already connected to you as friends. So unfortunately, the default Facebook app does not provide any way to see who viewed your Story if they have no connection to you on Facebook.
Use Viewer Lists to See Non-Friends
If you have a public Facebook profile and account, one workaround is to use Facebook Viewer Lists. This feature allows you to see a list of people who aren’t your friends but who have recently viewed your profile.
To check your Viewer List:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click on the Views section under your cover photo
- Go to the Non-Friends tab
This will show you a list of people who aren’t your friends who have recently viewed your profile. If someone viewed your Story who isn’t your friend, they may show up here. However, this isn’t a complete list of everyone who viewed your Story, since it only shows non-friends who viewed your profile in the last 30 days.
Use Third-Party Apps
A better way to see exactly who viewed your Stories—even if they aren’t your friends—is to use third-party Facebook Story viewer apps. These apps can show you more detailed analytics about who watched your Stories, for how long, and how many times. Here are some of the best apps to try:
Story Savebox
Story Savebox is a free Chrome extension that shows you analytics for who viewed your Facebook Stories. To use it:
- Download the Story Savebox Chrome extension
- Log into your Facebook account on Chrome after installing
- Post a new Story on Facebook
- Open the Story Savebox extension to see Story viewers and analytics
Story Savebox will show you a list of everyone who viewed your Story, how long they viewed it for, and more details. You can even download your Stories to save them permanently. The app works by accessing data from your Facebook account after you log in, so it can show you full viewer analytics.
Story Watcher App
Story Watcher is an app available for iPhone/Android that performs a similar function. To set it up:
- Download the Story Watcher app
- Connect your Facebook account
- Post a new Story on Facebook
- Open Story Watcher to see who viewed your Story
Story Watcher also shows you detailed viewer analytics for any Story you post. This includes names, profiles, and viewing duration for every viewer. The app syncs with your Facebook account to capture the data.
Story Saver for Facebook
Story Saver for Facebook is another free app you can use to see who viewed your Stories. It has similar install and setup steps:
- Download the Story Saver app
- Log into your Facebook account through the app
- Post a new Story on Facebook
- Check Story Saver to see views and download your Story
Story Saver shows you viewer analytics and also lets you save your Facebook Stories before they expire. Like the other apps, you’ll need to connect your Facebook account first.
Other Ways to See Story Views
In addition to the Viewer List and third-party apps, there are a few other creative ways you may be able to see who is viewing your Facebook Stories anonymously:
- Look for viewers who reacted to your Story. Friends who react will show up while non-friends won’t.
- Check your Page Insights if you have a Facebook Page to see Story reach.
- See if viewers added you as a friend after viewing your Story.
- Ask friends if they saw certain people watching your Stories.
However, these methods only provide clues about who might be viewing your Stories. They don’t give you definitive proof of views like the apps do.
Why You Shouldn’t Obsess Over Story Views
While it’s tempting to want to know who is watching your Stories, it’s important not to get too obsessed with Story views. At the end of the day, the number of views your Stories get doesn’t really matter. What’s more important is creating Stories that resonate with your audience.
Here are a few reasons not to stress about who sees your Stories:
- Views aren’t the best success metric. Focus more on making engaging Stories.
- You don’t need to know everyone who sees your content. Privacy goes both ways.
- Assume anyone could potentially see your public Stories.
- Seeing a few random views shouldn’t change how you use Stories.
As long as you use Facebook Stories to express yourself or connect with friends, that’s what matters most. The people who appreciate your Stories will engage with them or respond to let you know they enjoyed them. At the end of the day, you should create Stories for yourself and your community—not just to rack up views.
Protect Your Privacy
While these tips can help you see who is viewing your Stories, always be mindful of protecting your own privacy. Don’t provide personal or identifying information in public Stories. You also may want to restrict your viewing audience for certain Stories only to close friends if you’re concerned about who sees them.
In your Facebook Settings, you can also limit who can see your future posts to tailor your audience. Use Privacy Checkup to review and adjust who can view your profile and Stories.
As you use tools to see who looks at your Stories, be respectful of others’ privacy too. Don’t assume anything about why someone may have viewed your Story anonymously.
Conclusion
Unfortunately Facebook doesn’t let you see exactly who views your Stories unless they are your friends. But by using the Viewer List, third-party apps, and other clues, you can get an idea of who is watching your Stories incognito. Just remember that views don’t matter as much as creating great Stories—and be mindful of protecting your own privacy. Focus on having fun with Stories and connecting with your community.