Being tagged in photos or posts on Facebook can be fun, but sometimes people tag you when you’d rather not be tagged. Fortunately, Facebook provides ways to approve tags before they appear on your profile and to untag yourself from posts if you’ve already been tagged.
Quick Answers
Here are some quick answers to common questions about preventing tags on Facebook:
- Turn on Review Tags – This makes tags pending until you approve them.
- Limit the Audience of Your Posts – Friends can’t tag people who can’t see the post.
- Untag Yourself – You can remove tags of yourself from posts and photos.
- Block a User – Blocked users can’t tag you in any posts or photos.
Review Tags
The best way to prevent unwanted tags on Facebook is to enable tag review. With tag review on, any tags of you by other users will be pending until you approve them.
To turn on tag review:
- Click the arrow in the top right and select Settings & Privacy.
- Click Settings.
- Click the left tab for Timeline and Tagging.
- Toggle on Review posts you’re tagged in before the post appears on your timeline.
Once enabled, you’ll get a notification when someone tags you. You can choose to approve the tag, ignore it, or remove it entirely. This gives you full control over what tags of you appear on your profile.
Limit Audience of Your Posts
Another way to prevent unwanted tags is to limit the audience of your own posts. Friends can’t tag people who aren’t able to see the post in the first place.
To limit your post audience:
- When creating a post, click on the audience selector (below your name).
- Choose a limited audience like Friends Except Acquaintances.
- Click Done and post normally.
With a limited audience, the reach of any tags will be restricted. This makes it harder for unwanted tags to appear.
Untag Yourself
If someone does tag you in an unsuitable post or photo, you can always untag yourself. This removes the tag so your name and profile picture no longer appear.
To untag yourself from a post:
- Click the post to open it.
- Hover over your name in the post.
- Click Remove Tag when it appears.
- Confirm that you want to remove the tag.
This will untag you while leaving the post itself intact. You can also untag yourself from a photo by clicking Remove Tag on the photo.
Block a User
If someone repeatedly tags you inappropriately, you may want to block them. Blocked users can’t see your profile or tag you in any posts or photos.
To block a user:
- Go to their profile page.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select Block from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that you want to block them.
Blocking is a last resort, but prevents the user from interacting with you at all going forward.
Preventing Tag Notifications
Getting notified frequently when you’re tagged can also be disruptive. You can turn these notifications off entirely:
- Click the arrow in the top right and select Settings & Privacy.
- Click Settings.
- Click Notifications on the left.
- Turn off notifications for Tags.
This will prevent tag notifications from appearing. However, the tags themselves will still be active unless you unlink using the steps above.
Tag Approval for Pages
The tag review setting applies only to your personal profile. But as a Page admin, you can also approve tags on your Facebook Page:
- Go to your Page and click Settings at the bottom.
- Click Templates and Tabs.
- Under Tagging Ability, select Disabled or Enabled and Approve Tags.
This will let you review and approve any tags on your Page posts. Leaving tagging disabled prevents anyone from tagging your Page.
Prevent Tagging from Specific Apps
Some third-party apps and games allow tagging your friends. You can prevent specific apps from tagging you:
- Click the arrow in the top right and select Settings & Privacy.
- Click Settings.
- Click Apps and Websites on the left.
- Click the app you want to manage.
- Toggle off Can Tag Me.
This setting is app-specific. You’ll need to update it for each app you want to prevent from tagging.
Conclusion
Here are some key takeaways for preventing unwanted tags on Facebook:
- Enable tag review to approve tags before they appear.
- Limit your post audience to restrict potential tags.
- Untag yourself to remove existing tags.
- Block users who repeatedly tag you inappropriately.
- Disable tag notifications to reduce disruptions.
- Review tags on your Facebook Page as a Page admin.
- Turn off tagging ability for specific third-party apps.
Exercising caution with tags and utilizing Facebook’s approval tools can help you avoid unwanted tagging. Paying attention to your audience settings, untagging yourself, and controlling notifications also helps minimize undesired exposure from tagging.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prevent someone from tagging me completely?
There is no setting to prevent a specific person from tagging you entirely. However, you can block them, which prevents them from seeing your profile or tagging you. You can also report someone for harassment if they tag you repeatedly after requests to stop.
What happens if I ignore a tag request?
If you ignore a tag review notification, the tag will automatically expire and disappear after 7 days. It will not appear on your profile unless you explicitly approve it during that time.
Can I approve tags from a specific person by default?
There is no setting to automatically approve tags from certain people only. Your options are to approve tags individually as they occur or keep tag review disabled entirely to allow all tags without review.
Is it possible to delete all past tags of me at once?
Unfortunately there is no bulk delete for removing all of your previous tags at one time. You would need to manually untag yourself from each post or photo that you’re tagged in.
Can someone tag me if I’m not their Facebook friend?
Yes, anyone can tag you in a post or photo as long as your privacy settings allow it. You don’t need to be Facebook friends for someone to tag you.
Tagging Teenagers
Parents should be especially cautious about teens being tagged on Facebook. Here are some tips for managing tags for teenagers:
- Set tagging review to enabled.
- Limit profile visibility to Friends only.
- Turn off tagging ability for third-party apps.
- Set post audience to Friends or Friends of Friends at maximum.
- Monitor tags closely and untag if inappropriate.
- Block users if necessary.
Keeping a close eye on tags for teens and restricting visibility can help prevent unwanted attention or exposure.
Tagging Statistics
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Average daily tags on Facebook | 150 million |
| Percentage of 12-17 year olds tagged in the last year | 37% |
| Number of tag recommendations generated daily | 1.5 billion |
| Percentage of users with tag review enabled | 27% |
Tagging continues to be a popular Facebook feature for engaging with friends. But many users overlook the available controls for managing tag visibility and frequency.
The Risks of Overtagging
While tagging can help connect people, overuse of tagging has some risks:
- Unwanted attention – Excessive tags can attract stalkers or bullies.
- Reputation harm – Embarrassing tags may affect professional image.
- Privacy concerns – Tags share info you may not want public.
- Harassment – Being tagged repeatedly after asking a user to stop.
- Digital stalking – Using tags to track someone’s activities.
- Identity theft – Tagging the wrong person to collect their info.
Being thoughtful about when and how often you tag others can help avoid many of these downsides of overtagging.
Responsible Tagging
To tag in a responsible way on Facebook:
- Ask for consent before tagging someone.
- Avoid tagging strangers or vague acquaintances.
- Untag people if requested.
- Respect objections to certain types of tags.
- Limit tagging frequency to avoid bombarding someone.
- Tag accurately based on content, not guesses.
Keeping tagging thoughtful and infrequent is key. A few relevant tags are better than overtagging everything indifferently.
Tagging and Privacy
Facebook’s default privacy settings allow you to be tagged by anyone. But you can restrict tagging to give you more control.
To limit who can tag you:
- Click the arrow in the top right and select Settings & Privacy.
- Click Settings.
- Click the left tab for Timeline and Tagging.
- Change the Who can tag you setting at the bottom.
Options include friends, only you, and custom lists. Tightening this setting prevents unwanted tagging from broader audiences.
Using Tags Thoughtfully
Here are some final tips for keeping your tagging habits responsible:
- Tag only close friends and family.
- Avoid tagging in private, sensitive, or embarrassing posts.
- Ask yourself if a tag really adds value.
- Limit tagging to 1-2 people max per post.
- Watch for signs of annoyance at frequent tags.
- Don’t tag people without their consent.
Being selective, infrequent, and respectful with tags keeps the experience positive for you and friends.