The shortcut bar on Facebook allows you to quickly access profiles of friends and pages you interact with frequently. The people who show up in this bar are your most contacted connections on Facebook.
How does Facebook determine which people appear in my shortcut bar?
Facebook’s algorithm looks at who you interact with the most and displays those profiles in the shortcut bar. This includes people you:
- Message frequently
- Comment on or react to their posts regularly
- Visit their profile pages often
- Have set as a Close Friend
So if you notice certain friends consistently appearing in your shortcut bar, it’s because Facebook has identified them as important contacts based on your activity.
Can I customize the shortcut bar?
Yes, you have some control over who shows up in your shortcut bar:
- Pin profiles: You can pin up to 8 friends or pages to permanently stay in your shortcut bar. Just hover over their icon and click the pin icon.
- Unpin profiles: To remove a pinned profile, hover over it and click the unpin icon.
- Remove profiles: If you hover over a profile and click the “X” icon, they will be removed from the shortcut bar.
Pinned profiles will remain even if your interactions decrease. Unpinning or removing profiles allows Facebook’s algorithm to replace them with others you interact with more frequently.
Why do certain people keep appearing even if I remove them?
If you keep seeing the same people reappear in your shortcut bar even after removing them, it’s a sign you continue to interact with them regularly on Facebook. The algorithm identifies them as important connections and wants easy access to their profiles.
To fully remove them, you’ll need to interact with them less. Don’t view their profile pages, comment on or react to their posts, or message them as frequently. With lower engagement over time, Facebook will replace them with contacts you interact with more.
Can I completely hide the shortcut bar?
There is no setting to permanently hide the shortcut bar on Facebook’s website. However, you can temporarily minimize it by clicking the arrow icon on the far left side.
On the Facebook mobile app, you can fully disable the shortcut bar in Settings. On iOS, go to Settings & Privacy > Shortcuts. On Android, go to Settings & Privacy > Shortcuts. Toggle off “Show Shortcuts”
Why does Facebook think these people are important to me?
Facebook’s goal with the shortcut bar is to provide easy access to the people and pages most relevant to you. Profiles that frequently appear are identified by Facebook’s algorithms as your closest connections and top interests based on your interactions within the app.
Seeing certain friend profiles often means you have a highly engaged relationship with real-world interactions outside Facebook. Frequent messenger conversations also signal importance. Pages reflect topics and brands you engage with regularly.
So while the shortcut bar’s contents are determined algorithmically, they represent the faces, communities, and interests most important to your life based on your own Facebook activity and choices.