Facebook tagging is a common way to connect with friends and share posts on the social media platform. But who exactly sees a tag when you tag someone on Facebook? The visibility of tags depends on several factors.
People Who Can See Tags
In general, these groups of people can view tags on Facebook:
- The person being tagged
- Mutual friends of the person tagging and the person being tagged
- Anyone who can see the post the tag is on
So if you tag your friend on your post, your friend will see it, as well as all mutual friends between you and your friend. Anyone else who can view the post, like friends of friends or public, will also see the tag.
Post Privacy Settings
The privacy settings of the post you tag someone on plays a big role in who can view the tag. If the post is:
- Public: Anyone including people off Facebook can see the tag.
- Friends/Friends except acquaintances: Your friends and mutual friends of you and the tagged person can see the tag.
- Specific friends: Only people on the allowed friends list can see the tag.
- Only me: Only you can see the tag.
So a public post means everyone will see the tag, while a friends-only post limits the tag visibility to friends. The more private the post, the fewer people who can view the tag.
Individual Tag Visibility Settings
Along with the post privacy setting, you can also control the visibility of each tag using the audience selector menu:
- Public: Anyone on or off Facebook can see the tag.
- Friends: Your friends can see the tag.
- Only me: Only you can see the tag.
This allows you to customize the visibility of each tag separately from the original post. You could tag a friend on a public post but set that specific tag to friends only.
Untagging Yourself
If someone else tags you in a post, you can untag yourself so the tag is no longer linked to your profile. To untag yourself:
- Click on the post with the tag.
- Hover over the tag and click on the X icon.
- Confirm you want to untag yourself.
This will remove the tag so your name is no longer linked. However, the tag text will still show up in the post. Only you can untag yourself – no one else can remove your tag.
Tag Review Settings
Facebook allows you to review tags before they appear on your profile. With tag review enabled:
- You must approve new tags before they link to your profile.
- Tags will still show up in posts, but won’t be linked to you.
- You can remove tags from posts if desired.
Tag review lets you control what tags actually appear on your profile. To enable it:
- Go to Settings & Privacy
- Click Settings
- Click Timeline and Tagging
- Toggle Tag Review to on
Activity Log
Your Facebook activity log records any tags of your profile. To view it:
- Click the arrow in the top right
- Select Activity Log from the dropdown menu
- Click Posts You’re Tagged In on the left sidebar
This will show you a feed of all recent tags on your profile. It’s a useful way to audit tags and ensure you’re comfortable with what’s visible.
Restricted List
You can add people to your Restricted list to limit their interactions with you on Facebook:
- People on your Restricted list cannot tag you.
- You will not see posts Restricted people tag you in.
- Restricted people only see public information about you.
So adding someone to your Restricted list is a way to prevent unwanted tags from specific people. To add someone:
- Go to their profile
- Click More below their cover photo
- Select Add to Restricted List
Conclusion
In summary, tag visibility depends on the post privacy, individual tag settings, tag review preferences, and restricted lists. The person tagged always sees the tag. Mutual friends of the tagger and tagged person can view the tag if post privacy allows. Untagging yourself and restricted lists let you control unwanted tags. Reviewing your activity log also helps you audit tag visibility.
| Tag Visibility Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Post privacy settings | Controls who can see the post and tags on it. Public post means anyone can see tags. |
| Individual tag settings | Adjust specific tag visibility separate from post privacy. |
| Untag yourself | Remove the tag linking to your profile. |
| Tag review | Review and approve tags before they appear on your profile. |
| Restricted list | Prevent specific people from tagging you. |
| Activity log | View and audit all recent tags of your profile. |
Following these Facebook tools and settings allows you to take control over tag visibility. Be thoughtful about who you tag and who you allow to tag you.