the most common reasons Privacy Shortcuts may be missing are needing the latest Facebook version, account age restrictions, geographic availability limits, or your own custom privacy settings blocking it. Checking these factors should help identify why Privacy Shortcuts is not visible for you, and what steps to take to be able to access this useful privacy feature.
You don’t have the latest version of Facebook
The Privacy Shortcuts feature was introduced in 2020, so you’ll need the latest version of the Facebook app or to be using the desktop site in order to see and use them. If you’re using an older version of the Facebook app, update to the latest version and you should then have access to Privacy Shortcuts.
Your account is not old enough
Facebook rolled out Privacy Shortcuts slowly, so newer Facebook accounts may not have immediate access.
If your account was created recently, you may need to wait a bit before Privacy Shortcuts become available.
Give it some time and check again in a few weeks.
You need to enable Privacy Shortcuts
Even if Privacy Shortcuts are available for your account, you may need to manually enable it first. To do this:
- Go to the Settings & Privacy menu
- Select “Settings”
- Go to the “Privacy Shortcuts” section
- Toggle “Privacy Shortcuts” to the “On” position
This will enable Privacy Shortcuts for your account. You can then access it via the Privacy Shortcuts option in the Settings & Privacy menu.
Your account privacy settings are restricting it
In some cases, your existing privacy settings may be restricting access to Privacy Shortcuts.
For example, if you have visibility of your profile or posts restricted, Privacy Shortcuts may not show up.
Try temporarily easing some of your privacy settings, such as making your profile visible to the public. If Privacy Shortcuts then appears, you know your custom privacy settings were blocking it.
It’s not available on your device
Privacy Shortcuts is only available on iOS and Android devices currently. If you are trying to access it from other platforms like desktop, it will not be visible there.
You can access Privacy Shortcuts via the Facebook mobile app on iPhone or Android phones. It is not yet available on the desktop website or other mobile platforms.
Your Facebook layout is customized
If you have extensively customized your Facebook layout, it’s possible you may have inadvertently removed or hidden access to Privacy Shortcuts. The default position is within the Settings & Privacy menu.
Try resetting your Facebook layout back to default – this should make Privacy Shortcuts visible again in its regular location.
It’s not available in your region of Facebook
In some cases, Privacy Shortcuts may not be visible due to the regional version of Facebook you are accessing. For example, if you are using Facebook Lite instead of the full Facebook app.
Switch over to the standard Facebook app and Privacy Shortcuts should then become available in your Settings & Privacy menu.
You are viewing an old version of Facebook
If you are viewing an outdated cached version of Facebook in your browser, it will not show new features like Privacy Shortcuts. Refresh your browser to load the latest version of Facebook.
You can also clear your browser cache and cookies, which forces Facebook to reload completely fresh on next access.