Let’s be real for a second. Facebook isn't exactly the fortress of solitude it used to be. You post a photo of your dog or a rant about a local coffee shop, and suddenly, some random person from your high school—who you haven't spoken to in fifteen years—is liking it. Or worse, a total stranger. Privacy on the internet feels like a myth these days, but learning how to make an account private on Facebook is actually one of the few things you still have a decent amount of control over. It’s just that Meta likes to hide these settings behind about six different menus.
Honestly, the "Privacy Checkup" tool they push on you is fine for beginners, but it doesn't catch everything. If you really want to lock things down, you have to go manual.
It's not just about hiding your "About Me" section. It's about stopping people from finding you via your phone number, blocking search engines from indexing your profile, and making sure your past "cringe" posts from 2012 aren't visible to your future employer. If you’ve ever felt like you’re living in a glass house, it’s time to tint the windows.
The "Nuclear Option" for Your Post History
Most people think they have to go through every single photo and post one by one. Please don't do that. You’ll be there until 2027. Facebook has a specific tool that most people ignore called "Limit Past Posts."
👉 See also: Radio shadow deep tracks: Why your favorite FM station suddenly goes silent
When you use this, it takes every post you’ve ever shared as "Public" or with "Friends of Friends" and instantly switches them to "Friends." It’s a massive time-saver. You find it by digging into your Settings, then "Privacy," and looking under "Your Activity." It’s a one-click solution that changes your entire digital footprint in about three seconds.
But there’s a catch.
If you're tagged in someone else's post, this won't hide that. You don't own that content; they do. You’ll have to go to your "Activity Log" and manually untag yourself if you want to disappear from someone else’s drunken night out photos. It's annoying, I know. But if you want to know how to make an account private on Facebook, you have to realize that privacy is a two-way street. You can control your wall, but you can't always control the walls of your friends without a little manual labor.
Who Can Actually Find You?
This is where things get creepy. By default, Facebook often lets people look you up using the email address or phone number associated with your account. Think about that. Anyone who has your digits can potentially find your profile, see your face, and browse whatever you haven't locked down.
Go to "How People Find and Contact You" in your settings. Change "Who can look you up using the email address you provided?" to "Only me" or at least "Friends." Do the same for your phone number.
And for the love of everything, look at the setting that asks: "Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?"
If that is set to "Yes," your Facebook profile can show up in a Google search. That’s usually not what people want when they’re trying to stay low-key. Turn it off. It might take a few weeks for Google to update its index and stop showing your name in results, but the sooner you toggle that switch, the better.
The Timeline and Tagging Minefield
Ever had a friend tag you in a meme or a photo that you really didn't want on your profile? It shows up there by default unless you change your "Timeline and Tagging" settings.
You need to enable "Review posts you're tagged in before the post appears on your profile."
👉 See also: Why Saturn Planet NASA Pictures Keep Changing How We See the Solar System
This doesn't stop the person from posting the photo, but it prevents it from showing up on your timeline without your express permission. It puts you in the driver's seat. You get a notification, you look at the photo, and you decide if it fits your vibe. If it doesn't? You hit "Hide," and it stays off your page. Simple.
Also, check who can see what others post on your profile. Even if you’re private, if a friend posts something public on your wall, it might be visible to people you don't know. Set "Who can see what others post on your profile" to "Friends" or "Only Me" to keep your wall strictly for your eyes and those you trust.
Friends Lists and the "Public" Perception
Your friends list is another area where privacy leaks happen. By default, often everyone can see who you are friends with. This is a goldmine for scammers or people trying to map out your social circle.
- Navigate to your profile.
- Click on your "Friends" tab.
- Hit the three dots (ellipsis) or "Manage."
- Select "Edit Privacy."
- Change "Who can see your friends list?" to "Only Me."
Now, the only person who knows your full friend count and list is you. Mutual friends will still show up when someone visits your profile, but they won't be able to scroll through your entire 400-person list to see that you’re still friends with your ex’s cousin.
Making Your "About" Info Less... About You
We tend to overshare in the "About" section. High school, current job, hometown, relationship status—it’s all there. While it helps long-lost friends find you, it also helps bad actors answer your security questions for your bank account.
You don't have to delete this info, but you should set it to "Only Me" or "Friends."
Do you really need the public to know you graduated from Ohio State in 2008? Probably not. Go through each section—Work and Education, Places Lived, Contact and Basic Info—and click the little audience selector icon next to each entry. If it’s a globe icon, it’s public. Change it to the "Friends" (two silhouettes) or the "Lock" (Only Me) icon.
How to make an account private on Facebook: Mobile vs. Desktop
Interestingly, the interface is totally different depending on if you're on an iPhone, an Android, or a laptop. On a desktop, everything is spread out. On mobile, it's buried under the "Hamburger" menu (the three lines), then "Settings & Privacy," then "Settings."
The "Privacy Center" is Meta’s attempt to centralize this, but honestly, it’s a bit of a maze. If you’re on mobile, use the search bar at the top of the Settings menu. Just type "Privacy" and it will bring up the shortcuts. It’s way faster than scrolling through the endless list of "Legal and Policies" or "Permissions."
The "View As" Tool: Your Best Friend
If you want to know if you’ve actually succeeded in how to make an account private on Facebook, you need to use the "View As" tool.
Go to your profile page. Click the three dots near the "Edit Profile" button. Select "View As."
This shows you exactly what your profile looks like to a complete stranger. If you still see photos, your friends list, or your work history, you missed a spot. It’s the ultimate reality check. Often, people realize their cover photos or featured snippets are still public. You can't actually make a cover photo or a profile picture completely "invisible"—they are always public to some extent—but you can restrict who can click on them and see the comments, likes, or full-sized version.
A Note on Third-Party Apps
Privacy isn't just about people. It's about data. Over the years, you’ve probably used Facebook to "Log in with..." on dozens of websites.
🔗 Read more: How Do I Make a Conference Call on an iPhone: The Fix for When the Button Stays Gray
Go to "Apps and Websites" in your settings. You will likely see a list of games, quizzes, and old websites you haven't used in five years that still have access to your Facebook data.
Remove them.
Every app you've linked is a potential doorway into your private information. If one of those apps has a data breach, your Facebook info could be part of the leak. Cleaning this list out once a year is just good digital hygiene. It’s part of the broader process of securing your account.
Actionable Next Steps for Total Privacy
Getting your privacy settings right isn't a "set it and forget it" thing because Facebook updates its UI constantly. To truly secure your account right now, follow these steps:
- Run the Limit Past Posts tool immediately to sweep your history.
- Toggle off Search Engine indexing to keep your profile off Google.
- Use "View As" to see what a stranger sees; if you see too much, go back to your "About" section.
- Set your Friends List to "Only Me" to prevent social engineering.
- Audit your Apps and Websites list and delete anything you don’t use daily.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). While not strictly a "privacy" setting, it's the only thing keeping someone from logging in and changing your privacy settings back to public.
Locking down your account takes about fifteen minutes if you know where to look. It’s the difference between being an open book and having a private digital life. You don't owe the world your data, and you certainly don't owe every random person on the internet a look into your personal history. Once you’ve gone through these menus, you can finally scroll in peace.