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    Social Media
    Beginner
    2 min read 8 stepsApril 2, 2026Verified April 2026

    How to Lock Down Your Facebook Privacy Settings

    Take control of who can see your posts, photos, and personal information on Facebook.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Social Media
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    2 min read
    Steps
    8
    Topics covered
    facebook
    privacy
    social-media
    security
    settings

    In this guide (8 steps):

    1. 1.Access Privacy Settings
    2. 2.Control who sees your posts
    3. 3.Limit past posts
    4. 4.Control friend requests
    5. 5.Hide your profile from search engines
    6. 6.Review tags and timeline
    7. 7.Check your Privacy Checkup
    8. 8.Two-factor authentication
    1

    Access Privacy Settings

    ~15s
    Tap the menu icon (three lines) > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy. On desktop: click your profile picture > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy.
    2

    Control who sees your posts

    ~15s
    Under "Your Activity," set "Who can see your future posts?" to "Friends" (not "Public"). This means only people you've accepted as friends can see what you share.
    3

    Limit past posts

    ~15s
    Click "Limit Past Posts" to change all your old public posts to Friends-only in one step. This is important if you've been posting publicly for years.
    4

    Control friend requests

    ~15s
    Under "How People Find and Contact You," set who can send you friend requests to "Friends of friends" to reduce spam requests from strangers.
    5

    Hide your profile from search engines

    ~15s
    Turn off "Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?" This prevents your Facebook profile from appearing in Google search results.
    6

    Review tags and timeline

    ~15s
    Under Timeline and Tagging, enable "Review posts you're tagged in before the post appears on your timeline." This gives you control over what appears on your profile.
    7

    Check your Privacy Checkup

    ~15s
    Go to Settings > Privacy Checkup. Facebook walks you through key settings in a simple step-by-step guide. Review this every few months.
    8

    Two-factor authentication

    ~15s
    Settings > Security and Login > Two-Factor Authentication. Enable this so logging in requires both your password and a code sent to your phone. Prevents hackers from accessing your account.

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    Official Resources

    Facebook Help CenterAARP Social Media GuideFTC — Social Media Safety

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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