You think your friends list on Facebook is everyone’s business? It could be because so many random requests from strangers come in on your profile. Or, you could be serious about your professional image. Hiding that friends list from prying public eyes is an easy way to act in privacy. This article offers you a guide on how to hide your Facebook friends list, both on desktop and mobile.
What Would Hide One’s List of Friends on Facebook?
You might be pondering why one would bother with hiding a friend’s list. Well, a few plausible reasons exist. Let us have a look at a few of those.
Preserving Privacy
Visible friends lists become potential treasure troves for data scrapers as they hold data and information regarding your connections. It leaves one open to be stalked or just simply getting unwanted attention from those people you really do not wish to have knowing about your friends.
Being Professional
Hunting for jobs? A public friend’s list will not make a difference. Employers may judge you in reference to your connections. Keep your list private so as to separate your personal and professional lives and control what image the world outside thinks you project.
Secret Requests
Ever received friend requests from someone you’ve never heard of? A lot of times, it’s because they’ve seen your friends list. A private list dramatically cuts down on these unsolicited requests. You choose who you connect with.
Make Your Friends Private on Facebook via Desktop
Going to Privacy Settings
To start, log into Facebook on your computer. Click the small arrow in the top-right corner. A menu will appear. Select “Settings & Privacy,” then click “Settings.” Now, look at the left-hand menu. Find and click “Privacy.” This section lets you control who sees your information.
Visibility to “Only Me”
In the Privacy settings, find “Who can see your friends list?” Click “Edit” next to it. You’ll see a dropdown menu. Choose “Only Me.” This means only you can see your friends list. It’s the most private setting available.
Customize Your Audience
Want to control a little more? “Custom” gives you that option where you can select people to view your list. The final settings give you granular control- “Friends except…” will do just that.
Making Your Facebook Friends List Private on Mobile
Getting to Settings & Privacy
Open the Facebook app; Tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon). Then, scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy.” And now, “Settings.” That should have taken you to the main settings menu.
Managing Friends List Visibility
Scroll through to the section titled “Audience and Visibility.” In this section, tap “How People Find and Contact You.” Find “Who can see your friends list?” and tap on it. Now select “Only Me”. If you want more specific control, select either “Friends” or “Custom.”
Understanding the Differences in Privacy Settings
Public
Anyone can view the friends list. A person does not have to have an account or friendship on Facebook to be able to see this list of friends. This is the least private.
Friends
Friends seeing your list means only other people on Facebook are able to access your list of friends. This option isn’t available to those who aren’t on your friends list. Thus, it is more private than public, but not as extensive as the last option.
Only Me
This means only you can view your friends list. Not even your friends can see it. It is the most private, featuring total control over who sees the contacts.
Custom
Custom gives you the options of having certain people be able to see your friends list and/or prevent certain people from seeing it. It provides the most dynamism. If you want really specific privacy settings, this would be the best option.
More Privacy Tips on Facebook
Reviewing Your Profile
Regularly check who can see your posts and photos. Go to your profile and click the three dots (“…”) then, select “View As.” To show how your profile looks to other people.
Limiting Old Posts
This limits the audience of old posts. Go to the option called “Settings & Privacy” and look for “Privacy”. There, you can check “Limit the Audience for Posts You’ve Shared with Friends of Friends or Public?” Click on the “Limit Past Posts.” Public posts from before will now only be viewable to friends.
Tag Control
It also lays down the rules of who is allowed to tag you in a post. Further, review posts that may concern you before they show up on your timeline. Go to “Settings & Privacy,” then move on to “Profile and Tagging,” and from there to “Reviewing.” This will avoid unwanted posts from appearing on your profile.
