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Stop Facebook Friends from Seeing Your Activity and Hide It

Quick Tips
  • Go to Facebook’s privacy settings to control who can see your activity. Select Only Me for maximum privacy.
  • Adjust settings to hide likes, comments, and other activities from your timeline.
  • Use Facebook’s privacy check tool to ensure your settings are up-to-date and secure.

How to Hide Your Friends List on Facebook 

On Desktop 

Step 1: Go to Facebook on your Windows or Mac computer and log in with your account credentials.

Step 2: Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner.

Step 3: From the drop-down menu, choose Settings & privacy.  

click on Privacy Checkup

Step 4: Now, choose Privacy Checkup.

choose Privacy Checkup

Step 5: On the Privacy Checkup page, click Who can see what you share.

click 'Who can see what you share'

Step 6: In the pop-up modal, click Continue

Step 7: Scroll down to the bottom until you see ‘Friends and following.’ Now, click the button next to Who can see your friends list on your profile?

scroll down to the bottom until you see 'Friends and following'

Step 8: Choose the option Only me

Choose the option Only me

That’s about it. Changes will take effect immediately, and you can close the modal and rest assured that your activity will now be private.

If you don’t have access to a desktop and want to do the same using a mobile, continue reading. 

On Facebook Mobile App

Step 1: Launch the Facebook app. Then, tap on your profile picture.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom and choose Settings & privacy. From the drop-down, select Privacy shortcuts.

scroll to the bottom and choose 'Settings & privacy'

Step 3: Under Privacy Shortcuts, tap Take a Privacy Checkup. Next, select Who can see what you share.

tap 'Take a Privacy Checkup'

This triggers a Privacy check flow. Proceed with the below steps. 

Step 4: You will see the privacy touchpoints you will come across in the flow. Click Continue.

Step 5: Under Profile Information, scroll down to the bottom until you see ‘Friends and following.’ Now, tap the button next to Who can see your friends list on your profile?

Click Continue

Step 6: Select the Only me option.

There you go. After applying the changes, you can tap the back arrow to return to their news feed. Keep reading if you want to hide your friends and your activity. 

How to Hide Your Activity on Facebook 

On Desktop

Step 1: Go to Facebook on your Windows or Mac computer and log in with your account credentials.

Step 2: Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner.  

Step 3: From the drop-down menu, choose Settings & privacy.  

click on Privacy Checkup

Step 4: Now, choose Privacy Checkup.

choose Privacy Checkup

Step 5: On the Privacy Checkup page, click Who can see what you share.

click 'Who can see what you share'

Step 6: In the pop-up modal, click Continue

Step 7: Click the Next button again. 

Click the Next button again

Step 8: Under the ‘Profile and Stories’ section, click the button next to the default audience.

Step 9: Choose the option Only me and click Save button.

Choose the option Only me

Step 10: Repeat the same for Stories. Click on the button next to it. 

Click on the button next to it

Step 11: You cannot select Only me when posting a story, as it defies the very purpose of posting the story in the first place. So, select the Custom option and select who you want to share your stories with.

Select Only me

That’s about it. You can close the modal, and rest assured that your activity will now be private after the changes are made. If you want to do it through Facebook’s mobile app, continue reading. 

On Facebook Mobile App

Step 1: Launch the Facebook app. Then, tap on your profile picture on the right-hand side.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom and choose Settings & privacy. From the drop-down, select Privacy shortcuts.

scroll to the bottom and choose 'Settings & privacy'

Step 3: Under Privacy Shortcuts, tap Take a Privacy Checkup. Next, select Who can see what you share.

tap 'Take a Privacy Checkup'

This triggers a Privacy check flow. Proceed with the below steps. 

Step 4: You will see the privacy touchpoints you will come across in the flow. Click Continue. On the next screen, tap Next.

tap on the button next to Default audience

Step 5: Tap on the button next to Default audience. On the next screen, choose See More.

tap on the button next to Default audience

Step 6: Now, select Only me.

Step 6: You can do the same for Stories as well. However, you cannot select Only me when posting a story, as it defies the very purpose of posting the story in the first place. So, select the Custom option and select who you want to share your stories with.

select the Custom option and select who you want to share

There you go. You have hidden your Facebook posts from public view and kept them private. Are you looking to hide your followers’ pages, people, and lists alongside your posts and stories? Read on. 

Also Read: How to use your avatar during video calls on Instagram and Facebook Messenger

How to Hide the People and Pages You Follow on Facebook 

On Desktop 

Step 1: Go to Facebook from your preferred browser and log in with your account credentials.

Step 2: Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner.  

Step 3: From the drop-down menu, click on Settings & privacy.

click on Privacy Checkup

Step 4: Under ‘Settings & privacy,’ choose Settings.

choose Settings

Step 5: Go to Privacy from the left pane on the Settings page. 

Go to Privacy

Step 6: Under Your Activity section, click Edit adjacent to ‘Who can see the people, Pages, and lists you follow?’

click Edit adjacent to 'Who can see the people, Pages, and lists you follow?'

Step 7: Click the chevron (arrow) icon next to the option, and finally, choose Only me.

Click the chevron (arrow) icon

That’s it. Your Facebook pages and the people you follow will be hidden from everyone’s view. If you want to do the same using mobile, continue reading.

On Facebook Mobile App

Step 1: Launch the Facebook app. Then, tap on your profile picture on the right-hand side.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom and choose Settings & privacy. From the drop-down, select Settings.

select Settings

Step 3: Now, scroll down to the ‘Audience and visibility’ section and tap Followers and public content. On the next screen, scroll down and tap Who can see the people, Pages and lists you follow?

tap 'Followers and public content'

Step 4: In the Following screen, tap See More and choose the Only me option. 

choose the Only me option

There you have it. You have successfully hidden the people or pages you follow on Facebook from the public. If you have any queries, check out the FAQ section below.

FAQs on Hiding Activity on Facebook

1. Is there a way to hide my Facebook likes and reactions on other people’s posts? 

No, you can’t hide your likes and reactions to other people’s posts. Depending on their privacy settings, they are typically visible to the person who made the post and their friends.

2. Is there a way to hide my past posts on Facebook?

Yes, you can change the audience for your past posts on Facebook in your privacy settings. Go to ‘Settings & Privacy’ > Settings > Privacy > ‘Limit Past Posts’ to restrict the visibility of all your past posts to Friends.

Now that you know how to hide activity on Facebook, you can protect your privacy, manage your professional image, avoid unwanted attention, and bolster your online security.

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Last updated on 24 August, 2024

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