How to Make Your Friends List Private On Facebook

Friend-making is the main focus of Facebook. When MySpace was still around, people used to flaunt their pals on their pages almost like awards. Today, though, things are a little bit different. Along with the escalating privacy issues, there is also the age-old issue of keeping your business to yourself.

Facebook by default makes your full list of friends public, so how can you limit access to it to certain people? The solution is really fairly easy. Here are some helpful friends privacy ideas and instructions on how to make your Facebook friends list private.

How to Make Your Facebook Friends List Private

It takes some searching to set up Facebook such that only certain people can view your “Friends” list. You’ll delve further into your privacy settings. Both the Facebook browser extension and the mobile or tablet app enable you manage who can view your friends list. The browser alternative will be discussed first.

How to Make Your Friends’ List Private – Web Browser

You must use a browser on a computer to hide your “Friends” list; this rule applies to Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chromebooks. Any web browser is OK. This is the procedure.

1. Open a web browser and log in to your Facebook account.
2. Click on your profile icon in the top-right section of the page.
3. Select Settings & Privacy from the options. Then, click on Settings.
4. Click on Privacy.
5. Click on Check a few important settings.
6. Click on Who can see what you share.
7. Click Continue to move forward to the Privacy Checkup page.
8. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the dropdown menu to the right of Who can see your friends list on your profile? Then, click Only me.
9. If you want to hide the accounts you’re following, change the dropdown next to Who can see People, pages, and lists you follow? to Only me.

Once you’ve done so, nobody will be able to see your list of pals. Additionally, you have the ability to customize whether you want some or all of your friends to be able to see your friend list.

How to Make Your Friends’ List Private – Mobile App

Use the steps below while using the Facebook app on your phone or tablet to filter the privacy settings for other people in your “Friends” list.

1. Launch the “Facebook” app and tap the “hamburger icon” (Menu). iOS users will find the menu in the lower left corner and Android users will see it in the upper right corner.
2. Tap on the Settings icon at the top of the menu.
3. Tap Privacy Checkup.
4. Choose How can see what you share.
5. Tap Continue to view the privacy checkup page.
6. Scroll down to the Who can see your friends list on your profile option and select Only me.

Choose one of those options rather than Only me if you want your friends—or specific friends—to see what you post.

Next to Who can view the persons, Pages, and lists you follow, you may also choose Only me. to restrict who is able to view who you are following.

Facebook Friends List Privacy Options Explained

Your Facebook “Friends” list can be made private, and you can also modify its visibility settings to keep some individuals from being able to see it. You can choose specialized buddy lists, specific friends, friends only, etc. based on the privacy setting you’ve chosen.

These are the details for each ‘Friends’ list privacy setting.

• Public: Everyone on Facebook can see your ‘Friends’ list.
• Friends: Only your Facebook friends can see your ‘Friends’ list.
• Friends except: All Facebook friends except those specified can see your ‘Friends’ list.
• Specific friends: Only friends you specify can see your ‘Friends’ list.
• Only me: Only you can see your ‘Friends’ list.
• Custom: In the “Share with” section, only people in the “Lists” you select (“Close friends,” “Acquaintances,” “custom created lists,” etc.) or people you specify can see your ‘Friends’ list. In the “Don’t share with” section, only lists or people you choose won’t see your ‘Friends’ list.
• See All: This option expands the privacy choices to include all used custom lists (premade or custom made). Only people from the ‘Lists’ you choose in the dropdown can see your ‘Friends’ list.

If you choose “Friends,” only your friends will be able to access your “Friends” list, to further clarify the possibilities. You will be asked to select which specific friends you don’t want after selecting “Friends except…,” after which you may see who your friends are. You can choose which specific friends you wish to see your list by choosing “Specific friends” from the menu. By selecting “Only me,” you can hide your friends list from other Facebook users.

For even more sophisticated filtering, you can also choose “Custom.” You can select ‘Friends’ lists and particular friends to allow or disallow being able to view your friends in the ‘Share with’ and ‘Don’t share with’ sections, respectively.

Last but not least, the “See All” option in the dropdown list expands the selections by including all active custom lists. Additions include any custom lists you labeled and filled up as well as any prepackaged Facebook lists you use.

Friends List Privacy on Facebook Live

Naturally, if you’re using Facebook Live, you might want to limit your friends. That is also pretty easy to accomplish. You can do live videos on Facebook for any audience, particular lists, or particular people as long as your “Friends” list privacy settings are set up properly. Even Facebook Live is possible with “Only me.” Additionally, you can broadcast live on groups and pages you are a member of.

Simple rules apply. On the Facebook Live screen you’re using, you may access the options for the “Friends” list. You shouldn’t have any trouble selecting the ideal privacy settings for Facebook Live because everything is rather intuitive.