How to make friends list public on facebook

Facebook allows anyone to find and peruse your friends list by default. If you’re doing a privacy sweep on the website, you might be wondering how you can keep this info to yourself. Read on to learn how to make your friends list private on Facebook.

There are a number of different configurations you can choose when it comes to hiding your friends list. This means you can choose to leave it public, set it as private or pick and choose which Facebook users can flip through it by name.

This guide will take you through the steps needed to set your friends list to your eyes only but, if you want to do some more fine-tuning, you can do so in the final step. Keep reading to learn how to make your Facebook friends list private…

If you’re interested in learning more about Facebook and your data, you can also visit our guide, Is Facebook Safe?.

What you’ll need: 

• A phone, tablet or laptop
• A Facebook account 

The Short Version 

1. Open Facebook 
2. Go to your settings 
3. Click ‘Privacy’ 
4. Click ‘Edit’ next to ‘Who Can see Your Friends List?’ 
5. Select ‘Only Me’

How to make your friends list private on Facebook

1. Step
   1

   Go to your Facebook home page

   

   We’ll be using screenshots from the browser version of Facebook.

   

2. Step
   2

   Click on the down facing arrow

   

   This will be in the top right corner of your screen.

   

3. Step
   3

   Click Settings & Privacy

   

   This is the cog icon.

   

4. Step
   4

   Click Settings

   

   Or hit the cog icon again.

   

5. Step
   5

   Click Privacy

   

   This will take you to your privacy settings.

   

6. Step
   6

   Click Edit next to Who Can Send You Friend Requests

   

   You might need to scroll down to see this option.

   

7. Step
   7

   Click the blue button and choose Only Me

   

   That’s it. Only you will be able to view your friends list going forward.

   

Troubleshooting

Can I set it up so specific people can/can’t see my friends list?

Yes, there are a number of options between having your friends list set as public or ‘Only Me’. You can also set your list to be viewed by friends, specific friends, friends except and dive deeper into custom settings in the last step we cover in this guide.

Can I block my name from appearing on other users’ friends lists?

No, you can only control who can view your own friends list. This means that if a friend has their list set as public, everyone will still be able to see that you’re friends through that person’s profile.

By default, your Facebook profile information, posts, and even your friends are available for all to see. It's often convenient for your friends list to be public, because it can help people find and connect with you.

If you prefer, you can restrict who can see your entire friends list using Facebook's privacy settings. You might not want everyone to see it, especially if you want to mask the identity of some friends from others. Or perhaps you just value your privacy and don't want everyone to know who you're connected to online.

Here's how to hide your friends list on Facebook.

How to hide your friends on Facebook via web browser

1. Open Facebook in a web browser.

2. Click your profile picture in the top right corner.

3. In the dropdown menu, click Settings & privacy.

4. Click Settings.

5. In the left side menu, click Privacy.

6. In the section called How people can find and contact you, click Edit next to Who can see your friends list?

7. Click the dropdown to reveal a list of options. You can choose: Public, Friends, Friends except, Specific friends, Only me, or Custom.

Quick tip: If you click Custom, you can choose to enter specific names. For example, you can share your friends list with all of your friends except for Bob Smith. After adding a specific person, click Save Changes.

How to hide your friends on Facebook via a mobile device

1. Open the Facebook app on your iPhone or Android device.

2. Tap the three horizontal lines (this is the hamburger menu). On an iPhone, this is in the bottom right corner of the screen; on an Android, it's in the top right corner.

3. Tap Settings & Privacy.

4. Tap Settings in the dropdown menu.

5. In the Audience and visibility section, tap How people can find and contact you.

6. Tap Who can see your friends list?

7. Choose who you want to be able to see your friends list. You can choose: Public, Friends, Friends except, Specific friends, or Only me. 

Quick tip: If you choose Friends except, you can block specific people from seeing your friends list.