Facebook has a tab on your profile that shows all the friends you have on your account. While this can be helpful in letting other people find friends through you, it could quickly become a privacy concern.
Although the friends list is automatically visible to everyone, you can configure the settings to make this list accessible only to you.
Note: When you make your friends list private, people can still see if you are mutual friends with someone. Your profile icon will still show on any mutual friends profile. The only thing they can’t see is a list of people you are friends with, directly on your profile.
Let’s take a look at how you can make friends list private on Facebook.
Through Friends Tab
The Friends tab is a section on Facebook that you can access through your profile. You can use this feature only on Facebook’s desktop version.
- Go to Facebook.
- Log in to your account.
- Click your profile picture on the top right of the screen.
- Click on your name.
- Click on the Friends tab.
- Click the three vertical dots next to Find Friends.
- Click on Edit Privacy.
- Click on the button next to the Friends List option to reveal a menu.
- Select Only Me.
- Press Done to save changes.
Through Privacy Settings
Facebook settings give you a variety of options to make changes to your account and the information that you share on the account. So, you can also use it to make your friends list private. You can access Settings from Facebook’s mobile app as well as the web app.
Follow these steps to do so.
On PC
- Log in to your Facebook account.
- Click on your profile at the top right corner.
- Go to Settings & Privacy.
- Click on Settings.
- Go to Privacy.
- Under How people can find and contact you, click on the Edit button next to Who can see your friends list?
- Select Only Me from the drop-down menu.
- Click on Close.
On Mobile
- Go to Facebook.
- Log in to your account.
- Click on the three horizontal lines at the top right corner of your screen.
- Click on Settings & privacy.
- Go to Settings.
- Click on How people can find and contact you.
- Click on Who can see your friends list?
- Click on See more.
- Select Only me.
- Facebook will save the changes.
Through Privacy Checkup
Privacy checkup is a feature on Facebook that lets you choose what other people can see and interact with on your profile. It groups together Profile Information, information about your posts and stories, and well as Blocking. This makes it easier to access several different options all at once. You can do this on the web app or the mobile app.
On PC
- Log in to your Facebook account.
- Click on your profile picture at the top right corner.
- Go to Settings & privacy.
- Click on Privacy Checkup.
- Click on Who Can See What You Share > Continue.
- Scroll down on the window to the Friends and following tab.
- Click on the option next to Who can see your friends list on your profile? and select Only Me.
On Mobile
- Log in to your account on the Facebook app.
- Click on the three horizontal lines at the top right corner.
- Click on Settings & privacy.
- Go to Settings.
- Click on Privacy Checkup.
- Go to Who Can See What You Share and click on Continue.
- Scroll down on the window to the Friends and following tab.
- Click on the option next to Who can see your friends list on your profile? and select Only Me.