Settings for How People Can Find You On Facebook – Facebook allows you to set boundaries on who can find you, send you messages, and access your Facebook profile. Adjust these settings to make yourself as open or invisible as you like.
Adjust Your Visibility Using Facebook on the Desktop
1. On your Facebook home page, select the Account icon (the down arrow) in the upper-right corner.
2. Select Settings & Privacy.
3. Select Settings.
4. From the left menu pane, select Privacy.
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5. Under Privacy Settings and Tools, go to How People Find and Contact You, then select Edit next to Who can send you friend requests?
Note: The default is Friends of friends.
6. Select the drop-down arrow next to Friends of friends (or your current setting).
7. Select Everyone to allow anyone to send you a friend request, or keep the default Friends of friends setting. Select Close after you make a selection.
8. Next to Who can look you up using the email address you provided?, select Edit.
Note: The default is Friends.
9. Select the Friends (or your current setting) drop-down arrow.
10. Select Everyone, Friends of friends, Friends, or Only Me. Select Close after you make a selection.
Note: Select Only me for the highest privacy level.
11. Next to Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?, select Edit.
12. Select the Only Me (or your current setting) drop-down arrow.
13. Select Everyone, Friends of friends, Friends, or Only me. Select Close after you make a selection.
Note: Select Only me for the highest privacy level.
14. Next to Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?, select Edit.
15. Clear the Allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile check box if you want search engines to stop linking to your profile. Tap Turn off in the warning box to confirm. Select Close after you make your selection.
Note: If you adjusted your privacy settings and a stranger or undesirable person contacts you, consider blocking that person on Facebook to eliminate any chance of future contact.
Adjust Your Visibility Using the Facebook App
1. Open the Facebook app on your mobile device.
2. Tap the Facebook icon at the bottom-center of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy.
4. Tap Settings.
5. Scroll down to Privacy and tap Privacy Settings.
6. Under How People Find and Contact You, tap Who can send you friend requests?
7. Tap Everyone to allow anyone on or off Facebook to send a friend request, or tap Friends of friends (the default) for more privacy.
8. Tap Who can see your friends list?.
9. Choose Public, Friends, or Friends except. Friends except prevents certain friends from seeing other friends on your list.
10. Tap More to opt for Specific friends, which lets you show your friends list to certain people you designate, or Only me to keep your friends list completely private.
Note: If you select Only me, other people can see mutual friends on your friends list.
11. Tap Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?.
12. Select Everyone, Friends of friends, Friends, or Only me.
Note: Only me is the most private option.
13. Tap Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?.
14. Turn off Allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile and then tap Disable. Or, leave this option turned on if you’re okay with search engines linking to your profile.
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Facebook Privacy Shortcuts
Since Facebook frequently updates its privacy controls, it’s made some easy shortcut tools so you can quickly see and adjust your privacy settings.
To access the Facebook Privacy Shortcuts:
1.. Go to Account > Settings & Privacy > Settings and select Privacy. Below Privacy Settings and Tools, is Privacy Shortcuts. Select Check a few important settings.
2. The Privacy Checkup page appears. Select each privacy subject area and follow its prompts to see, keep, or change settings.
3. Return to the Privacy Shortcuts section and select Manage Your Profile to adjust who can see your birthday, relationships, and other information.
4. Under Privacy Shortcuts, select Learn more with Privacy Basics to open an interactive guide to the Facebook privacy controls.