Hey, so I recently figured out how to hide my friends list on Facebook, and I wanted to share exactly how I did it — step by step, super simple, no tech speak.
I’m not trying to be secretive or weird. I just don’t like random people scrolling through my friends like it’s a grocery aisle. So if you’re anything like me and want a little more privacy, I got you.
TL;DR — Here’s All You Gotta Do
To hide your friends list:
- Go to your profile.
- Tap the 3 dots or click the Friends tab.
- Hit “Edit Privacy.”
- Change “Friends List” to Only Me.
And done. You’re off the grid (well, kind of).
How I Did It on My Phone
I started with the Facebook app on my phone. Here’s exactly what I did:
Step-by-step (Phone):
- Opened the Facebook app.
- Tapped the menu icon (it looks like ☰ or sometimes just my profile picture).
- Tapped my name to go to my profile.
- Tapped the three dots (•••) next to “Edit Profile.”
- Hit “Edit Privacy.”
- Scrolled down to “Friends List.”
- Changed it to “Only Me.”
✅ That’s it. Nobody can see my friends list now — not strangers, not random classmates, not even people I’m friends with.
How I Did It on My Computer
If you’re on a laptop or desktop like I was the first time I tried this, here’s how it works there:
Step-by-step (Computer):
- Logged into Facebook.com.
- Clicked my name to go to my profile.
- Clicked the “Friends” tab.
- Looked for the little pencil icon ✏️ and clicked it.
- Hit “Edit Privacy.”
- Next to “Who can see your friends list?” I chose “Only Me.”
- Clicked “Done.”
And boom — done. My friends list? Hidden like a ninja.
What I Learned About the Settings
Here’s a little table I made to remember what the different options mean:
| Option | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Public | Everyone on the internet can see my friends. 👎 |
| Friends | Only people I’m friends with can see my list. |
| Only Me | Just me. No one else. ✅ |
| Custom | I pick who sees it and who doesn’t. |
I picked Only Me — the safest choice.
Why I Hid My Friends List (A Mini Chart I Made)
Reasons I Had | Me? ✅
--------------------------------------|-------
I don’t want random people snooping | ✅
Avoid drama with ex-friends/exes | ✅
I like my privacy | ✅
I don’t want weird people adding my friends | ✅
A Few Things I Noticed After Hiding It
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can people still see mutual friends? | Yes, they still show up. |
| Can strangers see my full friends list? | No, not anymore. |
| Will my friends know I hid it? | Nope, Facebook doesn’t tell them. |
| Can I still see other people’s friends? | Only if they didn’t hide theirs. |
So yeah — mutual friends still show, but that’s not a big deal to me.
I Also Tweaked a Few Extra Privacy Settings
While I was at it, I fixed a few more things to keep my profile chill:
- Who can send me friend requests? I changed it to Friends of Friends.
- Who can look me up with my email or phone number? I set both to Only Me.
- Let search engines link to my profile? Yeah, I turned that OFF fast.
If you want to do that too, just go to:
Settings & Privacy → Settings → Privacy Settings
It’s all in there.
Quick Phone Diagram (Just How My Brain Works)
Wanna visualize it? Here’s how I saw it in my head:
Facebook App
↓
Menu (☰)
↓
My Profile
↓
Three Dots •••
↓
Edit Privacy
↓
Friends List → Set to "Only Me" ✅
Why Bother Hiding It?
Here’s why I did it (and why maybe you should too):
- I got tired of people clicking through my life.
- I didn’t want old classmates or ex-friends stalking who I hang with.
- It just feels safer.
My profile, my rules.
-Sahadat
