5-Minute Fix: How To Make Your Facebook Friends List Private (Updated For 2025)

Protecting your digital privacy on social media platforms like Facebook is more critical than ever, and one of the simplest yet most effective steps you can take is hiding your friends list. As of today, December 15, 2025, Facebook's interface and privacy settings have undergone minor changes, making it essential to follow the most current guide to ensure your list is truly private. This updated tutorial will walk you through the precise steps on both desktop and the mobile app, allowing you to secure your profile and prevent others from seeing who you are connected with.

The primary reason users choose to hide their Facebook friends list is to enhance security and prevent targeted spam or phishing attempts. When your list is public, it can be exploited by third parties looking to map out social connections or even create convincing fake profiles. By setting your list to 'Only me,' you take back control, significantly limiting the data accessible to strangers and even most of your own friends.

Step-by-Step Guide to Hiding Your Facebook Friends List (Desktop)

The desktop version of Facebook provides the most straightforward path to adjusting your privacy settings. These steps are current and reflect the latest interface updates.

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1. Access Settings & Privacy

• Log in to your Facebook account on your web browser.
• Click on your Profile Picture (or avatar) located in the top-right corner of the screen. This will open a dropdown menu.
• From the menu, select Settings & privacy.
• Then, click on Settings to open the main configuration page.

2. Navigate to Privacy Settings

• In the left-hand navigation panel, look for and click on the Privacy option. This will take you to the "Privacy Settings and Tools" section.
• Look for the section titled How People Find and Contact You.

3. Change the Friends List Visibility

• Under the "How People Find and Contact You" heading, you will find the setting: Who can see your friends list?
• Click the Edit button (usually a pencil icon) or the current privacy setting (e.g., Public, Friends).
• A dropdown menu will appear with several visibility options.
• Select Only me. This is the most secure option and completely hides your full list from everyone, including your friends.

Note on Mutual Friends: Even if your friends list is set to 'Only me,' people who are also friends with you will still be able to see any mutual friends you share. This is a default Facebook feature that cannot be disabled, as it is based on the other person's privacy settings.

Hiding Your Friends List on the Facebook Mobile App (iOS & Android)

The process on the Facebook mobile application is slightly different due to the interface design, but the underlying privacy control is the same. Follow these steps for the latest app version.

1. Open the Menu and Settings

• Open the Facebook app on your iOS or Android device.
• Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines, sometimes your profile picture) located in the bottom right (iOS) or top right (Android) of the screen.
• Scroll down and tap on Settings & Privacy to expand the section.
• Tap on Settings.

2. Locate the Audience and Visibility Section

• In the main Settings menu, scroll down until you find the section labeled Audience and Visibility.
• Under this section, tap on How People Find and Contact You.

3. Set Friends List to 'Only me'

• The third option will be Who can see your friends list?
• Tap on this option.
• A list of privacy options will appear. Select Only me.
• The change is saved automatically. You can exit the settings menu.

This single change is a powerful addition to your overall Facebook security protocol. It instantly limits the ability of external parties to analyze your social graph and reduces the potential for identity theft or targeted harassment.

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Understanding Your Friends List Privacy Options

While 'Only me' is the setting for maximum privacy, Facebook offers several granular options for controlling who can view your friends list. Choosing the right one depends on your personal comfort level and security needs.

Public

Selecting 'Public' means anyone on or off Facebook can see your entire list of connections. This is the least secure option and generally not recommended for personal accounts concerned with privacy.

Friends

When set to 'Friends,' only people you have accepted as friends on Facebook can view your full list. People who are not your friends will only see your mutual friends.

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Friends except...

This option allows you to select specific individuals from your friends list whom you wish to exclude from seeing your connections. Everyone else on your friends list will still be able to view it.

Specific friends

The inverse of the option above, 'Specific friends' lets you select only a handful of people who are allowed to see your friends list. Everyone else, including all other friends, will be blocked.

Only me

This is the maximum privacy setting. When you select 'Only me,' you are the only person who can view your complete friends list. It is the definitive way to hide your connections from the public, your friends, and strangers alike.

Troubleshooting and Key Privacy Entities

Sometimes, users encounter issues or have questions even after following the steps. Here is a quick breakdown of common concerns and related privacy entities.

Why Can’t I Hide My Mutual Friends?

As mentioned, you cannot hide mutual friends. If a person is friends with both you and someone else, that connection will be visible to them regardless of your 'Only me' setting. This is a core feature of the platform designed to show common connections. The privacy setting only controls the visibility of your complete friends list, not the individual appearance on other people's lists.

What if I Can't Find the Setting?

If you are struggling to find the "Who can see your friends list?" option, ensure your Facebook app is updated to the latest version. The setting is consistently located under Settings & Privacy > Settings > Audience and Visibility > How People Find and Contact You across all current platforms.

Other Key Privacy Entities to Consider:

• Followers: People who follow your public posts but are not your friends.
• Profile Visibility: Controls who can search for you and view your profile.
• Activity Log: A record of all your actions on Facebook.
• Third-Party Apps: Applications connected to your Facebook account that may access your data.
• Friend Requests: Controls who is allowed to send you a request.

By taking a few minutes to adjust this one critical setting to Only me, you significantly strengthen your overall Facebook security and protect your social graph from unwanted attention. Always remember to periodically review your privacy settings, as Facebook makes updates throughout the year that can sometimes affect default visibility.