How to Make It Harder for People to Find You on Facebook

Are you looking to maintain your privacy and protect your online identity? Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to make it harder for people to find you on Facebook, from adjusting your privacy settings to maintaining robust security measures. This guide helps you stay in control of your personal information and online presence.

Adjusting Your Privacy Settings

One of the most crucial steps in protecting your Facebook privacy is by adjusting your privacy settings. Here are several methods to do so:

1. Limit Who Can Look You Up

On the Facebook settings page, you can control who can look you up. The default setting allows anyone with your phone number or email to find you. To tighten this security:

Click on the Edit link to change the setting. Change the setting such that only your friends can look you up using your phone number or email. Consider using a separate email address for your school or work contacts to avoid your profile being found by email. Remember, adjusting this setting only impacts how others find you on Facebook. For total privacy, deactivating your account or making all posts and information visible only to you is necessary.

2. Hide Your Profile from Search Engines

On the same settings page, you can also choose to remove your profile from search engine results. Switching this off means your profile won’t appear in results when someone searches your name with a public search engine like Google or Bing. However, this setting still allows others to view your profile through Facebook.

3. Restrict the People Who Can Contact You or Add You

Under the privacy settings, you can prevent random people from sending you messages or trying to add you as friends. This prevents unauthorized connections and enhances your privacy.

4. Limit All Connections to Friends Only

Under your profile, you can choose to limit all connections to friends only. This setting gives you more control over your profile's visibility and connections.

5. Eliminate Leaks Through Friends

No matter how tight your privacy settings are, your friends can expose your profile to the public. To mitigate this risk, review and adjust the privacy settings of your friends to ensure they do not inadvertently share your information. You can do this by going to the privacy settings and clicking on Who can see your activities on and off Facebook?

6. Block Problematic Users

If someone is harassing you or you no longer trust them, you can easily block their account. This prevents them from seeing your profile or interacting with you on Facebook. To block them, go to your settings and click Save Changes then Block User.

Limiting Your Information

To further enhance your privacy, consider the following steps:

1. Remove Connections to Workplaces, Schools, and Towns

Listing your workplace, school, or hometown can make it easier for people to find you. Removing these connections can help maintain your privacy. For example, if you change your last name after marriage, removing your high school connection prevents classmates from finding you based on that information.

2. Share Content with Friends Only

The settings on the content you post are a quick way to control who can find you. Adjust your default privacy settings so that your posts and photos are only visible to friends. Additionally, you can create lists of friends to ensure certain content is visible only to specific individuals.

3. Check Privacy on Old Photos

Ensure that even old photos have the correct privacy settings. You can adjust the settings manually or go to your privacy settings and change the visibility of old photos.

4. Restrict Tagging

When someone tags you in a photo or post, that tag is visible to your friends and theirs. To prevent this, review tags before they appear. Set your profile to notify you when someone tags you, allowing you to approve or deny the tag.

5. Disable Checking In

If you don’t want to be checked in at various locations, disable this feature. This will prevent tags from appearing in your timeline and giving away your location.

6. Use an Alternate Name

Consider using an alternate name to make it more difficult for people who know you to find your profile. While changing your name, remember to wait a bit for old searches to disappear.

Maintaining Security

Lastly, to protect your account from hackers and other security threats, follow these steps:

1. Get Login Notifications

Enable notifications for any login activity on your account. This helps you detect unauthorized access early. The notification will provide details such as the date, time, and location, allowing you to verify if it was a legitimate login.

2. Create a Complicated Password

A strong password is essential to securing your account. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. This complexity makes it harder for others to guess and use your password.

3. Change Your Password Regularly

To maintain security, change your password every few months. Even if you have no reason to suspect unauthorized access, updating your password regularly is a good practice.

4. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your account. After entering your password, you’ll receive a secure code from your phone, which you must enter to access your account. This makes it more secure because even if someone gets your password, they would still need your phone.

5. Check Your Connected Apps

Review the permissions of the apps you have connected to your Facebook account. Some apps could access your personal information or post on your behalf. Regularly check your app settings to ensure you have control over what information is shared.

6. Deny Targeted Advertising

Denying targeted advertising prevents companies from using your personal information to show you relevant ads. You can also control whether your friends can see your likes on the internet page using Facebook tools.