Facebook profile visibility: what you can set, and what stays public
Some of what people see you can set — the audience of each post, Lock profile where Facebook offers it, Limit past posts for what you shared before. Some you can’t: the parts of your public profile are always public. This page sorts them out and points to the guide for each question.
Three audiences
- PublicAnyone — also off Facebook and in search
- FriendsYour friends — plus people you tag and their friends
- Only meJust you
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All guides in this area
What you can set, and what stays public
| Part | What it changes | Where to find it | Guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience of a post | Who sees that one post — Public, Friends or Only me | The audience selector next to the date of the post | Who can see my profile |
| Public profile | Always public, whatever you set: name, gender, username, user ID, profile picture, cover photo and networks | Not changeable. Other profile details have an audience: About → Options → Edit | What’s public |
| Lock profile | Only friends see the photos and posts on your profile, your full-resolution profile picture and cover photo, and your stories | Your profile — only in certain countries | Lock your profile |
| Limit past posts | Old posts visible to more than your friends change to Friends; people tagged in them stay in the audience, custom audiences stay as they are | Settings → Posts → Limit past posts | Limit past posts |
Start from your question
What “Public” means
When you share something with Public, it’s considered public information — and so is anything posted where there is no audience selector.
- Comments on public posts are public too.
- Others can make information you shared with them public.
- Your age range, language and country are public as well.
Questions
01Can I make my profile picture private?
No — it’s part of your public profile. With Lock profile, only friends see it in full resolution.
02Does hiding a post from my profile make it private?
No. It stays visible to its audience in other places, such as Feed and search. Change the post’s audience instead.
03Can I lock my profile everywhere?
No. Facebook offers Lock profile only in certain countries.
04Who decides who sees a post on someone else’s profile?
When you post to another person’s profile, that person controls who can see it.
Other areas of your account
Sources for this guide
Facts on this page come from the Help pages listed here, read between 21 October and 4 November 2026.