How to Hide Your Friends on Facebook

Published On - December 22, 2025

ivan Blogging

Facebook is a wonderful tool for staying in touch with family and friends, but not everyone wants to reveal every aspect of their social circle. Whether it’s for privacy, security, or simply avoiding awkward social interactions, many users are looking for ways to hide their friends list on Facebook. Fortunately, Facebook provides customizable controls to limit who can view your connections. Learning how to navigate these settings can help maintain your desired level of privacy while still enjoying the platform’s social features.

TLDR:

If you want to hide your Facebook friends list, start by navigating to your profile settings under “Privacy.” From there, modify the “Who can see your friends list?” option and choose “Only Me” or select custom preferences. This will prevent others from viewing the list of friends on your profile, though some mutual connections may still be visible. Keep in mind that Facebook’s privacy settings may change, so it’s good practice to review them regularly.

Why Someone Might Want to Hide Their Friends List

There are several reasons someone might want to hide their friends list from others. These include:

  • Privacy Concerns: Limiting personal information to avoid data mining or unwanted attention.
  • Professional Boundaries: Separating personal and work life, especially if colleagues are connected on Facebook.
  • Online Harassment: Dissuading stalkers or harassers from reaching out to one’s friends.
  • Family or Relationship Issues: Avoiding conflicts stemming from social connections.

Whatever the motive may be, Facebook allows users to tailor their visibility settings, offering a level of control that supports personal security and peace of mind.

Step-by-Step Guide to Hide Friends on Facebook

Here is a detailed walkthrough to hide your friends list using Facebook’s privacy settings, based on the desktop web version:

1. Navigate to Your Profile

Click on your name at the top of your Facebook home screen to visit your own profile page.

2. Go to the Friends Section

Under your cover photo or within your profile menu, click on the Friends tab which displays your friend list.

3. Edit Privacy Settings

On the right-hand side of the Friends page, you’ll see an icon that looks like a pencil or three dots. Click it and then choose Edit Privacy. This brings up privacy options specifically for your friends list.

4. Choose Who Can See Your Friends List

You will see a section labeled “Friend List” with a dropdown menu next to it. Click the dropdown to view your options:

  • Public: Anyone can see your friends.
  • Friends: Only your friends can see the list.
  • Friends except…: Hide from selected friends.
  • Only Me: Completely private; only you can view the list.
  • Custom: Define specific people or lists who can or cannot access it.

To completely hide your friends list, select Only Me. This ensures that your friend connections remain entirely invisible to anyone else on the platform.

Considerations When Hiding Friend Lists

Hiding your friends list does offer a layer of privacy, but it’s important to be aware of the limits:

  • Other users can still see mutual friends—friends you both have in common.
  • If your friends haven’t hidden their lists, people can still see your connection through their profiles.
  • Pages, groups, and apps you are a part of may also reveal some social links indirectly.

It’s a good practice to periodically revisit your privacy settings and those of your friends if you’re trying to maintain maximum privacy.

How to Hide Friends Using the Facebook Mobile App

While the steps are similar, here’s how to change your friends list visibility on the Facebook mobile app:

  1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines).
  2. Go to your profile and scroll down to find the Friends section.
  3. Tap the three dots next to “Friends” and choose Edit Privacy.
  4. In the Friend List option, tap and choose Only Me or customize visibility.

These mobile steps closely mirror the desktop method and ensure that users can maintain privacy even while managing their accounts on the go.

Tips for Extra Privacy on Facebook

To further enhance your privacy, consider these additional adjustments:

  • Limit who can send friend requests: Go to Settings > Privacy > How People Find and Contact You and select your preferred option.
  • Control who sees your future posts: Customize post visibility to “Friends” or a custom list.
  • Review your timeline and tagging settings: Manage who can post and tag you in content.
  • Turn off facial recognition settings to avoid automatic tagging features.

What Happens When You Hide Your Friend List?

When a Facebook user hides their friend list:

  • Other people visiting their profile will no longer see the names of friends listed there.
  • Mutual friends with visitors will still be visible.
  • It does not unfriend or block anyone—only visibility is altered.
  • Users can still engage with their friends normally (like, comment, tag, etc.).

It’s a purely visibility-focused change that adds a barrier to unwanted snooping through social circles.

Important Caveats to Remember

Even if you hide your friends list successfully, there’s no guarantee of complete invisibility due to:

  • Users not managing their own privacy settings.
  • Membership in public social spaces, like groups and events.
  • Sharing and tagging in posts and photos.

To further protect one’s digital presence, it’s wise to include friends in the conversation and encourage them to also secure their own settings where applicable.

FAQ

Can I hide my friends list from only one person?

Yes, by selecting the “Friends except…” or “Custom” option in the privacy settings, you can prevent specific individuals from seeing your friends list.

Will my friends be notified if I hide my friends list?

No, Facebook does not send notifications when privacy settings are changed. Your friends will simply not see your list when they view your profile.

Can I hide mutual friends?

Unfortunately, no. Mutual friends will always be visible to both parties unless one or more people involved restrict that visibility through their own privacy settings.

Does hiding my friends list work for Facebook Pages or Groups?

No, the privacy setting applies only to your personal profile. Your interactions in public groups or page comments may still reveal some of your social connections.

What if someone uses third-party tools to view my friends?

While Facebook restricts most data scraping efforts, there’s no way to completely prevent information leaks. Always be cautious with public information and third-party apps.

Success in digital privacy comes from layered protection: not just hiding friends, but also staying vigilant, educating oneself, and using available tools wisely.