How to Hide Your Friends List on Facebook
Your friends list shows strangers who you know. You can hide it, but a few traces remain, and it only takes a minute.
By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 19, 2026To hide your friends list, open your profile, go to Friends, tap the pencil icon, choose Edit privacy, then set Who can see your friends list to Only me and click Done. You can also use Custom or Friends except. Mutual friends still show when someone else views your profile, and your friendship can still appear on a friend’s own list if that list is public.
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A public friends list is a map of your life. Scammers use it to build fake profiles that copy your friends, researchers use it to find your family, and strangers use it to pick people to impersonate. Hiding it is one of the easiest Facebook privacy wins.
How to hide your friends list
The steps below follow a guide from Online Tech Tips. Facebook changes its menus often, so follow the labels you see.
1Open your profile
Click your name to open your profile.
2Go to the Friends tab
This shows your friends list.
3Open the privacy menu
Click the pencil icon in the upper-right corner, then choose Edit privacy.
4Choose who can see it
Next to Who can see your friends list, open the dropdown and select Only me.
5Click Done
Your list is now hidden from other people.
Other audience options
- Only me: hides the list from everyone. The only friends people can see are mutual friends.
- Custom: under Don’t share with, enter the names of people to block.
- Friends except: pick the friends who should not see your list.
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What stays visible after you hide it
Hiding your list does not remove every trace:
- Mutual friends. Even when your list is set to Only me, mutual friends remain visible to people you share friends with.
- Your friends’ own lists. Privacy settings control only your own profile. If a friend’s list is public, your friendship with them can still appear there.
That second point matters. Your privacy is partly in your friends’ hands, so ask close contacts to check their own settings, particularly family members and children.
Why this is worth doing
A hidden list makes it harder to clone your profile and message your contacts pretending to be you. If that has already happened, see how to report an impostor account on Facebook. A hidden list also makes People You May Know less useful to people trying to map your circle.
Check what strangers can see
After you change the setting, open your profile in a private browser window where you are not logged in, or ask a friend who is not connected to you to look. If your friends are still visible, go back to the privacy menu and check that the setting saved.
Ask your friends to do the same
Because your friendship can show up on a friend’s public list, send a short message to close contacts, especially relatives and children, asking them to check their own friends list setting. A simple note such as “I locked my friends list for privacy, could you check yours too?” is enough.
When to use a custom audience
A custom audience is useful if you want family to see your list but not colleagues or acquaintances. Pick Friends except and add the people who should not see it. Review the list after big life changes such as a new job.
Other Facebook settings to check
1Review who can see your posts
Set the default audience to Friends, not Public.
2Limit past posts
Change old public posts to a smaller audience in bulk.
3Check who can find you
Limit lookup by email address and phone number.
4Use Privacy Checkup
Facebook’s own checkup walks you through the main settings.
To see how much is already findable about you outside Facebook, read what information about you strangers can find online.
Sources
- Online Tech Tips: How to hide your Facebook friends list (steps, audience options, mutual friends and friends’ own lists remain visible)
Frequently asked questions
How do I hide my friends list on Facebook?
Go to your profile, open Friends, click the pencil icon, choose Edit privacy, set Who can see your friends list to Only me and click Done.
Can people still see my mutual friends?
Yes. Even with Only me, mutual friends remain visible to people who share those friends with you.
Can my friendship still show up somewhere?
Yes. If a friend’s own list is public, your friendship can appear on their profile. Settings only control your own profile.
Can I hide my friends list from only some people?
Yes. Use Custom with Don’t share with, or Friends except, to exclude specific people.
Does hiding my friends list stop impersonation?
It makes it harder to copy your friends, but it does not stop it. Report fake profiles right away.
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