How to make photos private on Facebook

Facebook naturally encourages sharing. After all, that’s the whole point of a social network. But there will be times when you will want photos to remain private from people you don’t know that well or do not know at all. This could be your boss, a potential employer who will be interviewing you, or even just random strangers and trolls on the internet. Here’s how to change the privacy settings to make photos private on Facebook. We’ll also cover how to change the privacy settings for Facebook albums.

Who can see my photos on Facebook?

When you post something on Facebook, you have to decide what privacy setting it will receive. Facebook wants everything to be public, but of course, not everything should be. There are some private things that should remain within your trusted circle of friends or an even more tightly controlled group.

Each privacy setting is very self-explanatory. You can post to the public, so the whole world sees it. You can post to only your friends, some of your friends, or to a custom group. Custom groups are great if you really want to get granular with who sees what. Privacy settings can be changed at any time, and this is what we will cover below.

How to make individual photos private on the Facebook desktop

Go to the photo in question and click the privacy icon next to the date.

A menu will now appear with your privacy options. Select the one you want and click Done. The changes will take effect immediately.

How to make individual photos private on the Facebook app

It’s the same principle on the app.

• Tap the three-dot menu icon to the right of the post.
• Select Edit Privacy.
• Choose your privacy level and tap Done. The changes take effect immediately.

How to make albums private on the Facebook desktop

But what if you want to make a whole album private? To do this on the desktop, go to your profile page and click Photos. Then Albums. When the albums appear, hover the mouse over the top-right of the album thumbnail, and a three-dot icon will appear. Click it and select Edit album in the drop-down menu.

In the top-left corner, you will see the current privacy level. Click it to change it.

You will now be asked to select your new privacy level. Click Done to save your choice.

How to make albums private on the Facebook app

Again, it’s mostly similar on the app.

• Go to your profile and scroll down until you see the photos section. Go to it and find the album you wish to change. Tap it.
• Tap the three-dot icon in the top-right.
• Select Edit Album at the bottom of the page.
• Tap the current privacy setting, and you will be invited to change it to whatever you want.

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