Hiding Facebook Marketplace: Tab Bar and Your Listings

Hiding Facebook Marketplace can mean one of two jobs, and they use different settings. Some want the shortcut gone from their app because they never use it and keep tapping it by mistake. Others want to hide their own listings from friends and family so a sale doesn't turn into a conversation at Sunday lunch.

Facebook's help centre covers both, and I'll take them in turn. I'll also be upfront about the one thing it doesn't document, so you don't waste time hunting for a switch that may not exist.

Hiding the Facebook Marketplace shortcut from your phone's tab bar

According to Facebook's help page, you can personalise the tab bar in the Facebook app for iPhone or Android. The tab bar is the row of shortcuts to things like Groups or Facebook Marketplace. You can change what you see there, and the steps are:

1. Tap Menu in the top left of Facebook.
2. Select Settings & privacy.
3. Tap Settings, then tap Tab bar.
4. Tap Customize the bar.
5. Tap the dropdown menu next to the shortcut and choose Pin, Auto or Hide.

Choosing Hide for Facebook Marketplace takes it off the bar. Auto lets Facebook decide when to show it, and Pin keeps it there. Facebook notes two limits: you need the iPhone or Android app to do this, and you can't remove Notifications or Facebook home from the tab bar.

Turning off the notification dots on Facebook Marketplace

If the dot on the shortcut is what bothers you, Facebook has a gentler fix. Open the Facebook app, tap and hold a shortcut on the tab bar, then tap Turn off notification dots. That removes the red nudges without taking the shortcut away. You can also turn Facebook Marketplace notifications on or off, which Facebook lists in its How Facebook Marketplace Works help.

What Facebook doesn't say about hiding Facebook Marketplace on a computer

I looked for an official way to remove Facebook Marketplace from the left-hand menu on a computer and the help pages I read don't document one. I'd rather tell you that than invent a setting. In practice, it means a computer user's best options are to ignore the link or to turn down notifications.

If Facebook adds a switch later, it will appear in the help centre, and menus can vary by version, so it's worth checking the Settings page in your own account.

Hiding your own Facebook Marketplace listings from friends

This is the second meaning, and Facebook has a dedicated feature for it called Hide from friends. Its help says listings with Hide from friends turned on are still public, but hidden from your friends on Facebook and Messenger in most cases. To turn it on when you create a new listing on a computer:

1. From your Feed, click Facebook Marketplace in the left menu.
2. Click Create new listing, then click Item for sale.
3. Enter your item's information.
4. Click the toggle next to Hide from friends.

For a listing you've already posted, go to Facebook Marketplace, then Selling, then Your listings, click Options next to the listing, click Edit listing and use the same toggle. In the phone app, the toggle sits in the same place: Menu, Facebook Marketplace, Selling, then Create new listing, or Your listings and Options for an existing one.

Limits of Hide from friends on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook is honest about the limits, and they matter if privacy is the whole point:

• You can only hide listings for items. Listings for apartments, homes or vehicles can't be hidden right now.
• Hidden listings are still public. People who aren't logged in, former friends and friends of your friends can still see them, and they may show up in search results on other websites such as Google.
• If you share a listing before turning on Hide from friends, friends may still see a preview in Messenger, or in a story for up to 24 hours.
• You can't hide listings you create in groups.
• If you relist an item, the Hide from friends setting is turned off automatically, so check it again.

The honest summary is that it reduces how often friends stumble across your listing, but it isn't a privacy cloak. If you're selling something sensitive, think about whether you want it online at all.

Facebook Marketplace hiding options at a glance

What you want	Location
Remove the shortcut from the phone app	Settings & privacy, Settings, Tab bar, Customize the bar, Hide
Remove only the notification dots	Tap and hold a shortcut, then Turn off notification dots
Hide a listing from friends	Toggle Hide from friends on a new or existing listing
Remove Facebook Marketplace from the computer menu	Not documented in the help pages I read

If your worry is seeing too much of other people's activity in general, my page on whether Facebook tracks your location covers another privacy angle, and finding saved Reels on Facebook helps you tidy up the things you do want to keep.

If you can't hide the Facebook Marketplace shortcut

1. Make sure you're using the iPhone or Android app. Facebook says tab bar changes need it.
2. Open Menu, then Settings & privacy, then Settings, and look for Tab bar.
3. Update the Facebook app, as the labels can differ between versions.
4. If there's no Tab bar option for your account, report the problem inside Facebook using the help centre.

Related guides live in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove Facebook Marketplace from Facebook completely?

Facebook's help pages don't document a way to remove it completely. On the phone app you can hide the shortcut from the tab bar.

How do I hide the Facebook Marketplace icon on my phone?

Tap Menu, then Settings & privacy, then Settings, then Tab bar, then Customize the bar, and choose Hide next to the shortcut.

How do I stop friends seeing my Facebook Marketplace listings?

Turn on Hide from friends when you create or edit a listing. Facebook says the listing stays public but is hidden from friends on Facebook and Messenger in most cases.

Can I hide a vehicle or property listing?

No. Facebook says you can only hide listings for items right now.

Which shortcuts can't be removed from the tab bar?

Facebook says you can't remove Notifications or Facebook home.