- How to choose who sees your Facebook story
- The three story audiences
- How to hide your story from specific people
- The Restricted list shortcut
- Each story has its own audience
- Who can see who viewed your story?
- Story privacy for different situations
- Why someone can still see your story
- Story privacy for business pages and creators
- A quick privacy check before every story
- Stories vs posts: different privacy settings
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To set your Facebook story privacy, add a photo or video to your story, tap Settings in the bottom left, tap Privacy and choose Public, Friends or Custom, then Save. To hide a story from certain friends, pick Friends, tap Don't show to and select them. Your choice applies to that story only.
Facebook stories feel casual, but they can reach more people than you think, including on Messenger. The good news is you control the audience for every story, and you can hide stories from specific people without unfriending anyone. Here's how story privacy works now, and the setting change that trips people up.
How to choose who sees your Facebook story
- Add a photo or video to share to your story.
- Tap Settings in the bottom left.
- Tap Privacy and choose your audience.
- Tap Save.
The three story audiences
| Audience | Who can see it |
|---|---|
| Public | Anyone on Facebook or Messenger |
| Friends | Your Facebook friends |
| Custom | Only the people you select |
Remember that stories appear on both Facebook and Messenger, with the audience you chose. Public really does mean anyone.
How to hide your story from specific people
- Set your story privacy to Friends.
- Tap Don't show to...
- Select the people you want to hide your story from.
- Tap Back in the top left.
They won't see the story. It's the gentle option when you don't want to unfriend someone but would rather they didn't see your weekend photos.
The Restricted list shortcut
If you've put someone on your Restricted list, Facebook says they can't see your story. That's useful for people like a manager or a distant relative: they stay a friend, but your stories stay hidden from them.
Each story has its own audience
This is the important change. Facebook says the audience you choose applies only to the story you're sharing, and stories you've already shared keep the audience you picked for them. So if you share one story publicly and switch the next one to Friends, the first stays public.
There's a catch with older apps: Facebook warns that changing story privacy in an older version of the app may affect stories you've already shared. If you're relying on per-story audiences, update the Facebook app first.
Who can see who viewed your story?
Facebook says only you can see who has viewed your story. Your viewers can't see each other in the list. If you're curious what the 'others' line in your viewer list means, here's what others means in Facebook story views.
Story privacy for different situations
| Situation | Suggested setting |
|---|---|
| Family photos | Friends, with Don't show to for anyone you'd rather leave out |
| A business update | Public, so customers can see it |
| Something personal | Custom, with a short list of close friends |
| Avoiding a colleague | Add them to Restricted, or use Don't show to |
Why someone can still see your story
- You shared it as Public. Anyone on Facebook or Messenger can see public stories.
- The story was shared before your change. Already-shared stories keep their original audience.
- Your app is out of date. Older versions behave differently, so update.
- They're not on your hidden list for that story. Check Don't show to again before you share.
Story privacy for business pages and creators
If you use stories to promote your work, Public gets you the widest reach, and it's what most businesses want. Keep personal stories on your personal profile with a Friends or Custom audience, so customers see your business and friends see your life. If you also message customers, it helps to know whether Facebook shows read receipts.
A quick privacy check before every story
- Glance at the audience before you tap share.
- Use Custom for anything you'd only show close friends.
- Keep your Restricted list up to date.
- Remember Messenger: your story shows there too.
Stories vs posts: different privacy settings
Facebook says you share each story with the audience you choose for it, so don't assume a story follows the audience of your last post. Get into the habit of checking the story audience every time, especially if you switch between personal updates and business announcements. It takes a second, and it avoids the classic mistake of sharing a private moment with everyone on Facebook and Messenger.
If you share a lot of personal stories, Custom is your friend: pick the small group you trust, and only they see it. For everything else, Friends with a short Don't show to list covers most situations without much effort.
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And if you ever share a story to the wrong audience, don't panic. Delete the story, change the privacy setting, and share it again to the right people. It's quicker than worrying about who might have seen it, and the new copy goes only where you meant it to.
My verdict
Facebook story privacy is set per story: tap Settings, then Privacy, and choose Public, Friends or Custom. Use Don't show to or the Restricted list to hide stories from particular people without unfriending them, remember stories also show on Messenger, and keep your app updated so a change doesn't affect stories you've already shared.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change who sees my Facebook story?
Add a photo or video to your story, tap Settings in the bottom left, tap Privacy, pick Public, Friends or Custom, then tap Save.
How do I hide my Facebook story from someone?
Set the story to Friends, tap Don't show to, select the person and tap Back.
Does my Facebook story show on Messenger?
Yes. Facebook says anything you add to your story appears on Facebook and Messenger, with the audience you chose.
Can people on my Restricted list see my story?
No. Facebook says people on your Restricted list won't be able to see your story.
Does changing my story privacy affect old stories?
Facebook says stories you've already shared keep the audience you chose, though changing settings in an older app version may affect them, so update first.
Who can see who viewed my Facebook story?
Only you can see who has viewed your story.
