- How to clear your Public Profile
- What clearing removes, and what it leaves behind
- The catch: your Spotlight Snaps stay public
- Clear it, or just leave it empty?
- If you have a Business or Snap Star profile
- Why you've got a Public Profile you never set up
- Tidying up the rest of your public footprint
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To delete your public profile on Snapchat, open your Public Profile, tap the three dot menu in the top right, scroll to the bottom and tap Clear Public Profile, then confirm. It permanently removes your bio, photo and public Stories but keeps your account, username and Spotlight Snaps.
Snapchat doesn't use the word delete for this. The button is called Clear Public Profile, and it wipes everything public you've added while leaving your normal Snapchat account exactly as it was. Your friends, chats and private Stories aren't touched. Your public content is, permanently.
How to clear your Public Profile
- Tap your Bitmoji at the top of the screen and choose My Public Profile.
- Tap the three dot menu in the top right to open Public Profile Settings.
- Scroll right to the bottom.
- Tap Clear Public Profile.
- Confirm that you want to clear it.
Want to see what strangers see first? In the same settings there's a Preview Your Profile option. It's worth a look before you decide, because you might only need to change a photo or bio rather than clear the lot.
What clearing removes, and what it leaves behind
| Removed for good | Not touched |
|---|---|
| Your public bio | Your Snapchat account |
| Your public profile photo | Your username |
| Public Stories | Spotlight Snaps |
| Stories saved to your Public Profile | Snap Map Snaps |
| Highlights | Your friends and private chats |
Snapchat is clear that removed content can't be reinstated. You can start over and add new things to your Public Profile later, but the old bio, photos and saved Stories won't come back.
The catch: your Spotlight Snaps stay public
This is what catches people out. Snapchat says your Spotlight and Snap Map Snaps are not deleted when you clear your Public Profile. If you're clearing it to stop strangers seeing your videos, clearing alone won't do it.
To remove those as well, go to the Spotlight & Snap Map section of your Profile and delete them there. Snapchat says you can do this before or after clearing. I'd do it before, so you can see everything in one place while you work through it.
Don't count on the web to speed this up, either. Snapchat lets you delete posts at profile.snapchat.com under My Posts, but it says deleting posts from the web isn't available for Public Profiles.
Clear it, or just leave it empty?
Snapchat gives you two options here: clear your Public Profile, or choose not to use it. If you've never added anything public, there's very little to clear, and leaving it alone does no harm. Clearing earns its place when there's something on there you want gone: an old bio, a profile photo you've outgrown, or Stories you saved publicly and now regret.
A quick way to decide is to open Preview Your Profile and look at it as a stranger would. If it's blank or harmless, you don't need to do anything. If there's anything on it you wouldn't want a new boss or a nosy neighbour to see, clear it and start again later if you ever need a public presence.
If you have a Business or Snap Star profile
Clearing a Snap Star or Business Public Profile also takes away the extras that came with it, such as Membership Roles, category, website and email. Snapchat says you can revert to a standard Public Profile at any time, so if you simply don't want the business features any more, that may suit you better than clearing everything.
And if you run more than one Public Profile, clear each one separately from the Profile Switcher. Snapchat says followers can't be transferred or merged between profiles, so the followers on a cleared profile don't move anywhere.
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Why you've got a Public Profile you never set up
Plenty of people search this because a Public Profile appeared without them asking. Snapchat explains that in most countries, Snapchatters aged 16 and over can add public content to a public page within their profile. Your personal profile is only seen by friends; your Public Profile can be seen by anyone on Snapchat.
Snapchat also notes that if your birthday changes to under 16, your Public Profile and all its content are deleted. That's not a workaround to use; it's simply how the age rules are applied.
Tidying up the rest of your public footprint
- Snap Map. Anything you've submitted to the Map lives under Spotlight & Snap Map too. If you want to stay off the Map going forward, see who can see you on Snap Map and set it to suit you.
- Your Story. Your regular Story can still be seen by whoever your settings allow. If you post a Story you want to keep, my guide on saving a Snapchat Story shows how.
- Unwanted followers. If one person is the reason you're going private, blocking them may be quicker. You can always undo it later: here's how to unblock someone on Snapchat.
My verdict
If you want your public side of Snapchat gone, Clear Public Profile does the job in five taps, and your account carries on as normal. Just remember the two things it doesn't do: it won't touch your Spotlight or Snap Map Snaps, and it can't be undone. Delete the Spotlight Snaps first, preview your profile, then clear it. That way nothing public is left hanging around by accident.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delete my public profile on Snapchat?
Open My Public Profile, tap the three dot menu, scroll down and tap Clear Public Profile, then confirm.
Does clearing a Public Profile delete my Snapchat account?
No. Your account and username stay. Only your public bio, photo, public Stories and saved Stories are removed.
Are my Spotlight videos deleted when I clear my Public Profile?
No. Snapchat says Spotlight and Snap Map Snaps stay. Delete them from the Spotlight & Snap Map section of your Profile.
Can I get my Public Profile content back after clearing it?
No. Snapchat says removed content can't be reinstated, though you can start a fresh Public Profile.
Why is there a Public Profile on my account that I didn't create?
In most countries Snapchatters aged 16 and over have the option of a Public Profile within their profile, even if they never set one up.
