- Why you can't make your current Facebook profile picture private
- Making an older Facebook profile picture private
- Making your Facebook profile picture history less public
- Locking your Facebook profile to limit what strangers see
- Facebook profile picture guard and what it does
- Other Facebook privacy settings that help
- Who sees your Facebook profile picture, and who looks at it
- If you're worried about someone using your Facebook photo
- Frequently asked questions
You can't make your current Facebook profile picture private, because Facebook's help centre says current profile pictures and cover photos are public. You can change the audience of older profile pictures, and in some countries you can lock your profile so strangers see only a limited view.
If you've looked for a Friends only option on your profile picture and couldn't find one, you're not missing anything. I'd rather tell you that upfront than send you around the settings for an hour.
Facebook's help centre is clear: your current profile picture is public. What you can control is your older pictures, your cover photo history and, in some countries, how much strangers see of your profile. Here's each option, with the exact steps.
Why you can't make your current Facebook profile picture private
According to Facebook's help centre, your current profile picture and cover photo are public, so they can be seen by anyone on or off Facebook. The help article on photo privacy repeats the point: some photos, such as your current profile photo and cover photo, are always public.
There's a reason it works this way. A thumbnail of your profile picture appears next to your name in different places across Facebook, which helps friends recognise your posts and comments. Facebook says that when you add or change a profile picture, it's also posted on your profile and may appear in your friends' Feeds.
So the honest answer to the question is that you can't hide the current one. What follows are the things you can change.
Making an older Facebook profile picture private
Past pictures are different. Facebook's help centre says you can edit the privacy of a photo you've used as a profile picture in the past, using the audience selector. To find them on Android:
- Tap Menu in the top left of Facebook, then tap your name.
- Tap Photos, then tap ALBUMS.
- Tap Profile pictures.
Pick the picture you'd like to change, then follow Facebook's steps for editing a photo's privacy. On Android:
- Tap Menu in the top left of Facebook, then tap your name.
- Scroll down and tap Photos, then tap Photos again.
- Tap Uploads.
- Tap to open the photo, then tap Options in the top right.
- Tap Edit post privacy.
- Tap to choose who can see the photo, then tap Save.
Facebook adds a catch. If you can't see Edit post privacy, the photo was probably shared as part of an album, and in most cases you'd need to change the privacy of the whole album instead. It also says you can only edit privacy for individual photos in certain albums, including profile pictures and cover photos. That's good news here, since your profile picture album is one of them.
I've only read the Android route, so on an iPhone or a computer, look for the same names: Photos, then Albums, then Profile pictures.
Making your Facebook profile picture history less public
Here's a habit I'd suggest for anyone who uses Facebook for work. Open your Profile pictures album and scroll through it. You may find old holiday photos, family pictures or pictures of your house that you'd forgotten were set to Public. Change each one to the audience you want, or remove the ones you don't want attached to your name.
If you're updating your picture for a business reason, my article on the best time to change your profile picture on Facebook looks at the timing side of changing your picture.
Locking your Facebook profile to limit what strangers see
Facebook has a feature called locking your profile. Its help centre says it isn't available everywhere at the moment and that you can only lock your profile in certain countries. If it's available to you, it gives people you aren't friends with a limited view of your profile content.
When someone locks their profile, the help centre says only their friends will see:
- Photos and posts on their profile.
- Their full-resolution profile picture or cover photo.
- Their stories.
- New posts and photos.
That's the closest Facebook gets to making a profile picture private: strangers see only a smaller version, and only friends can see the full-resolution one. In addition, Facebook says any posts you've shared in the past to Public change to Friends, profile review and tag review are turned on, and only a portion of your About info is visible to everyone.
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If you don't see the lock option, it isn't available in your country yet, and the only route is the other settings in this article.
Facebook profile picture guard and what it does
There's also a setting called profile picture guard. Facebook's help article about turning it on or off says only that the feature isn't active everywhere at this time. So you may not see it either. I'm not going to describe what it does beyond that, since the help article doesn't.
Other Facebook privacy settings that help
If locking isn't available, Facebook's lock article lists other ways to manage your privacy through your settings:
- Use Privacy Checkup.
- Choose who you share posts, photos and other information with.
- Edit your basic info and choose who can see it.
- Change your story privacy settings.
- Turn on profile review and tag review.
- Control who can friend and follow you.
- Control who we can suggest your profile to, based on your email address or phone number.
One of those, controlling who can friend you, links neatly with my guide to adding friends on Facebook, if you're also tidying up who's in your circle.
Who sees your Facebook profile picture, and who looks at it
Two things people worry about are worth separating. First, who can see the picture, which is anyone, as above. Second, who has looked at it. Facebook says it doesn't let people track who views their profile. So there's no list of visitors, and any app or site claiming to give you one isn't offering something Facebook supports. Never give a stranger your password for it.
If you want a less identifiable picture, you can simply choose a photo that doesn't show your face, such as a logo or a neutral image. Facebook's help centre says you can also add a frame to a picture or edit it before posting.
If you're worried about someone using your Facebook photo
If someone copies your picture to impersonate you, don't just change your settings. Report the profile to Facebook. If you feel threatened, report it and, if you're in danger, contact the police.
Related guides live in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make my Facebook profile picture private?
Not your current one. Facebook's help centre says your current profile picture and cover photo are public, so anyone on or off Facebook can see them.
Can I make my old Facebook profile pictures private?
Yes. You can edit the privacy of photos you used as profile pictures in the past, using the audience selector or Edit post privacy.
What does locking my Facebook profile do?
Facebook says it shows a limited view of your profile to people you aren't friends with, and only friends see your full-resolution profile picture. It's available only in certain countries.
Can I see who looked at my Facebook profile picture?
No. Facebook says it doesn't let people track who views their profile.
Why can't I find Edit post privacy on a photo?
Facebook says that if the photo was shared as part of an album, you may need to change the privacy of the whole album. Individual edits are only possible in certain albums, including profile pictures.
