- How to see who follows your Facebook profile
- Let people follow you (or stop them)
- How to see who follows your Facebook Page
- Where did my Page likes go?
- Who can see your follower and following lists?
- Does Facebook tell people when you follow or unfollow?
- Why your follower count looks wrong
- Growing followers on a Page
- Should you turn on public followers?
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To see your followers on Facebook, open your profile, tap Friends, then the Followers tab. For a Page, switch into the Page, open the Page and tap Followers below the cover photo. Page likes have been replaced by follows, so you'll only see followers, not the people who liked your Page.
Facebook followers are people who see your public posts in their feed without being your friend. Friends follow you automatically, but strangers can only follow you if your settings allow it. If you've switched on public followers, run a Page, or just want to know who's watching your posts, here's where to find the list and how to control who can follow you in the first place.
How to see who follows your Facebook profile
- Go to your profile.
- Tap or click Friends.
- Open the Followers tab to see people who follow you but aren't your friends.
If you don't see a Followers tab, nobody outside your friends follows you, or your settings don't let them. That's the next thing to check, and it only takes a minute.
Let people follow you (or stop them)
- Click your profile picture, then Settings & privacy, then Settings.
- Open Followers and public content.
- Under Who Can Follow Me, choose Public to let anyone follow you, or Friends to limit it.
Facebook says that by default only your friends, and friends of anyone tagged, can like or comment on your public profile information such as profile and cover photos. Choosing Public for followers is what opens your public posts up to people you haven't friended.
How to see who follows your Facebook Page
- Click your profile photo in the top right.
- Click See all profiles and switch into your Page.
- Click your Page name in the left menu.
- Click the Followers tab below your cover photo. You may need to tap More to find it.
Where did my Page likes go?
This catches a lot of business owners out. Facebook says Page likes have been replaced by follows, so you can no longer see the list of people who like your Page, only the people who follow it. You might still spot a like button on some Pages while Facebook finishes removing it everywhere. Followers are the number that matters now, because following is what puts your posts in someone's feed.
| What you want to see | Where to look |
|---|---|
| People following your profile | Your profile, then Friends, then Followers |
| People following your Page | Switch into the Page, then the Followers tab |
| People who liked your Page | No longer available, likes became follows |
| People and Pages you follow | Your profile, then Friends, then Following |
Who can see your follower and following lists?
Facebook lets you control who sees the people and Pages you follow. Go to Settings, then Followers and public content, and change Who can see the people and Pages you follow?. One thing you can't hide from: the people you follow can always see that you're following them, and your name appears on their followers list, which they may choose to show on their profile.
Does Facebook tell people when you follow or unfollow?
- Following: the person or Page may get a notification, depending on their settings, and a story about it may appear in your friends' feeds.
- Unfollowing a friend: Facebook says they won't be notified.
Unfollowing is the polite way to stop seeing someone's posts without unfriending them. My guide on how to follow someone on Facebook covers the other side of it, and if you're curious about automatic follows, read whether Facebook automatically follows Pages.
Why your follower count looks wrong
- Friends follow you automatically but appear in your friends list, not the Followers tab.
- People who unfollow you while staying friends disappear from your audience but not from your friends list.
- Deactivated and removed accounts drop off your list.
- A Page that still shows likes is mid-change, so the numbers may not match for a while.
Growing followers on a Page
Because follows have replaced likes, a Page's follower count is now the clearest sign of its reach. A few things reliably help: invite people who already engage with your posts to follow the Page, post consistently so new visitors see recent activity, and make your posts easy to share so they reach friends of your followers. If a follower count suddenly dips, it's often a clean-up of inactive or removed accounts rather than people leaving, so check the trend over a few weeks before worrying.
For a personal profile with public followers, the same logic applies on a smaller scale. Public posts that are useful or interesting get shared, and shares bring new followers. Friends-only posts don't, because followers can't see them.
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Should you turn on public followers?
If you post about your business, share expertise or want to build an audience without friending strangers, yes. Followers see your public posts while your friends-only posts stay private. If you use Facebook purely for family, keep followers limited to friends. Either way, review your Followers tab every few months and remove anyone who makes you uncomfortable.
My verdict
Find profile followers under Friends and then Followers, and Page followers on the Page's Followers tab. Set Who Can Follow Me to Public only if you want strangers seeing your public posts, and stop looking for Page likes, because follows have replaced them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see my followers on Facebook?
On your profile, tap Friends and then the Followers tab. For a Page, switch into the Page and open the Followers tab.
Can I see who liked my Facebook Page?
No. Facebook says Page likes have been replaced by follows, so you can only see followers.
Why is there no Followers tab on my Facebook profile?
Your Who Can Follow Me setting may be set to Friends, or nobody outside your friends follows you yet.
Does Facebook notify someone when you unfollow them?
No. Facebook says friends aren't notified when you unfollow them.
