How to Set Privacy on Facebook’s Friend Lists

On Facebook, you can use existing Friend Lists to restrict access to specific content. Facebook enables you to include and exclude groups of friends from being able to see parts of your profile and content. In Facebook, as in real life, you want to share different stories with your family than with your co-workers. The photos that you show close friends may not be the same ones you stick on the refrigerator.

You can use an existing Friend List to control the visibility of parts of your profile and your photos, notes, and more.

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On the blue bar at the top of any Facebook page, click Settings→ Privacy Settings.

The Privacy Settings option shows a little padlock.

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Choose the field you want to edit and click Customize.

The privacy menu appears.

Choose some privacy options by clicking the check boxes.

To use Friend Lists to show only a small group of people something, select the Some Friends option and type in a specific name or Friend List. To use Friend Lists to show something to a larger group of people, but exclude a certain group of friends, look for the Except These People section at the bottom.

Repeat these steps for all the different parts of your profile and Click Save.

Anyone who is in a Friend List that is excluded from seeing something, whether that’s a photo album or your Wall on your profile, will never be able to see that content. If someone is on two lists, one of which can see something and one of which is excluded from seeing it, that person won’t be able to see it.