Facebook tracks you a lot to serve ads and recommendations, and it is often in the limelight for issues related to privacy. However, to give credit where it is due, Facebook has introduced many ways for users to take control of their privacy, and locking your Facebook profile is one such feature. With profile locking, you can lock out your profile and make it inaccessible to Facebook users outside of your Friends list. In this article, let’s detail how to lock Facebook profile on Android, iPhone and PC.
Why Should I Lock Facebook Profile?
Locking your Facebook profile has several benefits, such as:
- Enhanced privacy: After locking your Facebook profile, your posts, stories, photos, personal information and more will not be shown to people outside your Friends list and when anyone who is not a friend of yours on Facebook looks at your profile, they will see a limited information about you so that strangers will not get access to your information.
- Prevent misuse of personal photos: Locking your profile makes your profile and the media in your profile out from the eyes of strangers. This means random strangers cannot misuse your personal photos.
- Protection from Scams: Scams, phishing attempts, social engineering and more are often targeted at Facebook users by using information available in profiles. By making the profile private, you can reduce the chance of that happening.
- Strangers can’t tag you: Often, random tags in photos can populate your profile and overflow your notifications. Making your profile private can prevent that.
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How to Lock my Facebook profile on Android and iPhone
Facebook Android and iOS applications allow you to easy to lock your profile from stalkers. Here’s a step-by-step guide for locking Facebook profile:
- Open the Facebook app and tap on your Profile
- Now tap on the three-dot menu next to the Add to Story button.
- Here, you will find the Lock Profile option. Tap on it and you will be taken to the Lock Profile page.
- Tap on the Lock Your Profile button to confirm. Your Facebook profile will be locked.
With this, your Facebook Profile is now locked. You can also choose to unlock it by going through the similar steps mentioned above.
NOTE: If you have the Professional mode turned on in your Facebook profile, you will not be able to lock your profile, you won’t be able to lock your additional profiles as well. You need to turn off Professional mode to lock your profile in that case.
Also Read: How to Delete Facebook Account Permanently: Step by Step Procedure
How to Lock my Facebook profile on a PC?
You can also lock your profile by going to Facebook from your desktop browser. All you need to do is follow these steps:
- Open facebook.com on your browser and log into your account.
- Click on your Profile to open it.
- There you will see the three-dot menu. Tap on it and go to the Lock Profile option.
- There will be a pop-up message showing you locking your profile works and comes with the Lock Your Profile button at the bottom. Click on it to lock your profile.
What Happens When You Lock Your Profile?
Once you add a Profile lock on your profile, users will see a Lock sign on your profile. With this, only your friends will be able to see photos and posts on their profile, profile photo or cover image, Stories, and more.
Once a user locks his/her profile, other people who are not on the friends list will not be able to see the profile. Furthermore, they will not be able to download profile photos and cover photos. Moreover, they cannot access the Stories a user put on his profile.
In addition to this, the Lock Profile feature also changes the posts that have been shared in the past from Public to friends. The timeline review and tag review also get turned on. This means others have to take permission to tag you on their posts.
Moreover, only a portion of their About info will be visible to everyone on their profile. Now you know how the lock your profile feature works on Facebook, let’s take a closer look at how to lock your Facebook profile on different platforms.
Also Read: How to Delete Your Facebook Account, Page and Group in Easy Steps?
How Does Facebook Lock Profile Work?
Locking your Facebook account makes all the content in your Facebook account to Friends-only. What this means is that:
- All the content including posts, stories, photos, videos, and more will be taken private and will be shown to people only in your Friends list.
- Only your Friends can click on your profile picture and view an enlarged version of it. Others will not be able to zoom in your picture and will see just the thumbnail.
- Profile and Tag review are added for all people, and you will be asked if you want to be tagged in any of the mentions and tags.
- The About section in your profile will be shown only to your Friends and strangers will only see a limited About page.
Also Read: Facebook Account Hacked? Here’s How to Report A Compromised FB Account and Easily Recover It
How to Unlock Your Facebook Profile?
Facebook also gives you the option to unlock your profile whenever you want. All you need to do this follow these steps:
- Go to the Facebook application on your mobile or facebook.com on your desktop browser.
- Click on your Profile section and click on the three-dot menu.
- There, you will find Unlock Profile option. Click on it, and you will see a pop-up message. Click on Unlock Profile.
How to Make Facebook Profile Private?
If the Facebook profile lock feature is not available in your country, you can always make your profile private. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to the Facebook application or website and then click on the Settings.
- There you will find Privacy Checkup option. Click on it and then you will the option of Who can see what you share.
- Tap on it and follow the on-screen instructions to set different parameters like profile information, posts and stories, tagging, and blocking. Select the desired options and keep your profile to private.
Tips To Enhance Facebook Privacy
Here are some tips to enhance privacy on your Facebook profile, apart from locking it:
- Limit who can add you as a friend: By default, anyone on your profile can send your Friend request. Change it so that only Friends of friends can add you as a friend. You’ll find that option on Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy > How People Find and Contact You.
- Control who can search you on Facebook: By default, your Facebook profile can be searched and found by using the phone number or email address you provided on your account. You can turn it off from Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy > How People Find and Contact You. You can change the option from Everyone to Only me.
- Turn off Location Services: Facebook accesses your location from time to time, and that is a privacy nightmare. You can turn off this from your phone settings, by going to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Permissions > Location > Don’t Allow.
- Use the Facebook Privacy Checkup tool: Facebook gives you a tool to ensure the privacy of your Facebook profile, you can access it here. This tool lets you easily manage various privacy aspects such as Who can see what you share, How people can find you on Facebook, How to keep your account secure, Your data settings on Facebook and Your ad preferences on Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens to profile pictures, cover photos and posts, photos, and albums when the profile is locked?
Whenever a user locks his/her Facebook profile, only those in the friends will be able to tap on the pictures to view them. People not on the friend list will see a smaller version of the profile picture and cover photo. However, the current profile pictures and cover photos will be visible to everyone, though they cannot open them. Moreover, only friends can tag, comment or like the profile or cover photo.
Who can see my profile when it’s locked?
Only people in your Friends list will be able to see your profile after it is locked.
Can I lock specific parts of my profile?
Facebook profile locking is applicable to the whole profile and you cannot block specific parts of your profile on Facebook.
Is profile locking completely secure?
Access to your Facebook profile is completely limited to strangers who are not on your friends list. Your profile and the contents in it cannot be accessed or bypassed, making it secure.
What are some alternatives to profile locking?
You can make your profile private on Facebook as an alternative to profile locking.
Can I view a locked Facebook profile using a VPN?
No, a Facebook profile cannot be viewed by using a VPN.