[FAQ]

Hi everyone. I’ve seen the “Lock Your Profile” option on Facebook, and I’ve noticed a few people I know using it. I’m trying to figure out what it actually does and what the limitations are.

If I lock my profile, what can a complete stranger (someone who isn’t my friend) see if they search for me and click on my name? Can they still see my cover photo and my profile picture (and can they click to enlarge them)? What about any old posts I might have forgotten to set to ‘Friends only’? I’m just trying to understand how private it really makes my account.

[Jeff Bullas]

That is a critical privacy question to ask.

Short Answer: A non-friend can only see a small, static version of your profile and cover photo, your name, and a tiny part of your ‘About’ info. All your posts, photos, and stories are completely hidden.

This feature is designed to put a privacy wall around all your significant content formats, making them visible only to your confirmed friends.

When a stranger lands on your locked Facebook profile, they cannot click or enlarge your profile picture or cover photo; they just see the small thumbnails. More importantly, all your content formats are hidden. This includes every text post, image, or video you have ever shared, even if you had previously set that content to ‘Public’. The ‘Lock Profile’ function retroactively changes all your past public posts to ‘Friends’ only and ensures all future content is set the same way, giving you a comprehensive privacy shield.

Cheers,

Jeff

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