How to hide on Instagram, Facebook, X and other social media platforms
Even if you’re on social media, you may not feel like socializing, even with family and friends you really like. Maybe you don’t want parents (or children) spying on your activities. Maybe you’d rather not have long-lost school friends searching for you. Or maybe you just want to have an online space that is separate from your offline life.
For these and other reasons, you can make your social media profiles less discoverable than they otherwise would be. The big networks give you control over who can and can’t find you, so you’re less likely to show up in your uncle’s or downstairs neighbor’s “People You May Know” feed. Here are some tips on how to become less discoverable on Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites.
Most social networks offer you visibility options.
Photo credit: Lifehacker
In general, there are a few rules you can follow on whatever social platform you are on. Of course, however, you must adhere to the platform’s user ID verification guidelines. When you sign up, first provide as little accurate personal information as possible: for example, you can use an alternate name and profile picture that depicts something other than your face.
Social networks often suggest connections based on who is in your phone contacts. So if you can avoid providing your phone number, do so (or use an alternative number if you have one). You will almost certainly have to provide an email address, but you can also enter a secondary address that no one else has, or use one of the many burner email address services currently available (e.g Apple’s Hide My Email.).
When signing in, decline any requests to search for connections and contacts, and do not give the app permission to scan your phone’s contact lists. If you must choose a name, avoid your real name or anything that could identify you. Additionally, on most networks there is nothing stopping you from creating a second account if you want. If you already have a “real” account, add an additional one with other personal information you can use below.
How to stay hidden on Instagram
You can make your Instagram account private.
Photo credit: Lifehacker
You can, of course, make your Instagram private so that no other people can see your posts unless you approve their connection request. You can select the Private option during account setup or switch to it later in the app by going to the Profile tab, tapping the menu button (three lines in the top right), then selecting Account Privacy > Private Account.
There is one on the same screen Allow profile picture expansion Toggle switch: Disable this option to prevent other users from taking a closer look at your profile picture. Back in the main menu you can select Tags and mentions to control who else can tag and mention you on the Platform. You can turn this off completely, limit it to the people you follow, and enable manual tag verification if necessary.
There’s another option to talk about, but it’s not in the mobile apps – you have to go there Instagram on the Internet to find it. Click profileThen Edit profileand you will find a toggle switch labeled Show account suggestions in profiles. If you disable this option, other accounts will not be recommended on your profile and you will not be recommended on other people’s profiles.
How to stay hidden on X (formerly Twitter).
X gives you plenty of discoverability options.
Photo credit: Lifehacker
Since we wrote last When it comes to stopping people from finding you on Twitter, the site has changed its name to X and Elon Musk has started running the show – but many of the same settings are still in place. Like Instagram, you can make your profile private (only for approved connections). This can be done either during setup or through the app by then tapping on your profile picture (top left). Settings and support > Settings and privacy > Privacy and security > Audience and tagging > Protect your posts.
Of the Privacy and security You can also choose menu Findability and contacts. There are three important features you can turn off on the next screen: Allow other people to find you by your email address, Allow other people to find you by your phone number, and Lock your phone contacts with X sync to suggest connections. If you disable them all, you will be much harder to find.
It’s also a good idea to get involved Direct messages out of Privacy and securityand set everything up here the way you want it. The X Platform gives you a lot of control over who can message and call you, and you can turn these features off completely if you want. This is another precaution that will reduce the chances of contacting someone you don’t want to talk to.
How to stay hidden on Facebook
With Facebook you can choose who can find you on the platform.
Photo credit: Lifehacker
You can’t make your Facebook profile as private as you can on Instagram and X, but you still have options. In the mobile app, tap the menu button (three lines), then select Settings and privacy > Settings > How others can find and contact you. There are quite a few options here: you can control what is visible on your profile, who can message you, whether or not you appear in searches, and much more.
If you want to stay hidden from people you know, use the People with your email address And People with your phone number Options: Here you can control who sees you as a friend suggestion, from no one to friends of friends with your contact information. There is also one Who can send you friend requests? Option that allows you to limit the number of people who can try to contact you.
Beyond this comprehensive page of contact options, you can also take granular control over what is visible on your profile (so others may be able to find you but not see your photos or friends). Knock Profile details And Posts from the Settings Screen to lock the information you share so that it is not visible to anyone who is not already your friend.
