How to Hide Yourself on Instagram, Facebook, X and Other Social Networks
Even when you’re on social media, you may not feel particularly social—even with family and friends you actually really like. Perhaps you don’t want your parents (or children) to monitor your activities. Perhaps you’d prefer not to be tracked down by your long-lost school friends. Or maybe you just want to keep your online space separate from your offline life.
For these and other reasons, you may want to make your social media profiles less visible than they otherwise would be. Large networks give you control over who can find you and who can’t, so you’re less likely to show up in your uncle or neighbor down the street’s People You May Know feed. Here are some tips on how to make yourself less visible on Facebook, Instagram and other social networks.
General tips for any social network
Generally speaking, there are a few rules you can follow on any social platform, although obviously you’ll have to work within the platform’s user ID verification policies. First, when you sign up, offer as little precise personal information as possible: for example, you can use an alternative name and an alternative profile picture other than your face.
Social media often suggests 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’ll almost certainly need to provide an email address, but you can enter an additional address that no one else has, or use one of the many email address recording services now available (such as Apple’s Hide my Email ).
Reject any requests to find connections or contacts when you sign up, and don’t allow the app to scan your phone’s contact lists. If you must choose a nickname, avoid your real name or anything that could identify you. Moreover, on most networks there is nothing stopping you from creating a second account if you want to. If you already have a “real” account, add an additional one with other personal details that you can use at the bottom.
How to Stay Hidden on Instagram
You can, of course, make your Instagram private so that no other person can see your posts until you approve their connection request. You can select the privacy option during account setup, or switch to it later in the app by switching to your profile tab, clicking the menu button (three lines in the top right corner), and then selecting Account Privacy > Private Account .
On the same screen there is a toggle switch “Allow profile image expansion” . Turn it off to prevent other users from looking closely at your profile picture. Once back on the main menu, you can select Tags & Mentions to control who else is allowed to tag and mention you on the platform. You can turn this feature off completely, limit it to only people you follow, and enable tag verification manually if you want.
There’s another option worth talking about, but it’s not on the mobile apps—you’ll have to go to Instagram on the web to find it. Click Profile , then Edit Profile , and you’ll find a toggle switch that says Show account suggestions in profiles . Turn this feature off and other accounts won’t be recommended from your profile, and you won’t be recommended on anyone else’s profile either.
How to Stay Hidden on X (formerly Twitter)
Since we last wrote about preventing people from finding you on Twitter, the site has changed its name to X and Elon Musk started hosting the show, but many of the same settings are still in effect. Just like Instagram, you can make your profile private (only for approved contacts). This can be done either during setup or through the app by tapping your profile picture (top left), then Settings & Support > Settings & Privacy > Privacy & Security > Audience & Tagging > Protect Your Posts “ .
From the Privacy & Security menu, you can also select Discovery & Contacts . On the next screen, you can turn off three key features: allow other people to find you by your email address, allow other people to find you by your phone number, and sync your phone’s contacts with X to suggest connections. Disable them all and you will be much harder to find.
It’s also a good idea to go to the Direct Messages section of the Privacy & Security section and configure everything here the way you want. Platform X gives you complete control over who is allowed to message and call you, and you can turn these features off completely if needed. This is another precaution that reduces the likelihood that someone you don’t want to talk to will get in touch.
How to Stay Hidden on Facebook
You can’t make your Facebook profile as private as Instagram and X, but you still have options. In the mobile app, tap the menu button (three lines), then select Settings & Privacy > Settings > How People Can Find and Contact You . There’s a range of options here, covering what appears on your profile, who can message you, whether you appear in search results, and more.
If you want to remain hidden from people who know you, 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 anyone at all to friends with your contact details. There’s also a “Who can send you friend requests” option that allows you to limit the number of people who can try to contact you.
In addition to this detailed contact options page, you can also have granular control over what is shown on your profile (so people can find you, but can’t see your photos or friends). Tap Profile Details and Posts on the Settings screen to lock the information you share so it’s not visible to anyone who isn’t already your friend.