How to Make Your Facebook Profile Picture Private on iPhone and iPad

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: September 1, 2018 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to change your former Facebook profile picture's privacy settings. While Facebook doesn't allow you to set your current profile picture as anything other than public in order to help others identify you, you can make your past Facebook profile pictures private.

Steps

1
Open Facebook. Tap the Facebook app icon, which resembles a white "f" on a dark-blue background. This will open your Facebook News Feed if you're logged in.
- If you're not logged into Facebook, enter your email address and password before proceeding.
2
Tap the profile icon. It's a person-shaped icon at the bottom of the screen. Doing so will open your profile page.
- On an iPad, you may find this icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
- If you don't see the profile icon, tap ☰ in the bottom-right corner of the screen, then tap your name at the top of the menu.
3
Scroll down and tap See All Photos. You'll find this option below the list of photos that's near the top of your profile page.
4
Tap the Albums tab. It's at the top of the screen.
5
Tap Profile Pictures. This album should be close to the top of the Albums tab. Your current profile picture will be the album cover.
- You may have to scroll down to see this album.
6
Select a profile picture. Tap the profile picture that you want to make private.
7
Tap ⋯. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. A pop-up menu will appear at the bottom of the screen.
- On an iPad, the menu will drop-down from the ⋯ icon.
8
Tap Edit Privacy. This option is in the pop-up menu. Doing so opens a list of post privacy options.
9
Tap Only me. It's in the "Who can see your post?" list of options.
- If you don't see this option, first tap More near the middle of the screen.
10
Tap Done. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. Doing so saves your privacy settings, thus making your selected profile picture viewable only by you.
- If a friend of yours is tagged in your profile picture, they can still view the image.