Block someone from your posts without blocking their entire account
You can prevent one person from seeing your posts without blocking them entirely. Facebook calls this a restricted list. When you restrict someone, they can still see your profile and send you messages, but they won't see your posts in their feed, and you won't see theirs. This is useful when you want to stay connected to someone — a coworker, distant relative, or someone you're not ready to fully block — but don't want them viewing everything you share.
The person you restrict won't get a notification that you've done it. They won't know unless they notice your posts have stopped appearing or they visit your profile directly and see that your posts aren't visible to them.
Key Takeaways
- Restricting someone hides your posts from their feed but keeps your friendship intact, unlike blocking which cuts off all contact.
- You can restrict someone in three steps: visit their profile, click the three-dot menu, and select "Restrict."
- You can also change individual post privacy settings to hide posts from specific people without restricting their entire account.
- If you want to block someone completely so they cannot see your profile, posts, or message you, use the block feature instead of restrict.
- You can unrestrict or unblock someone at any time by reversing the same steps.
How to restrict someone from seeing all your posts
Open Facebook and go to the person's profile. You can find them by searching their name in the search bar at the top of the page. Once you're on their profile, look for the three-dot menu icon (sometimes called "More") — it's usually near the top right of their profile card or next to the "Add Friend" or "Friends" button.
Click that three-dot menu and select "Restrict" from the list. That's it. From now on, this person will see only your public posts and posts they're tagged in. They won't see posts you share with friends only, and they won't see your posts in their feed at all unless you tag them.
If you change your mind later, go back to their profile, click the three-dot menu again, and select "Unrestrict." The restriction is immediately removed and they'll start seeing your posts again.
Hide a single post from one person
You don't have to restrict someone to hide one specific post. You can hide individual posts from certain people without affecting what they see from you overall. This works if you want to share something with most friends but not with one or two people.
On the post you want to hide, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of that post. Select "Hide from" and then choose the person's name from the list. That person won't see that post, but they'll continue to see your other posts normally. You can hide as many individual posts as you want from the same person.
To undo this, go back to the same post, click the three-dot menu, select "Hide from," and uncheck the person's name.
Change who can see a post before you share it
The easiest way to control who sees your posts is to set the privacy level before you post. When you're writing a post, look for the audience selector — it's usually a button that says "Friends," "Public," or shows an icon like a globe or people. Click it to choose who can see that specific post.
Your options are usually: Public (everyone on Facebook), Friends (only people you're friends with), Friends except (friends minus specific people you choose), or Custom (you pick exactly who sees it). If you select "Friends except," you can type in the names of people you want to exclude from that post only.
This method is faster than hiding posts after you've shared them, especially if you regularly post things you don't want certain people to see.
The difference between restricting and blocking
Restricting and blocking are two different tools that do different things. When you restrict someone, they stay on your friends list, they can still message you, and they can still see your public posts and your profile. They just won't see your regular posts in their feed. When you block someone, they can't see your profile at all, can't message you, can't find you in search, and can't see any of your posts or activity.
Use restrict when you want to keep the friendship but limit what they see. Use block when you want to cut off contact completely. Blocking is stronger and more final-feeling, so most people start with restrict if they're unsure.
What happens after you restrict someone
After you restrict someone, they won't see your posts in their feed, but they can still visit your profile directly and see what you've made public. They can still see posts you've tagged them in, and they can still see posts you've shared in groups or on other people's pages. Restricting only affects what shows up in their feed and what they see when they're browsing your profile.
If you post something and then restrict that person, they won't see that post either. Restriction applies to all your posts going forward, not just new ones. The person can still send you messages, and you can still message them — restricting doesn't affect messaging at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I restricted them?
No. Facebook doesn't send a notification when you restrict someone. They won't know unless they notice your posts have disappeared from their feed or they visit your profile and see that posts aren't showing up for them.
Can I restrict someone and still see their posts?
No. Restriction works both ways. When you restrict someone, you won't see their posts in your feed either. If you want to see their posts but hide yours from them, you'll need to use the individual post privacy settings instead of restricting their account.
What if I restrict someone by mistake?
Go back to their profile, click the three-dot menu, and select "Unrestrict." The restriction is removed immediately and they'll start seeing your posts again in their feed.
Can I restrict someone on mobile?
Yes. The steps are the same on the Facebook app or mobile website. Go to their profile, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Restrict." The mobile interface is slightly different but the option is in the same place.
If I restrict someone, will they still see me in their friends list?
Yes. You'll still appear as friends on both sides. Restricting only hides your posts and feed activity from them — it doesn't remove the friendship or change how you appear in each other's friends lists.