There’s no denying that Facebook is the biggest social media platform. It has over 2.2 billion active users and billions of page likes and followers. Having an account on Facebook allows you to connect with friends and family, stay updated with your favorite brands, share your thoughts, and laugh at memes. But one feature many people need to realize is the option to lock their profile from public view if they wish to do so. This privacy option allows you to hide your profile from prying eyes, stalkers, and other users on the platform who might want to cyberbully or harm you. If you are worried about someone seeing your profile or profile photo without your consent, locking your profile could be a good option for you. Read this guide on how to lock your Facebook profile and why you should do it.
Why Locking your Facebook profile?
- Locking your Facebook profile is a way to protect your data from being collected, shared, or used for fraudulent activities.
- The most common reason you should lock your profile is to prevent others from viewing your posts or timeline. It also helps you keep track of what you’ve posted and makes it easier to manage your social media profile.
- You can lock your profile using the Profile Picture Guard feature. Facebook introduced this feature to ensure users’ privacy. With this feature enabled, anyone accessing your account must approve your photo before viewing anything else on the account.
The steps are similar if you’re using a desktop or laptop browser. Just open a browser, log in with your Facebook ID, click on the three dots beneath the profile button, and then click on the option to lock your profile.
- Another way to lock your profile is by clicking on the lock icon next to the account name on a desktop or laptop browser.
- Note that locking your account won’t delete any pending content or notifications. It will only prevent other people from accessing it until you unlock it again.
- Also, make sure to unlock your account anytime you want to view something on Facebook without having to login again with a new device or password.
You can also use Facebook’s security checkup tool if you still need help locking your account safely and securely.
How does Facebook Lock Profile Work?
Facebook allows users to lock their profile to protect their personal information from being collected, shared with another, or used to scam them or people in their circle. To lock a profile, users need to open a browser, log in using their Facebook ID and password, and click on their profile photo in the top right corner of the screen.
There are three dots beneath the ‘Edit Profile’ button that users need to click to bring up many options. The last option is ‘Lock Profile’. A pop-up window will appear after the profile is locked, which users need to click to confirm the lock. After confirming the lock, a message will appear that the user’s settings have been locked. This means that anyone with access to the profile cannot change it.
However, there are some ways through which users can unlock their profiles and make changes again. These include clicking on the ‘Unlock’ option in the pop-up window, logging into their account on www.facebook.com, and clicking on the ‘Settings’ option. This feature is effective in protecting user privacy from stalkers and other unwanted individuals, as well as in preventing others from accessing your account without your consent.
How to Lock Facebook Profile? – On Andriod, iPhone, and PC
On Andriod, iPhone, and PC, to lock a profile on a PC, one must open a browser, log in with their Facebook ID and password, click on their profile photo in the top right corner, and tap on the three dots beneath the ‘Lock Profile’ button.
To lock a Facebook profile on a desktop or laptop computer, one must open Firefox, Chrome, or another browser, log in with their Facebook ID and password, click on their profile photo in the top right corner, tap on the three dots beneath the ‘Edit Profile’ button, click the last option, and click on the ‘Lock Your Profile’ window.
Once they have clicked to lock their profile, they will be asked to enter their password. After they have done so successfully, they will be returned to the profile page as if nothing had happened.
This way of locking a profile prevents unauthorized people from accessing it.
However, there are ways of locking your profile without using any of these methods. You can go to your account settings page and select ‘security’ option under ‘privacy and safety’. Here you can select ‘lock account’ option and then click on ‘lock account’ button. When you lock your account, it automatically locks all your other accounts connected with it.
Another way is to use an app like Facebook lock that allows you to lock your account from your mobile device.
You can also create two-factor authentication for your account by selecting the ‘security’ option under’ privacy and safety’ and then selecting the ‘two-step verification’ option. You must enter verification details when accessing your account from anywhere.
Facebook Lock Profile Available country
As of May 2022, countries with the lock profile feature include Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Iraq, Myanmar, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine.
- With the launch of the lock profile feature in India in 2015 as a privacy feature for users, it was the first country to allow for such a feature.
- However, Facebook is yet to launch the lock profile feature for other countries.
- Only a select few countries with a heavy social media population have access to this feature.
- The locking profile is unavailable in US and Canada as of now.
As per reports by media houses like TechCrunch and NDTV Gadgets 360 about the lock profile function of the Facebook Messenger app – one may be able to lock their account from stalkers and hackers. This should provide greater privacy on the social media platform.
How to Unlock Your Facebook Profile?
- On a desktop or laptop, open the browser, log on to Facebook, go to your profile page, click on the three-dot menu, and select the option to Lock your profile.
- On mobile devices, open the app, go to your profile page, and click on the three-dot menu. Select the option to unlock your profile.
Once you unlock your Facebook profile, you can view your account information and any content you have shared with friends or posted publicly on your profile page.
- To unlock your profile on a desktop or laptop, open the browser, log in to Facebook, go to your profile page, click on the three-dot menu, and select the option to lock your profile.
- On mobile devices, open the app, go to your profile page, and click on the three-dot menu. Select the option to unlock your profile.
You can follow these steps to unlock your Facebook profile if you cannot access it frequently.
Conclusion
Facebook profile lock allows you to protect your profile from prying eyes and unwanted changes. You can also choose a password to access your profile if you change your password or lose access to Facebook for any reason. Once you’ve locked your profile, friends and followers will not be able to view your profile or posts, and others will not be able to add you as a friend. It is a good way of ensuring that stalkers, hackers, and unauthorized users do not view your profile or posts without your permission. If you want to unlock your Facebook profile, follow the steps mentioned above by an expert locksmith.
FAQ – How to Lock Facebook Profile?
Is Lock Profile Available in Facebook?
Lock profile feature is currently available in certain countries as of early 2022. Countries with a lock profile feature include Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Iraq, Myanmar, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey, UAE, and Ukraine. As of May 2022, the lock profile feature is also available in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia (except Crimea), Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.
To lock your profile on your computer:
- Open a browser and log in to your Facebook account.
- Click on your photo in the top right corner of your screen to go to your profile page.
- Click on the three dots beneath the Edit Profile button.
- Look for a gear icon next to the Lock profile box on the next page that loads (or the profile page if you’re not logged in).
- Click on it to open the Lock profile settings.
- Enter your password in the login box and click on the lock symbol to save your profile.
Why Facebook Profile Lock is Not Available on iPhone?
This is because of your location; as mentioned earlier, the Lock Profile option is unavailable in all countries.
In Which Country Facebook Profile Guard is Available?
The Facebook profile guard is currently available in countries including Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Iraq, Myanmar (Burma), Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey(except the Eastern and Western parts of Turkey), UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Ukraine.
What is the Benefit of Profile Guard in Facebook?
The profile guard feature on Facebook allows users to add a shield to their profile picture so that it cannot be shared, tagged, or downloaded without permission. This extra security layer helps protect users’ personal information from malicious or fraudulent intentions. Profile lock also prevents non-friends from viewing personal data even if they have access to a profile. It also allows users to control who has access to their profile and personal information.
How Do I Turn on Profile Guard?
To turn on Profile Picture Guard, open the Facebook app and go to your profile. From there, you’ll see the option to Turn on Profile Picture Guard. Tap on the option and then “Next.” You’ll be asked to choose which profile picture you want to protect. Next, choose the image you want to keep private and untagged from other users. Once you’ve made your selection, tap “Save.” Profile Picture Guard will now be enabled, and other users will be notified that they cannot tag, share, or download the profile picture. The profile picture will also be blurred when it appears in other places, such as News Feed or search results.
