How To Stop Certain People From Viewing Your Facebook Story
Want to maintain your online privacy? The solution is straightforward: you can easily prevent specific individuals from viewing your Facebook Story by using the platform’s built-in blocking features. This allows you to share updates selectively, ensuring your content reaches your intended audience.
Understanding Facebook Stories and Privacy
Facebook Stories provide a temporary glimpse into your life, disappearing after 24 hours. This ephemeral nature makes them popular for sharing casual moments and unfiltered thoughts. However, not everyone wants every single one of their Facebook friends to see their stories. Knowing how to block someone from seeing your story on Facebook is thus an essential privacy skill.
Why Block Someone From Seeing Your Story?
There are numerous reasons why you might choose to limit who can view your Facebook Story:
- Privacy Concerns: Maybe you don’t want certain family members, coworkers, or acquaintances knowing specific details about your life.
- Avoiding Drama: Perhaps you’re sharing something that might stir up conflict with a particular individual.
- Targeted Content: You might be posting content relevant only to a specific group of friends and want to avoid irrelevant reactions from others.
- Past Relationships: You might have broken up with someone and prefer they not have access to your current activities.
The Blocking Process: Step-by-Step Guide
Here’s how to block someone from seeing your story on Facebook:
- Open Facebook: Launch the Facebook app on your mobile device or visit the Facebook website on your computer.
- Navigate to Your Story Settings:
- Mobile App: Tap your profile picture, then select “Settings & Privacy” and then “Settings.” Scroll down to the “Audience and Visibility” section and tap on “Stories.”
- Website: Click on the downward-facing arrow in the top-right corner of the screen, select “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.” In the left-hand menu, click “Stories.”
- Access Story Privacy: In the “Story Privacy” section, select “Story Privacy.”
- Choose “Hide Story From”: Select this option to specifically prevent certain people from viewing your stories.
- Select the Individuals: A list of your Facebook friends will appear. Check the boxes next to the names of the individuals you want to block from seeing your stories.
- Save Your Changes: Once you’ve selected the desired individuals, tap “Save” (on mobile) or simply click outside the selection box (on desktop).
Alternative Method: Blocking During Story Creation
You can also adjust your story privacy before posting:
- Create a new story as usual.
- Before publishing, tap or click on the “Audience” button (often located at the bottom of the screen).
- Choose “Friends Except…” to select specific individuals who should not see the story.
- Select the people you want to exclude and then post the story.
Important Considerations and Common Mistakes
- They Won’t Be Notified: Facebook doesn’t notify users when you block them from seeing your stories.
- Future Stories: This setting applies to all future stories. If you want someone to see a story later, you’ll need to remove them from the “Hide Story From” list.
- Shared Friends: If a blocked person is physically with a mutual friend, they might incidentally see your story on that friend’s phone. This is unavoidable.
- Account Blocking vs. Story Blocking: Blocking someone’s entire account is a more drastic measure that prevents them from seeing any of your posts, messaging you, or finding your profile. Story blocking only limits their access to your stories.
- Check Regularly: It’s a good practice to periodically review your “Hide Story From” list to ensure it reflects your current privacy preferences.
Table: Story Privacy Options Compared
| Option | Description | Who Can See Your Story |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone on or off Facebook can see your story. | Everyone, even non-friends. |
| Friends | Only your Facebook friends can see your story. | Only your confirmed Facebook friends. |
| Friends Except… | You can choose specific friends who cannot see your story. | All friends except those you’ve selected. |
| Only Me (Custom) | Only you can see your story. | Only you. |
FAQs: Delving Deeper Into Facebook Story Privacy
Can I tell if someone has blocked me from seeing their story?
No, Facebook doesn’t provide a direct notification. However, you might suspect it if you consistently see stories from other friends but never from a specific person, even though you know they actively use Facebook. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence: they may just not be posting stories!
What happens if I block someone’s entire Facebook account? Will that also block them from seeing my stories?
Yes, blocking someone’s account completely restricts them from seeing anything you post, including your stories. It’s a comprehensive blocking measure.
If I remove someone from my “Hide Story From” list, will they be able to see stories I posted while they were on the list?
No. They’ll only be able to see stories you post after you’ve removed them from the list. Previously posted stories remain inaccessible to them.
Can I block someone from seeing a specific story only, or does the setting apply to all stories going forward?
The “Hide Story From” setting applies to all future stories. There isn’t a built-in feature to block someone from seeing only a single, specific story.
If I “Unfriend” someone on Facebook, will that automatically block them from seeing my stories?
Unfriending someone will remove them from your Friends audience, so if your Story privacy is set to “Friends”, they will no longer see your stories. However, if your Story privacy is set to “Public”, they may still see your stories if they stumble across them.
Can I block someone from seeing my stories on the Facebook website if I initially blocked them on the mobile app (or vice versa)?
Yes, the “Hide Story From” setting is account-wide. Changes made on one platform (mobile app or website) will automatically sync across all devices where you’re logged into Facebook.
Is there a limit to the number of people I can block from seeing my stories?
No, Facebook doesn’t appear to impose a specific limit on the number of people you can add to your “Hide Story From” list.
If I make my story visible only to “Friends,” will people who aren’t my friends be able to see it if a friend shares it?
No. Even if a friend shares your story, only people who are already your Facebook friends will be able to see it. The original privacy setting prevails.
Can someone see that I’ve blocked them from seeing my stories?
No, Facebook doesn’t notify users when you block them from seeing your stories. The blocked person simply won’t see your stories in their feed.
What’s the difference between “Hiding My Story From” and restricting someone in my settings?
“Hiding My Story From” only affects the visibility of your stories. Restricting someone limits what they can see on your profile in general (posts, photos, etc.). Restriction is a broader form of limited visibility.
If someone I’ve blocked from seeing my stories creates a new Facebook account, will they be able to see my stories then?
Potentially. The block is associated with the specific account you blocked. If they create a brand new account, you’ll need to block that new account as well to prevent them from seeing your stories.
Can I view a list of all the people I’ve blocked from seeing my story?
Yes, by going back to the “Story Privacy” settings (as described above), you can access the “Hide Story From” option. The checked names on that list are the people you’ve blocked.