What Happens When You Restrict Someone on Facebook

Quick Answer

The person you restricted will not be able to see your private posts. However, they will still be able to see your public profile information and search for your account. They can also see the posts you specifically tag them in. This is a toned-down version of blocking people without them knowing you are restricting them.

In light of the growing number of privacy concerns on Facebook, the company has introduced several new features on the platform that give users more control over what information is shared and with whom. One of these features is the “Restricted List,” which allows users to control what their friends see of them without having to block or unfriend them.

In this guide, we’ll learn all about the “Restricted List” feature on Facebook and how it differs from blocking. We also explain how to add friends to a restricted list on Facebook and briefly answer the question of what happens when you restrict someone on Facebook.

Table of Contents

What Is the Restricted List Feature on Facebook

The “Restricted List” feature on Facebook is a new privacy setting that lets you control who can see your content on the platform. When you add someone to your Restricted List, they can only see your public posts. All of your posts that are set to private will remain hidden from that person. The Restricted List feature can be useful if you want to hide your posts from certain people, such as family members, colleagues, and others.

What Happens When You Restrict Someone on Facebook

When you restrict someone on Facebook, the person you restrict cannot see your posts, and you become invisible to that person. Restricted people can not see your profile, send you friend requests, or send you messages.

If you add your friends to the Restricted list, they will not be able to see your posts unless the privacy setting is set to Public or you tag them. This is a toned-down version of blocking people without them knowing you are restricting them.

Here’s what happens when you restrict someone on Facebook:

They can not see your private posts.
They can still see your public posts and the posts you have tagged them.
They can not like, comment, or share your posts.
They will continue to be on your friends’ list.
They will not be able to send you messages.
Their ability to interact with you on the platform is limited.
They can still see your public profile information and search for your account.
You can add multiple friends to your restricted list without restriction.

The restricted list feature is very different from the blocking feature. With the restricted feature, you can limit what someone can see without completely stopping communication.

On the other hand, the blocking feature allows you to stop all communication with a person on Facebook. Blocked users can not see your profile, send you friend requests or messages, or do anything else on Facebook. The blocking features are also available on other popular social media sites like Instagram and messaging apps like Whatsapp and others.

Related Read: How to Hide Facebook Likes

How Do I Add Friends to a Restricted List on Facebook?

Adding Friends to Restricted List on Mobile

Open the Facebook app on your smartphone. The process for adding friends to a restricted list is similar on Android and iPhone/iPad. Make sure you are using the latest version of the Facebook app on your smartphone.
Once you are logged in, go to your friend profile that you want to restrict. Once you are logged in, click on the friends icon at the top (see the image below for reference)
Now click on Edit Friends List in the list of options (2nd option)
Now tap on the Restricted option to add your friend to the restricted list.

Adding Friends to Restricted List on Desktop

If you prefer to use a computer, open your favorite web browser and go to the official Facebook website. Sign up if you are not already. Go to the Facebook profile of the friend you want to add to your Restricted List. You can also click Friends to see your friends list.

Now click All Friends to view your list of friends on Facebook.
If you selected Friends, now click All Friends to see the entire list of your friends on Facebook.
Now select the friend you want to restrict on Facebook and tap on the profile. When you are on your friend’s profile screen, click on the Friends icon. A small pop-up window will appear where you select “Edit Friends List” from the list of options.
Now select Restricted from the options to add your friend to the restricted friends list.
Perform the same procedure to restrict other friends in your Facebook account.

Related Read: How to See Old Facebook Stories

How Do I Remove Friends from a Facebook Restricted List?

Desktop

To remove friends from a Facebook Restricted List, open your favorite web browser and go to the official Facebook website. Sign in if you are not already. Access the Facebook profile of the friend you want to add to your restricted list. You can also click Friends to see your friends list.
Now click All Friends to view your list of friends on Facebook.
If you selected Friends, now click All Friends to see the entire list of your friends on Facebook.
Now select the friend you want to restrict on Facebook and tap on the profile. When you are on your friend’s profile screen, click on the Friends icon. A small pop-up window will appear where you select Edit Friends List from the list of options.
Now uncheck the Restricted checkbox to add your friend to the restricted friends list.
Perform the same procedure to unrestrict other friends in your Facebook account.

On Mobile

Open the Facebook app on your smartphone. The process for adding friends to a restricted list is similar on Android and iOS. Make sure you are using the latest version of the Facebook app on your smartphone.
Once you are logged in, go to your friend profile that you want to restrict. Once you are logged in, click on the friends icon at the top (see the image below for reference)
Now click on Edit Friends List in the list of options (2nd option)
Now tap on the Restricted option to remove your friend from the restricted friends list.
After removal, the check mark should disappear.

We hope you understood everything that happens when you restrict someone on Facebook and the steps to add and remove friends from the restricted list. It makes it easy for any Facebook user to control what their friends see of them instead of blocking them completely. For more helpful guides, you can click on the links below. We have also answered some of the frequently asked questions to help you learn more about this feature.

FAQs about Restricting Someone on Facebook

How to hide likes on Facebook?

Hiding reactions to your posts is super easy and can be done quickly using the Facebook mobile app. This is similar to hiding likes on Instagram.

Open the Facebook app on your smartphone and tap the Menu button in the bottom right corner.
Tap on Settings in the top right corner
Now tap on Reaction Preferences
Now turn on the option for your own posts and posts from others

How to hide your like, reaction, and comment activity on Facebook?

To hide your like, reaction, and comment activity on Facebook:

Open your Facebook app or go to Facebook.com
Go to your Facebook profile.
Click the "More" button under your cover photo.
Select "Settings & Privacy" from the drop-down menu.
Click on "Privacy" from the left-side menu.
Scroll down to the "How people can find and contact you" section.
Uncheck the "Who can see your like, reaction, and comment activity?" option

How to stop certain people from seeing my post on Facebook?

The easiest way to stop specific people from seeing your posts on Facebook is to block access to the posts

Open your Facebook app or go to Facebook.com
Go to your Facebook profile.
Click the "More" button under your cover photo.
Select "Settings & Privacy" from the drop-down menu.
Click "Privacy" from the menu on the left.
In the "Who can see your future posts?" section, select "Custom."
Click on the "Customize settings" link.
In the "Hide this from" section, type in the name of the person or people you want to hide your posts from.
Click "Save changes" when you are done.

How to prevent a friend from commenting on my Facebook posts?

Here's how to prevent a friend from commenting on your Facebook posts:

Go to your Facebook profile.
Find the post for which you want to restrict comments.
Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the post.
Select "Edit Privacy."
Change the post's audience to "Custom"
In the "Hide this from" section, type in the name of the person you want to prevent from commenting.
Click "Save changes."

How do I view my restriction history on Facebook?

To view restriction history on Facebook:

In your News Feed, click on Friends Lists in the left menu. If you do not see them, click See More.
Click on Restricted.
Click Manage List in the upper right.
Select Edit List.
To remove someone from the list, click X in the top right of their profile picture, then click Finish.

What happens to a profile after it is restricted?

When a profile is restricted on Facebook, it means that its visibility is limited to its friends. The restricted person's posts are only visible to their friends, and they cannot see posts from anyone else who is not their friend. Restricted profiles do not appear in search results and users do not receive notifications when the restricted profile posts to their Timeline. However, restricted profiles can still see public posts and have the ability to send messages to their friends.