Restrict access to posting on or viewing your Facebook timeline

Friends and relatives might be well-meaning when they decide to share little pieces of information, or even a picture, on your Facebook timeline. Unfortunately, these posts can share personal information without your explicit consent.

The easiest solution is to unfriend someone who shares too much, but that can be… awkward when it’s a family member or close friend. Instead, check out these two options for keeping details you don’t want shared off your timeline.

Stop others from posting to your timeline

If you’d like to keep anyone from posting on your timeline at all, click on the menu in the top right-hand corner and head to Settings. On the left, choose Timeline and Tagging, then you’ll see an option labeled “Who can post on your timeline?” If you change this setting to “Only Me,” no one will be able to write on your wall unless you toggle it back to “Friends.”

Change who can view your timeline

Preventing all posts to your timeline is a bit extreme, so you may just want to limit who can view the posts shared on it instead. In the same Settings > Timeline and Tagging menu, you’ll want to adjust the setting next to “Who can see what others post on your timeline?” This option allows a bit more flexibility, because you can grant a particular group access to view your timeline.

Has anyone you’re friends with on Facebook shared something they shouldn’t have on your timeline? Share your story in the comments.