Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, and millions of people use it to connect with friends and family, share their thoughts, and stay updated on the latest news and trends. One of the most popular features of Facebook is the ability to update your profile and cover photos. Changing your cover photo can give your profile a fresh look and keep it up-to-date.
However, it’s not always desirable to make a public announcement of your cover photo update. If you want to change your Facebook cover photo without notifying your friends, there are several ways to do it. In this article, we will explore various ways to change your Facebook cover photo without posting, allowing you to maintain your privacy while keeping your profile fresh and updated.
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Change Facebook cover photo without posting using Facebook mobile app (iOS or Android)
If you use the Facebook mobile app on an iOS or Android device, there are two methods you can use to change your cover photo without notifying your friends and followers.
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Method 1: Disable the “Share your update to News Feed” when updating cover photo
If you want to change your Facebook cover photo without it appearing on your timeline and notifying everyone, one simple method is to update the cover photo without “sharing the update to news”.
When using Facebook mobile app on your iOS or Android device to update your cover photo, you have the option to share it on the News Feed. If you deselect this option, your cover photo update post will not be visible on either your timeline or the News Feed. Here are the steps:
- Open the Facebook app on your iOS or Android device and log in to your account.
- Tap your profile picture at the top left corner of the screen to access your profile page.
- Next, tap “Edit profile“.
- Under Cover Photo, tap “Edit“.
- Select “Upload photo” if you want to upload an image from your phone’s gallery or “Select photo on Facebook” to select an image from your Facebook photos album.
- Uncheck the “Share your update to News Feed” option at the bottom of the screen, and then tap “Save” at the top of the page.
After following these steps, your cover photo will be updated without Facebook notifying your friends or followers about the update.
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Method 2: Use the “Edit Audience” button and select “Only me”
Another method to change your Facebook cover photo without posting it is to use the “Edit Audience” button and select “Only me” after updating your cover photo. This will change the audience for the cover photo post to only yourself, so it won’t show up on your profile or in your friends’ News Feeds. Here’s how:
- After update your cover photo, go back to your profile.
- Find your cover photo update post and tap the three dots icon at the upper right corner of the post.
- Select “Edit Post“.
- Next, tap the audience setting (e.g. Public).
- Tap “See more” and select “Only me” to change the privacy settings to private (visible only to yourself).
This will make your new cover photo completely private, so only you can see it.
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Change cover photo on Facebook without posting using Windows PC or Mac
When changing your Facebook cover photo on a desktop or laptop computer, you won’t have the option to make the post completely private like you do on the Facebook mobile app. Changing your Facebook cover photo on desktop via a web browser will almost always make the post public.
The post that shows the cover photo update does not have the “Edit Audience” button, so you can’t change the audience to private, such as “Only me.” The best you can do on desktop is select “Hide from profile” to hide the cover photo update post from your profile, but it might still appear in other places. Thus, it is better to just change the cover photo using the Facebook mobile app on a mobile device (refer to method 1 above).
To update the cover photo on Facebook and hide the update post from your profile, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Facebook account on a web browser.
- Click your profile picture to open your profile.
- Click the “Edit Cover Photo” button and select “Upload photo” or “Select photo on Facebook” to choose a new cover photo.
- Once you’ve updated your cover photo, find the update post on your profile.
- Click the three dots in the upper-right corner of the post and select “Hide from profile.”
By hiding the cover photo update post from your profile, your followers will not see it on your timeline. However, it may still be visible to your friends in their news feeds and search results.
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Change the past cover photo to “Only me” or “Friends only”
If you have shared your past cover photos on Facebook and want to limit the visibility of those photos, you can change their privacy settings to “Only me” or “Friends only.” This will ensure that only you or your friends can view these photos, and they won’t be visible to the public.
To change the privacy settings of your past cover photos, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Facebook account and go to your profile.
- Click on the “Photos” tab and select “Albums.”
- Find the “Cover Photos” album and click on it.
- Scroll through the album to find the cover photo you want to change the privacy settings for.
- Click on the photo to open it.
- Click on the three dots icon in the top right corner of the photo.
- Select “Edit privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- Select “Only me” or “Friends” from the list of options.
- Click “Save” to save the changes.
- Repeat these steps for each of your past cover photos to ensure they are set to “Only me” or “Friends” and not visible to the public.
By changing the privacy settings of your past cover photos, you can ensure that only you or your friends can view these photos, and they won’t be visible to anyone else on Facebook. This is a great way to manage your Facebook profile and keep your personal information and photos private.
How to change Facebook cover photo to “Friends only”
If you want to limit the visibility of your Facebook cover photo update to only your friends, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device and log in to your account.
- Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the top left corner of the screen.
- Tap on your current cover photo and select “Choose From Photos” or “Upload Photo” to change the cover photo.
- Once you have selected or uploaded the new cover photo, go back to your profile and find the cover photo update post.
- Tap the three dots icon at the upper right corner of the post and select “Edit post“.
- Tap the audience type (Public, Friends, etc.)
- You will see a list of privacy options. Choose “Friends” to make your cover photo visible only to your Facebook friends.
- Tap “Save” to save the changes.
Now your Facebook cover photo update post will be visible only to your friends. If you want to change the visibility settings again in the future, you can repeat these steps and select a different privacy option.
It’s important to keep in mind that changing the privacy settings of your Facebook cover photo will not affect the privacy settings of your past cover photos. You will need to change the privacy settings for each cover photo individually if you want to limit its visibility.
Additional tips
Here are some additional tips to better manage your Facebook cover photo in consideration of privacy:
- Use a generic image – If you want to maintain privacy on Facebook, consider using a generic image as your cover photo. This could be a nature shot or a simple design that doesn’t include any personal information. While it may not be as visually interesting as a photo of yourself, it will help to protect your privacy.
- Check your privacy settings – Make sure you check your privacy settings on Facebook to see who can view your profile and your cover photo. You can choose to make your profile and cover photo visible only to your friends, or you can restrict access to a custom list of people.
- Change your cover photo regularly – Changing your cover photo on a regular basis is a good way to keep things fresh on your Facebook page. It also helps to prevent people from being able to use your cover photo to identify you or your location.
- Be mindful of what your cover photo reveals – Your cover photo can reveal a lot about you, so be mindful of what it shows. If your cover photo includes your home or work location, for example, it could make you more vulnerable to privacy breaches. Choose a photo that is aesthetically pleasing, but also keeps your personal information hidden.
Remember to review your privacy settings regularly and be mindful of the information you share on Facebook. This will help you protect your privacy, prevent unwanted attention, and ensure a safer and more secure experience on the platform.
Wrap-up
Changing your Facebook cover photo without notifying anyone is a simple process that can be done on both the Facebook mobile app and website. By disabling the “Share your update to News Feed” option or using the “Edit Audience” feature, you can ensure that your cover photo update is only visible to you. By following these steps, you can update your cover photo privately, without broadcasting the change to your friends and the public.
