Facebook offers a multitude of configuration options. It‘s not always easy to keep track of all the various settings offered and to select the best settings for your purposes. Our checklist is meant to assist you to protect your account and all your published information in the best possible way.
We have tried to draw up as universally applicable a set of instructions for private users as possible. Nevertheless, the individual configuration options and settings may differ in specific cases. This checklist refers to the Facebook settings available as at 17th June 2022 as displayed in a desktop computer browser.
As a rule, the settings described here are automatically adopted in the Facebook app. Depending on your smartphone and operating system though, there may be some additional settings in the app which are not discussed here.
To display the Facebook account settings, click the arrow icon in the page header, and select the «Settings» entry from the menu.
General – General Account Settings
Category | Our recommendation |
---|---|
Name | Your first and surname |
Username | Is automatically created by Facebook |
Contact | Use a free address without any indication of your identity (e.g. ferrari397@gmail.com). Optionally, you can also register a mobile number, which will then be required for log-in confirmations as necessary. |
Ad account contact | Use a free address without any indication of your identity (e.g. ferrari397@gmail.com). |
Memorialisation settings | Depending on your requirements |
Identity confirmation | Not necessary in Switzerland |
Security and login – Security and login
Category | Sub-category | Our recommendation |
---|---|---|
Recommended | Check your important security settings | Don‘t activate |
Where you‘re logged in | List is automatically created by Facebook | |
Login | Change password | Manage your passwords outside of Facebook, for instance using a password manager. |
Save your login information | Don‘t activate | |
Two-factor authentication | Use two-factor authentication | Activate |
Authorised logins | List is automatically created by Facebook | |
Setting up extra security | Get alerts about unrecognised logins | Activate |
Advanced | Encrypted notification emails | Depending on your requirements |
See recent emails from Facebook | List is automatically created by Facebook |
Your Facebook information – Your Facebook information
You can view or download your information and delete your account.
Privacy – Privacy Settings and Tools
Category | Sub-category | Our recommendation |
---|---|---|
Privacy shortcuts | Check a few important settings | Depending on your requirements |
Manage your profile | Depending on your requirements | |
Learn more with Privacy Basics | No settings possible | |
Your activity | Who can see your future posts? | Friends |
Review all your posts and things you‘re tagged in | Activate | |
Limit the audience for posts you‘ve shared with friends of friends or Public? | Limit Old Posts | |
Who can see the people, Pages and lists you follow? | Friends | |
How people can find and contact you | Who can send you friend requests? | Everyone |
Who can see your friends list? | Only me | |
Who can look you up using the email address you provided? | Friends | |
Who can look you up using the phone number you provided? | Friends | |
Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile? | Don‘t activate | |
How you get message requests | Potential connections | Depending on your requirements |
Other people | Depending on your requirements |
Face recognition – Face recognition settings
No settings possible
Profile and tagging – Profile and tagging
Category | Sub-category | Our recommendation |
---|---|---|
Profile | Who can post on your profile? | Only me |
Who can see what others post on your profile? | Only me | |
Hide comments containing certain words from your profile | Depending on your requirements | |
Tagging | Who can see posts that you're tagged in on your profile? | Only me |
When you're tagged in a post, who do you want to add to the audience of the post if they can't already see it? | Only me | |
Reviewing | Review posts that you're tagged in before the post appears on your profile? | On |
Review tags that people add to your posts before the tags appear on Facebook? | On |
Public posts – Public Post Filters and Tools
Depending on your requirements
Blocking – Manage blocking
You have various options to block people, invitations, events, etc. without any effects on your security.
Location – Location settings
No settings possible
Cookies – Cookies
Depending on your requirements
Language and region – Language and region settings
Depending on your requirements
Stories – Stories settings
Category | Sub-category | Our recommendation |
---|---|---|
Sharing options | Allow others to share your public stories to their own story? | Don‘t activate |
Allow people to share your stories if you mention them? | Don‘t activate |
Notifications – Notifications settings
Category | Sub-category | Our recommendation |
---|---|---|
What notifications you receive | Depending on your requirements | |
How you receive notifications | Browser | Don‘t activate |
Depending on your requirements | ||
SMS | Don‘t activate |
Mobile – Mobile Settings
Depending on your requirements
Apps and websites – Apps and websites
Depending on your requirements
Games – Games
Depending on your requirements
Business integrations – Business integrations
Depending on your requirements
Ads – Ad preferences
Depending on your requirements
Ad payments – Payments settings
Depending on your requirements
Facebook Pay – Facebook Pay
Category | Our recommendation |
---|---|
Payment methods | Required for certain games and activities. Encryption and security are of good quality in accordance with common standards. |
Support Inbox
No settings possible
Videos – Video settings
Category | Our recommendation |
---|---|
Video default quality | Depending on your requirements |
Autoplay videos | Depending on your requirements |
Always show captions | Depending on your requirements |
Captions display | Depending on your requirements |
Video default volume | Depending on your requirements |