Facebook Restricted List: Hide Posts From a Friend (Like Your Boss) Without Unfriending

Meta says your Restricted list is for people you’ve added as a friend but may not want to share with, like your boss.

1. They’ll see your public information and posts you tag them in, but not your private posts.
2. Post with Public as the audience: they can see it.
3. Post with Friends as the audience: they won’t see it.
4. Tag them in a post or photo: they can see it.

You stay friends. Meta’s help doesn’t say whether they’re notified when you add them to Restricted.

These are Meta’s steps to add a friend to Restricted.

These are Meta’s Restricted-list steps for each device.

Meta says you view and edit your Restricted list from Friends on a computer.

1. From your Feed, click Friends in the left menu (under See more if needed).
2. Click Custom Lists, then Restricted.
3. To remove someone, click Remove next to their name.

Meta says friend lists help you post to specific people and see updates from specific groups. You already have three built-in lists, and can create your own.

1. Close Friends: people you may want to share with exclusively. To add someone, go to their profile, click Friends > Edit Friend List > Close friends, then Exit (on iPhone or iPad: Edit Friend Lists > Close Friends > Done; on Android: Edit Friend List > Close friends).
2. Acquaintances: people you might want to share less with. Choose Friends except Acquaintances in the audience selector when you post. Meta says no one is notified when you add them to this list.
3. Add someone to Acquaintances on a computer: from your Feed, click Friends in the left menu (under See more if needed) > Custom lists > Acquaintances > Add/Remove (top right). Tick the friends you want (or use Search for a friend), then click Save. To remove someone, click Remove next to their name.
4. Add or remove someone in the app: tap Search, find the person, then tap Friends on their profile > Edit friend lists > Acquaintances > Done (iPhone and iPad). On Android: Friends > Edit friend list > Acquaintances, then tap Edit friend list in the top left to go back to their profile.
5. Create a custom list: Meta says you need to log into Facebook on a computer, even if you use the app. Then: Friends > Custom Lists > Create List, enter a name and click Confirm, then Add Friends. Meta says you can use a list to post an update for specific people, like coworkers.
6. Rename a list you created: Meta says to use Facebook on a computer, even if you use the app or a mobile browser. Go to Friends > Custom Lists > choose the list > Options (top right) > Edit List Name, type the new name and click Save. Meta says Close Friends, Acquaintances and Restricted can’t be renamed.
7. To see your lists, Meta says to open Facebook on a computer: Friends > Custom Lists. A friend can be on more than one list.

Restricted still lets someone see your public posts and posts you tag them in. If that’s not enough, you have stronger options.

1. Unfriend them: see how to unfriend someone. Meta says they aren’t notified.
2. Block them: they can’t see your posts, tag you or start a conversation with you. Blocking also unfriends them; Meta notes it may not stop all contact, and other profiles they have must be blocked separately. See block a profile.
3. After unfriending, limit what non-friends can see: see lock your Facebook profile.