Many Facebook users wonder if they can see who is secretly checking their profile. Maybe you’ve noticed someone liking your old posts, or you just have a hunch that someone is keeping tabs on you. But does Facebook allow you to track profile visitors? Let’s break it down. This guide will help you learn how to recognize potential stalkers, what Facebook will allow you to do, and how you can protect your privacy.
Does Facebook Let You See Who Viewed Your Profile?
No, Facebook does not have any built-in feature for seeing who views your profile. Facebook sees it a bit differently than LinkedIn, as you won’t receive any notification from them when someone checks your profile because it is a hidden feature.
Facebook has also clearly stated that it does not allow users to track the visitors to their profiles. This is to protect user privacy and on the other hand, it prevents stalking behavior. If you find apps or sites promising to give you this information, be skeptical as much of this is scams.
The Hidden Truth: How to See Who Is Stalking Your Facebook Profile Like a Pro
Here are some methods on How to See Who Is Stalking Your Facebook Profile:
1. Check Who Interacts With Your Posts and Stories
One of the easy ways to find out which one of your followers is watching your profile is through engagement.
- Likes, comments, and shares: People who consistently comment and share your posts may also be passing by your profile.
- Stories on Facebook: When you post a story, you will see who viewed it. If someone who doesn’t usually interact with your content is watching your stories, they might be checking your profile.
- Friend suggestions: Your friend’s suggestions work because some people who view your profile often begin to show up in your ‘People You May Know’ section.
2. Use the Facebook Profile Source Code Trick (Limited)
According to some users, that allows you to inspect the page source code of the page where your Facebook profile is located and will tell you who is stalking someone. Here’s how it works:
Steps:
- Open Facebook in Google Chrome on a desktop.
- Go to your profile page.
- Come to any page and right-click on any blank space; select the ‘View Page Source’ (or hit CTRL + U).
- Use Ctrl + F to search on the page and search for “buddy list”.
- You will see numbers in quotes like ‘1000123456789’. These are Facebook user IDs.
- You can copy any ID and paste it into your browser in such a form:
Ex:
https://www.facebook.com/1000123456789
- Press Enter to visit the profile.
⚠️ Warning: These IDs are controversial as Facebook has never confirmed that these IDs are profile visitor IDs. Maybe they just are from a recent interaction with someone you have.
3. Facebook Live and Reels Viewers
When you go live on Facebook or post reels you can find out who has watched and so on. This does not confirm that someone is stalking you but frequent viewers of your content might be interested in it.
4. Monitor Facebook Friend Activity
- If someone suddenly starts liking your old posts, they might have been scrolling through your profile.
- If a person you haven’t spoken to in a while sends a friend request, they could have recently visited your profile.
What to Do If You Think Someone Is Stalking You on Facebook
If someone repeatedly is viewing your profile badly then you can take some protection from your privacy.
1. Adjust Your Privacy Settings
- In the Settings & Privacy drop-down, click Settings, and under Settings, click Privacy.
- Change the setting of the option ‘Who can see your future posts?’ as it is ‘Friends’ or ‘Only Me.’
- Change “Who can look you up using your email or phone number?” to Friends or Only Me.
- If you have enabled Profile Locking (available in some regions), enable it to avoid strangers seeing your full profile.
2. Block or Restrict Suspicious Users
- Block if someone is bothering you.
- If you don’t want to block them, then add them to the Restricted List. They will only see your public posts.
3. Be Cautious About Third-Party Apps
Do not use third-party apps that say mining out Facebook stalkers. These apps often:
- Steal your data
- Spread malware
- Trick you into paying for fake service.
4. Report Harassment or Unwanted Attention
If someone’s behavior is making you feel uncomfortable, report their profile to Facebook.
Final Thoughts
Facebook doesn’t offer users a way to trace the activity of profile visitors, but of course, it’s still possible to make well-informed guesses from a combination of events like often viewed stories, rather than liked old posts, or sudden friend requests. Be wary of scams and third-party apps that suggest that they can uncover stalkers – these may simply steal details or install malware. If someone is making you feel intrusive, you have tools to protect yourself. Although social media is a public space it allows you to manage who views and sees your content as well as keep your personal life secure.
