So, who can see your comments on Facebook? Facebook has a gazillion privacy settings when managing your own posts. Still, for commenting on other people’s posts, the power totally shifts to the person who made the original post. So before you type that witty comeback, remember your audience! We’ll break down every kind of post, and who can see your comments on each.
Commenting on Different Types of Facebook Posts
There are several different types of post privacy settings on Facebook, and you can choose whichever setting you want for each post. Here’s how each one works:
Public: Represented by a small globe – anyone on the internet can see the post and your comment, including people who aren’t even on Facebook.Friends: Represented by two small silhouettes – only people friends with the person who made the post can see the post and your comment. For example, if you comment on your best friend’s new profile picture, everyone on their Friends list can see what you said.Friends of Friends: Represented by three small silhouettes – people who are friends with the person who made the post and their friends can see it. For example, if you comment on Katie’s post with this privacy setting, her friends and their friends can see your comment further.Only Me: Only for your personal posts – only you can see and comment on your posts. Use this setting when you want to post something but keep it completely private.Custom: It includes two options:Specific Friends: You can hand-pick which friends can see the post. The rest of your friends will be in the dark about it.Friends Except: You can choose which friends you want to keep in the dark about a post. Everyone else on your Friends list will be able to see it.Group post: The privacy of group posts depends on the group’s privacy setting.Anyone can see the post and your comment if it’s a public group.Only members can see the post and your comment if it’s a closed group.
Manage The Privacy of Your Comments on Facebook
When commenting on someone else’s post, you can’t do much about who gets to read it. Your only options are to either refrain from commenting on public posts or edit the old comment if the person who made the post changes the privacy settings. You can, however, manage the privacy of your own posts. Two methods can help you do this:
Method #1: Adjust the privacy of your posts at the time you publish them
Every time you create or share a post on Facebook, you can choose who gets to see it in the pop-up sharing window. That specific post will only be visible to the audience you’ve selected. All your other posts will still have their original privacy settings.
Method #2: Change the default privacy setting for all future posts
Every post you make will have the same privacy setting unless you change it while posting. To do this:
Conclusion
Now you know all about who can see your comments on Facebook. Just remember the privacy settings of the post you’re commenting on override your own privacy settings. So if you’re not sure whether or not you should hit “enter,” err on the side of caution and always look for the privacy setting before you post.
