What To Do If You're Restricted on Facebook
Learn what to do if you get restricted on Facebook, including why it happens, how to avoid it, and the steps needed to get unrestricted.
There once was a time when if people wanted to get rid of someone on Facebook, they only had the option of blocking that person.
But as time changed, Facebook community standards and policies made several privacy features available to users to manage their privacy and connections in a better way.
One such feature is Restricting people.
Initially launched on Instagram, the feature was later expanded to Facebook as well. It allows people to eliminate their friends without necessarily unfriending or blocking them, almost like a shadow ban.
How does it work, and how can you determine if someone has restricted you? Let’s figure it out!
- Facebook's Restrict feature limits friends to only seeing public posts and info.
- Users can suspect restriction by seeing only public content on profiles.
- Checking via a mutual friend can confirm if restriction is in place.
- Restricting differs from blocking, as restricted users remain on the friend list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Someone Tell They Are Restricted on Facebook?
While people don’t get any notification when someone restricts them, they can sense it by looking at your profile, as they won’t be able to find any of your Private posts.
This absence of private (i.e., friends only) posts and other indicators can help them guess that you’ve restricted them.
What is the Difference Between Blocked and Restricted on Facebook?
When you block someone, neither of you can find each other on Facebook.
It’s akin to how Facebook ads are blocked by ad blockers.
On the other hand, when you restrict someone, they remain a part of your friend list, but they can see only your public posts and public profile information.
How Long Does Facebook Restriction Last?
It lasts as long as you don’t remove the person yourself from your Restricted list.
There’s no time limit on it.
What You’ll Need to Find Out if You Are Restricted on Facebook
You need the following things to find out if someone restricted you on Facebook:
- A mutual friend: If you have a mutual friend with the person you doubt has restricted you, it can be far simpler and easier to find out whether or not you have been restricted.
How to Find Out if You Are Restricted on Facebook: Step-by-Step Instructions
There are a couple of things you can do to figure out if someone has restricted you on Facebook.
Here they are:
- First, go to their profile and check out the posts you can see. If you see only Public posts, that’s one of the first signs that the person has restricted you.
- Next, go to the About section of their profile. If you can see only Public information on their About page as well, it’s another signal that they have restricted you. However, to ensure that the person didn’t hide account information and posts manually and actually decided to restrict you, there’s a 3rd check you can do.
- To conclude whether or not a person has restricted you, ask a mutual friend to look at their profile. If they can see public and private (i.e., friends only) posts and account info, it confirms that the person has restricted you.
And that’s how you know if someone restricted you on Facebook.
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