How to Use Facebook's Acquaintances List to Hide Updates

Most of us have Facebook friends we would not invite to dinner: a coworker from three jobs ago, a parent from a past soccer team, a distant relative's new spouse. Unfriending feels rude, but sharing family photos with all of them feels like too much.

Facebook's Acquaintances list is built for exactly this middle ground. It lets you keep the connection while choosing to share less. It is also a handy tool for teens who accept friend requests from people they barely know and later wish they had not.

What the Acquaintances list does

Acquaintances is one of Facebook's built-in friend lists, introduced with Close Friends in 2011, and it sits alongside the Restricted list. It still exists today. Putting someone on it does two things:

• It lets you exclude them from posts. When you post, choose the audience Friends except Acquaintances and everyone on the list is left out.
• It may reduce how much you see from them. Facebook treats the list as a signal that you are less interested in that person's updates.

Nothing changes on their side. They stay your friend, they are not notified, and they can still see anything you share with Friends unless you specifically exclude the list.

Acquaintances vs. Restricted vs. Close Friends

If you want someone to see almost nothing without having to remember a setting every time you post, Restricted is the stronger choice. Acquaintances is the lighter option. Our guide to distancing yourself without unfriending covers Restricted, snoozing and unfollowing in more detail.

How to add someone to Acquaintances

Facebook's menus change often, so labels may differ slightly on your device.

In the app

1. Go to the person's profile.
2. Tap the Friends button under their name.
3. Choose Edit friend lists.
4. Select Acquaintances.

On a computer

1. Open the person's profile.
2. Click the Friends button near the top of the profile.
3. Choose Edit friend list.
4. Tick Acquaintances.

To remove someone, follow the same steps and untick the list.

How to hide a post from Acquaintances

1. Start a new post.
2. Tap the audience button under your name.
3. Choose Friends except... and select the Acquaintances list, or choose the option labeled Friends except Acquaintances if it appears.
4. Post as usual.

Facebook remembers your last audience choice, so this can become your default if you want. Check the audience button each time to be sure it is set the way you expect.

How families can use it

For parents

Parents often share school photos, milestones and travel updates. Splitting your friends into Close Friends and Acquaintances lets you share the personal posts with people who actually know your kids, while keeping general updates open to everyone else.

For teens

Teens tend to accept friend requests broadly. Rather than a painful mass-unfriending, walking through their list together and moving people they do not know well to Acquaintances, or Restricted, is a quieter fix. It pairs well with a conversation about who should be on the list in the first place. Our guide to Facebook friend lists has more ideas.

Other ways to share less without unfriending

Acquaintances is only one tool. Depending on what you want, another option may suit better:

• Unfollow keeps someone as a friend but stops their posts from appearing in your feed. It does not change what they can see of yours.
• Snooze hides someone's posts from your feed for 30 days, which is handy during an election season or a heated family argument.
• Restricted limits what they see of yours to public posts and posts you tag them in.
• Specific friends lets you share an individual post with a hand-picked group, without putting anyone on a list.

For teens, the combination of Acquaintances for loose connections and Restricted for adults they cannot easily unfriend, such as a coach or a relative's partner, covers most situations without hurt feelings.

Limits to keep in mind

• Lists do not cover everything. Profile pictures, cover photos and anything set to Public are still visible.
• Tags can widen audiences. If a friend tags you in a post, people on your Acquaintances list may see it depending on that friend's settings.
• Old posts keep their original audience. Adding someone to Acquaintances does not hide posts you already shared with all Friends.
• Lists are not a security tool. If someone is harassing you or your child, block them and report them instead.

Quick checklist

• Add people you want to share less with to Acquaintances.
• Use "Friends except Acquaintances" for personal posts.
• Use Restricted for people who should see almost nothing.
• Use Close Friends for your inner circle.
• Check the audience button before every post.
• Block and report anyone who makes you or your child uncomfortable.