How to Remove Followers on Facebook: A Step-by-Step Guide

While Facebook is primarily about connecting with friends, you might find yourself accumulating followers – people who see your public posts without being your friend. Perhaps you want to curate a smaller audience, or maybe you’re simply looking for more control over who sees your content. Whatever the reason, Facebook allows you to manage your followers. This article will guide you through the process of removing followers on Facebook, step-by-step.

Understanding the Difference: Friends vs. Followers

Before we dive in, it’s crucial to understand the difference between Facebook friends and followers.

• Friends: You and your friend have mutually accepted each other’s friend requests. You see each other’s content (based on privacy settings), and you appear on each other’s friends lists.
• Followers: These are people who have chosen to ‘follow’ your public updates. They can see your public posts in their news feed, but you are not necessarily friends with them, and they don’t appear on your friend list. People often become followers by clicking the ‘Follow’ button on profiles that allow it (e.g., those with public posts).

Removing someone as a follower doesn’t unfriend them if they are also your friend. It simply removes them from seeing your public updates.

How to Remove Followers on Facebook

Unfortunately, Facebook doesn’t provide a direct way to ‘remove’ followers in bulk. You can, however, achieve the same effect by blocking specific individuals. Blocking a user will remove them as a follower and also prevent them from seeing your public posts (and any other content based on your privacy settings). Here’s how to do it:

Method 1: Removing Followers Individually via Blocking

This is the most straightforward method if you have a smaller number of followers you want to remove.

On a Computer:

1. Go to the person’s profile: Navigate to the Facebook profile of the individual you want to remove as a follower. You can usually find it by searching for their name using the search bar at the top.
2. Click the three dots (ellipsis): On their profile page, find the button with three horizontal dots (usually located next to the ‘Message’ button). Click it.
3. Select ‘Block’: From the dropdown menu, select the ‘Block’ option.
4. Confirm Blocking: Facebook will display a confirmation message. Click ‘Confirm’ to block them. This will remove them as a follower and restrict them from seeing your public posts.

On a Mobile Device (iOS or Android):

1. Go to the person’s profile: Open the Facebook app and navigate to the profile of the person you want to remove as a follower.
2. Tap the three dots (ellipsis): On their profile page, tap the button with three dots. It’s often near the ‘Message’ button.
3. Select ‘Block’: From the menu that appears, tap the ‘Block’ option.
4. Confirm Blocking: Tap ‘Block’ again to confirm. This will remove them as a follower.

Method 2: Limiting Future Followers by Adjusting Privacy Settings

While you can’t entirely disable the ‘Follow’ feature on your profile, you can limit who can follow you by adjusting your privacy settings.

Setting Post Privacy

You can control who sees your public posts, reducing the likelihood of new followers:

1. Go to Settings & Privacy: Click the down-arrow in the top right corner of your Facebook page (on desktop) or tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) on mobile, then select ‘Settings & Privacy’.
2. Click ‘Settings’: Select ‘Settings’ from the dropdown menu or tap ‘Settings’ from the list.
3. Go to ‘Privacy’: On the left-hand side (or on the screen when using a mobile device), find and click the ‘Privacy’ option.
4. Edit ‘Who can follow me’: Look for the setting labeled ‘Who can follow me’. Change it from ‘Public’ to ‘Friends’. This means only your friends can see your future public posts, and people can no longer follow you without being your friend first.
5. Adjust past post visibility: Consider reviewing who can see your old posts by changing settings in the ‘Limit the audience for posts you’ve shared with friends of friends or Public?’ option in the same Privacy menu. This can make older posts only visible to current friends and reduce visibility of older content that could attract new followers.

Important Considerations

• Blocking someone is a drastic step: It prevents them from seeing your profile (beyond what they’d see with no common friends), posting on your timeline, and messaging you.
• Unblocking is possible: You can unblock someone, but if they had been following you, they will need to follow you again.
• Be strategic with blocking: Don’t use blocking lightly. Consider using the ‘Unfollow’ feature if you just want to stop seeing their content.

Conclusion

While Facebook doesn’t have a direct ‘remove follower’ button, you can effectively manage your follower list by using the blocking feature. Remember to adjust your privacy settings to further limit who can follow you in the future. By understanding the difference between friends and followers and employing these techniques, you can tailor your Facebook experience to your preferences and control your online audience more effectively.