Although you use Facebook every day, you probably do not know all the functions that the social network comes with. Discover our ten tips and hidden functions to better use Facebook on a daily basis.
Since the time you are registered on Facebook, you probably think you know all the secrets. And you are undoubtedly making a mistake. Over the years, the social network has evolved so much that it has turned into a real gas factory, especially on the Web version where the menus and functions have been multiplied. So much so that we wonder if the intention of Facebook is not to drown you in these many parameters so that you do not take too much interest in them.
We have selected a dozen tips and hidden functions for you. From using keyboard shortcuts in navigation, to deleting your search history or interactions, to checking what information is publicly available on your profile, here’s everything you need to know to use Facebook better on a daily basis.
Also to discover in video:
1. Activate the compact view
Did you know that Facebook has a “Compact” mode? The option, which allows you to decrease the font size to display more elements on the screen was visibly unveiled at the same time as the appearance of Facebook’s dark mode. Yet its existence seems to be totally ignored by users of the platform.
To take advantage, log into your Facebook account from a web browser. At the top right of the interface, click the downward pointing arrow to display the options menu and enter the View and Accessibility menu.
You can then switch Compact Mode to On.
2. Use keyboard shortcuts
In a similar vein, Facebook supports a number of keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the platform. To activate them, open the options menu at the top right, enter View and accessibility, and click Keyboard. Then change the setting to On.
To display the list of available keyboard shortcuts, then use the key combination Shift +?
3. Disable automatic video playback
Autoplaying videos may be handy, but it usually ends up absorbing your attention when you had no plans to watch videos at all, much like when you go to Ikea, just to watch, and then you walk out. arms full of things you don’t need.
Fortunately, it is possible to deactivate the automatic playback of videos. Not only will you no longer be tempted to watch it, but you will also save data, which can come in very handy if you are using, for example, a mobile data connection.
To turn off automatic video playback in Facebook, click on the options menu and go to the Settings and privacy menu.
Then enter Settings.
Scroll through all the options displayed in the left column, and click Videos. In the right pane, in the Autoplay videos line, click the Default drop-down menu and select No.
4. Hide some contacts from your news feed without deleting them
Facebook is the very stereotype of the social network on which we keep certain contacts in our friends list because they are nice and we have nothing against them. But that also means undergoing in certain cases, the photos of all the vicissitudes of their children, which admit it, is not part of your centers of interest. Fortunately, there is a solution to stop being subjected to this affront without crossing them off your friends list.
To do this, go to the profile of the person concerned, click on the Friends button, then click on Unsubscribe.
You will no longer see their posts appear on your news feed.
5. Hide your online presence
Logging in to Facebook also means taking the risk of seeing this contact land in Messenger who only gives you news when he needs you. To stroll incognito on your account without your contacts seeing that you are connected, it is possible to deactivate your online status.
To do this, click on the options button represented by three small dots, displayed at the top of the contacts pane on the right of the Facebook interface. Then choose to Disable Online Status.
A pop-up should then open in the center of the screen. You can choose to Disable Online status for all contacts, Disable online status for all contacts except (indicating which contacts are allowed to see you online), or Disable Online status for only a few contacts.
6. Delete your search history
All searches that you perform in the Facebook search engine are logged in a history. And be honest, there may be some requests in your history that you’d rather see go away.
Several options are then available to you. If you want to delete a recent search, click in the searches field, then click on the cross displayed in front of each of your recent searches to delete them.
To go further, click Edit. You will then access the complete history of your searches. You can delete it completely by clicking on Clear searches, at the top right.
7. Delete your interactions
In the same way that it is possible to delete your search history, you can delete the interactions you have had on all the posts displayed in your news feed.
To access the history of your likes and comments, open the option menu from the home page and click on Settings and privacy.
Then go to the Personal History menu.
In the left column of your Personal History, click on Interactions. You can then select your interactions one by one or all at once, then click on the Delete button to make them disappear for good.
8. Check your profile information visible to the public
Ever wondered how people you’re not friends with view your profile? It’s entirely possible.
To do this, go to your profile, click on the options button (three small dots), and choose to View as.
Your profile page then reloads, with a banner mentioning This content on your profile is: Public, allowing you to control all the information and publications publicly accessible on your Facebook profile.
Once your inspection is complete, click Exit View As to return to the classic view of your profile.
9. Hide stories
It is now difficult to escape the stories displayed at the top of the page on the various social networks. All platforms offer them. If it’s not possible to turn them off completely on Facebook, at least you can hide the nastier ones.
If on the mobile version of Facebook you only need to keep your finger pressed on a story to access the Mute X’s story option, the web version of Facebook requires a little more gymnastics.
To hide a contact’s stories, click the arrow displayed to the right of the stories to See all stories.
In the page dedicated to all the stories, click on the Settings menu at the top left.
In the window that appears, go to the story’s Privacy tab, then at the bottom, click Hide story for.
Then select the contacts for which you want to hide the stories. Then validate your modifications by clicking on the Save button.
10. Disconnect your account remotely from all machines
Do you remember logging into your Facebook account from a machine that doesn’t belong to you, but you no longer know if you have logged out your account?
To prevent a third party from accessing the precious data contained on your Facebook account, the social network has provided an option allowing you to remotely disconnect your account from all the devices on which it is connected.
To do this, from the Facebook home page, click on the arrow displayed at the top right to deploy the options menu and enter Settings and Privacy.
Then enter Settings.
In the window that appears, click Security & Login in the left column. You should see a Your connections section in the main panel. Then click on See more to display the complete list of devices connected to your Facebook account.
You can then choose to individually disconnect each device listed by clicking on the three small dots and then selecting Disconnect.
You can also choose the hard way and suddenly disconnect your account from all the machines listed in the list.
To do this, scroll to the bottom of the list and click on the Disconnect from all sessions menu. All active sessions on all listed machines will be disconnected. You will then have to reconnect on all the devices that you usually use.