People on Facebook can send friend requests to other users to connect with them. But sometimes, a friend request is not necessary. For example, maybe the person you are interested in is not in your friend circle. They are just acquaintances or don’t know who you are. In that case, sending a friend request is a little awkward.
If you still want to receive updates about that person, you can follow them instead. You may be thinking: what’s the difference between the two? Here’s an explanation.
Being “Friends” with someone on Facebook establishes a two-way connection. These people can see your posts on their news feed, and you see theirs on yours. On the other hand, when you follow someone, only you can see what they post on your news feed. Your posts will not appear in theirs.
Depending on your Privacy Settings, anyone on Facebook may be able to follow you. That can make some feel uncomfortable. And so, you may want to know who follows you on the platform.
Facebook allows you to view that list. Follow this guide on how to do that using a computer or mobile device.
How To Check Your Facebook Followers Using A Computer
First, open a web browser and visit facebook.com. Then, log into your Facebook account if you aren’t logged in yet.
Click your profile picture on the top right side of your screen. From the drop-down menu, click your username.
That will bring you to your profile page/timeline. Under your profile picture, you will see a tab called “Friends.” Click that. Then, in the Friends section, click “Followers.”
And that is it. That will show you all your followers on Facebook. That would include your Facebook friends because when you become friends with someone on Facebook, you automatically follow each other. But aside from your Facebook friends, other users may also appear on the list.
How To Check Your Facebook Followers Using The Mobile App
First, open the Facebook mobile app on your device. If you don’t have it yet, download it from the app store. Log into your account once you have launched the app.
Tap the hamburger menu on the top-right corner of your screen. Then, tap your profile name. Alternatively, tap your profile picture in the post composer below the Home icon on the top-left corner of the screen.
Scroll down a little until you see “See your About Info.” It is located above your featured photo collection.
That will lead you to your About page. Scroll down to the very bottom to find the “Followers” section. This option will not be available if you don’t allow people to follow you. Tap “See All.”
That will show you the list of your Facebook profiles. Like when using a computer, you can click each one to visit their profiles. You can then follow them back or send them a friend request if you want to.
Control Who Can Follow You On Facebook
Suppose you don’t want random people to be following you on Facebook. You don’t need to go to the extremes and lock your account for that. Facebook allows you to control who can become your followers.
Desktop
Open a web browser, go to the Facebook website, and log into your account. Then, click your profile picture at the top right corner of Facebook.
On the drop-down menu, select “Settings and Privacy,” followed by ‘Settings.”Click “Public Posts” on the left.
You will see a button next to “Who Can Follow Me.” It will allow you to choose between “Public” or “Friends.” To stop strangers or people you aren’t connected with on Facebook, choose “Friends.” That effectively removes all your followers that are not your friends.
There are additional settings you may want to tweak. For example, you can opt to get notifications when users not your friends on Facebook start following you. You will also get notifications when they share, react or comment on your public posts.
Mobile App
Open your Facebook app and log into your account. Tap the hamburger menu at the top right corner of the screen. Then, scroll down to find “Settings and Privacy.”
Tap the arrow down button, then select “Settings.” Scroll down to find the “Audience and visibility” section. Tap “Followers and public content.”
Under “Who Can Follow Me,” you will see two radio buttons. Choose “Friends.”
And that’s it. That removes your followers on Facebook that are not your friends.
However, when you switch it back to “Public,” all those people you removed become your followers again.
Removing A Specific User From Your Follower List
Perhaps you want to remove only a few of your followers. Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow you to pick. It’s either you limit it to friends only or make the follow button available to everyone.
So, your best alternative is to block the person you don’t want to be following you. It is a little extreme, but there is no other choice.
Open your follower list, then find the user you want to remove. Open their profile. Tap/click the three dots next to “Message.” Finally, select “Block.” Select “Block” again on the prompt that will appear.
Repeat this process until you have removed all the people you want to remove.
How To Follow Other Users or Pages
You may want to follow other users yourself. Here’s a quick guide on how to do that.
Open Facebook and search for the person or page you want to follow using Facebook’s in-app search tool. Tap the three dots next to the “Message” button. Then tap “Follow.”
Note that some users may not allow people they are not friends with to follow you (just like you). So, the option may not be available. In that case, you need to send a friend request if you want to see their posts.
Pages are simpler – they want as many followers as they can get. So, go to the Facebook Page and click the three dots. Then, select “Follow.” And that’s it.
