To make Snapchat more private, set Contact Me to Friends, choose a limited Story audience, enable Ghost Mode or select specific friends for Snap Map, and review Find Friends visibility. These controls reduce different kinds of exposure; none removes every route to unwanted contact or guarantees that shared content cannot be saved.
As of October 2026, Snapchat’s ordinary accounts can choose Friends or Friends and Contacts for Contact Me. The Everyone option is unavailable to ordinary accounts, though Snapchat says Creator and business accounts are exceptions. Settings can vary by account type and app version, so follow the labels shown in your app.
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How do I stop strangers from messaging me on Snapchat?
- Tap your Profile icon.
- Tap the Settings gear.
- Open App & Privacy, then Contact Me.
- Select Friends to allow contact only from people you have added as Snapchat Friends.
Choose Friends and Contacts instead only if you also want people saved in your phone contacts to contact you. Snapchat lists these as the two Contact Me choices for ordinary accounts; its support page says Everyone is no longer available except for Creator and business accounts (Snapchat Support: Who can contact me on Snapchat?).
Friends-only does not close every route
You can still receive messages in a Group Chat you share, even with Friends selected. Check a group’s members before joining and leave it if you do not want to remain reachable there. A phone contact may also message before adding you as a Snapchat Friend. If an unwanted non-friend message appears, use Report or Block from the Chat.
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How do I make my Snapchat Story private?
- Go to Profile → Settings → App & Privacy.
- Open My Privacy & Data.
- Under Who Can See, tap View My Story.
- Choose My Friends or Custom. Custom lets you exclude specific friends.
If you have a Public Profile, adjust My Story privacy from that profile as well. A public post is distinct from a friends-limited Story: My Story · Public can be seen by friends, followers, and anyone on Snapchat (Snapchat Support: How do I change my Story privacy settings?).
Changing the setting does not change an existing Snap’s audience
Each Snap retains the Story audience setting that was active when it was posted. If an existing post has a broader audience than you want, review or remove that post; changing the setting now does not retroactively narrow its audience.
How do I stop people seeing my Snap Map location?
Open the Snap Map and tap its gear, or go to Settings → My Privacy & Data → Who Can See → See My Location. Choose one of these options:
- Ghost Mode hides your live location from other people on the Map.
- Only These Friends shares your location with selected friends.
- My Friends, Except… shares with friends other than those you exclude.
With your device’s location permission set to Only while using, Snapchat says your Map location expires after 24 hours (Snapchat Support: How do I turn on Ghost Mode?).
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteGhost Mode does not control every location clue
Snaps submitted to Snap Map may still appear on the Map regardless of your location-sharing permission. Ghost Mode controls live location sharing; it does not ensure that submitted content reveals no location. Someone who sees a Snap can also capture it with a screenshot or another device’s camera. Snapchat advises users to think before sharing because recipients may save a Snap (Snapchat Support: What steps can I take to help protect my security and safety on Snapchat?).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do I limit being suggested to other people?
In Settings → My Privacy & Data, review Find Friends visibility and turn off appearing as a suggestion if you want to reduce discoverability. This setting affects whether people may find your account as a suggestion; it is separate from Contact Me, which controls who can contact you. Snapchat says a Find Friends visibility change may take up to 72 hours to take effect (Snapchat Support: How do I change my privacy settings on Snapchat?).
The same privacy area includes Activity Indicator, which you can review if you want to limit activity signals.
What should I do about unwanted messages or harassment?
- Block an account you do not want interacting with you.
- Report abusive or otherwise inappropriate behavior.
- Leave a Group Chat that provides an unwanted contact route.
For a message from someone who is not a friend, the Chat may offer Report or Block. Snapchat says that person will not know that you hid or blocked them. See its guidance on contact and safety controls (Who can contact me on Snapchat?; What steps can I take to help protect my security and safety on Snapchat?).
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Snapchat is intended for users aged 13 and older. Its optional Family Center is for parents, carers, or trusted adults over 18. It can show a teen’s friends and the people or groups they chatted with in the last seven days, group member lists, new-friend information, some content restrictions, and other safety tools. It does not reveal message contents, so it is not a way for an adult to read a teen’s private conversations (Snapchat Support: What is Family Center?).
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