How a Stranger Commented on Your “Friends Only” Facebook Post

Short answer: If your post truly was set to Friends only , a stranger should not be able to see or comment on it. When this happens, it almost always means one of these things occurred:

Possible Cause| How It Happens| Why the Stranger Could Comment
---|---|---
Post privacy was actually Public| You (or Facebook's default) set the post to Public instead of Friends| Anyone on Facebook can see and comment 37
You were tagged in someone else's post| Someone else posted and tagged you; their post privacy allows strangers| Comments appear on their post, not yours; privacy is controlled by them 4
A friend shared your post| Your friend shared your "Friends only" post to their own timeline with wider audience| Their followers (including strangers) can now see and comment on the shared version 4
You have a mutual friend connection| Stranger is friends with one of your friends who can see your post| They may have screenshot/shared it, or you misread the privacy setting 4
Account was compromised| Someone gained access to your Facebook account| They could change settings or post/comment as you 9
Facebook glitch or bug| Temporary technical issue with privacy settings| Rare, but Facebook occasionally has bugs affecting visibility 1

🔍 Most Likely Explanation

Based on recent Reddit discussions from people with the exact same issue , the most common cause is:

The post wasn't actually set to "Friends only" — it may have been set to Public or Friends of Friends by mistake.

One user reported:

"But suddenly today a comment appeared on my friends only post by that same annoying dude! He is not supposed to even see my post, let alone..."

Another user advised:

"Might sound dumb but double check the privacy on the photos they are commenting on. Might have set it to public by mistake."

🛡️ How to Fix & Prevent This

Step 1: Verify Your Post Privacy

  1. Go to the post in question
  2. Click the three dots (- - - ) in the top-right corner
  3. Select "Edit audience" or "Who can see this post?"
  4. Confirm it says "Friends" (not Public or Friends of Friends)

Step 2: Control Who Can Comment

Facebook now lets you limit comments even on public posts:

Setting| What It Does
---|---
Friends| Only your Facebook friends can comment 7
Friends of Friends| Your friends + their friends can comment 7
Public| Everyone can comment (default for public posts) 710

To change this:

  • Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Audience and Visibility → Followers and Public Content
  • Under "Public Post Comments," change from "Public" to "Friends"

Step 3: Remove the Stranger's Comment

  1. Hover over/click the comment
  2. Click the three dots (- - - ) next to it
  3. Select "Delete" or "Hide comment"
  4. Optionally block the person to prevent future contact

Step 4: Review Your Active Sessions

If you suspect hacking:

  • Go to Settings → Security and Login
  • Check "Where you're logged in"
  • Log out of any suspicious devices

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Friends-only posts should be invisible to strangers — if they can comment, the privacy setting likely wasn't "Friends"
  • Double-check privacy before posting — Facebook's default audience can change
  • You can limit comments separately from who sees your post
  • Scammers often comment first to engage you, then slide into DMs — don't respond

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.