How to view a private profile on Facebook using three available methods

Facebook allows users to close their profiles to protect their personal data, but sometimes there is a need to see hidden information. Despite the restrictions, there are several methods that can help bypass the profile lock.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine (Styler project) with a link to the website Technology Personalized, which specializes in technology topics.

What happens when someone closes their Facebook profile?

Facebook provides users with the ability to close their profile to protect privacy and personal data. If you see a lock icon on someone's profile, it means that person has restricted access to their information, showing only the part of their profile that they want to make available to people who are not on their friends list.

What becomes inaccessible after closing the profile?

• Full view of profile and cover photo
• All photos and posts on the page
• User stories
• New posts and uploaded photos

In addition, all past posts and photos that were available to everyone (Public) are automatically changed to available only to friends (Friends).

The profile and tag verification features are also automatically enabled. And in the “About Me” section, only limited information remains available for users who are not on the friends list.

How to view a private Facebook profile

Use the “Inspect Code” (Inspect Elements)

You can try to view private profile photos or covers on Facebook using the Inspect Elements tool in Google Chrome. This method is complicated, but can give great results, and it does not require installing third-party applications.

How to do it:

• Open the Google Chrome browser
• Go to the profile page of the desired user on Facebook
• Right-click mouse over an empty spot on the page and select “Inspect Code”
• In the Inspect Elements console, go to the “Sources” tab
• In the left panel, expand the items that start with “scontent”
• Inside this item you will see several folders that you need to open to access the blocked profile or cover photos
• If you're lucky, you can find other photos published by the user

To view a profile photo, right-click on the user's profile picture and select Inspect. Open the content source starting with  https://scontent-bom, in a new tab – this may be a link to a blocked profile photo.

Using online services to view profile photos

There are special services on the Internet that allow you to view blocked profile photos on Facebook. However, finding a reliable and working tool can be difficult.

How to do it:

• Open the search engine and find the Facebook Profile Picture Viewer service
• Go to the site that offers such a service
• Copy the link to the Facebook profile of the desired user
• Paste the link in the appropriate field on the site
• Confirm that you are not a robot and click “Get Profile Picture”
• If the service works, you will be able to see the profile photo even with blocked access

Another option is the Dinona Facebook Profile Picture Viewer site. This service in some cases allows you to view blocked photos in HD quality, but sometimes the images may not load.

How to view a blocked profile photo on Facebook using the basic version

One effective way to see a blocked profile photo is to use the basic version of Facebook, which is available through a browser on your smartphone.

What you need to do:

• Open browser on your smartphone and log in to your Facebook account
• Find the profile you want in the search
• Click on the search bar at the top and you will need to add “mbasic” before the keyword Facebook in address bar. For example, the URL would look like https://mbasic.facebook.com/XYZ, which would open your Facebook profile in basic mode
• The lite version of Facebook will open
• Long press on your profile picture to bring up the menu and select “Save Image” to download it to your device