How to Look at a Facebook Profile Without Signing Up

By Alan Sembera

Facebook users can make some profile information private.
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Facebook allows anyone to view its members' profile pages; but if you're not a member yourself, you won't be able to see very much. Accessing a profile while not logged in allows you to see the person's profile picture, background picture and possibly their list of liked pages. You can usually see more information when you're logged in, although many people limit their profile information to only friends.

Step 1

Navigate directly to the URL of the Facebook profile if you know it. Generally, profile URLs take the format "www.facebook.com\john.smith".

Step 2

Use Facebook's People Search page (link in Resources) to find the profile if you don't know the URL. While you can use other search engines, such as Google or Bing, the Facebook search page provides the added benefit of showing profile pictures in the results. Finding the person through a search only works if the person has not blocked his profile from appearing in search engine results.

Step 3

Type the person's name into the search field and press "Enter." Facebook displays up to 10 matching names. If Facebook finds more than 10 matching names, it won't show you the rest. In this case, narrow the results by adding other search terms along with the name, such as the person's city of residence, hometown or employer.

Step 4

Click one of the names to see the person's profile page.

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