Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has announced a new feature that allows users to create up to four additional personal profiles on its social network. The feature is designed to help users organize their interests, relationships, and communities on Facebook, and to switch between them without logging out.
How to create more profiles for your Facebook account
To create a new profile in the Facebook app, users need to tap on their profile picture in the bottom right corner. On the next screen, they need to tap on the drop-down arrow next to their name. Then they can choose “Create new profile” and follow the steps. Users can choose a custom name and @username for each of their additional profiles, and they can change them later if they want. Users can also connect with different people or groups for each profile, so that each one has a unique Feed with relevant content and shared interests.
Why multiple profiles are useful for Facebook users
Meta said that multiple profiles are useful for users who want to keep their personal and professional relationships separate, or who want to have different profiles for different passions or hobbies. For example, users can have one profile for their friends and family, another one for their foodie scene, and another one for their gaming community. Meta said that creating multiple profiles lets users easily organize who they share with and what content they see for the various parts of their life.
Meta also said that multiple profiles are based on the success of separate interest-based accounts on Instagram, which is also owned by Meta. Meta said that it has been testing the feature for the social media phone app since 2022 and has now made it available to anyone with an adult profile.
What are the limitations and controls of multiple profiles
Meta said that some Facebook features, such as Dating, Marketplace, Professional Mode, and payments, will not be available to additional profiles at launch. Users with additional profiles will be able to use messaging within the Facebook app and on the web, but Meta plans to expand Messenger support for additional profiles in the coming months.
Meta also said that each profile will have its own default settings, and that some settings will be managed separately for each profile, such as choosing who can see that profile’s posts or who can send friend requests to that profile. Meta recommended users to check their privacy settings for each new profile they create, and to update them at any time.
Meta also reminded users that its existing rules still require them to use their real name for their main Facebook profile. Users can use different names for additional profiles, but they cannot impersonate others or misrepresent their identity (including their age or location). Meta said that it remains committed to preventing impersonation and identity misrepresentation on its platform. Meta also said that the main Facebook profile will not show that users have additional profiles.
The feature is starting to roll out globally today and will continue over the next few months.
