24 Hidden Facebook Features Only Power Users Know

Facebook is the principal digital public square of today. And while many young’ns might prefer Snapchat or Instagram, Zuck & Co’s social network is still an extremely integral virtual venue and will continue to be for some time.

While Facebook’s business model has evolved to include its mobile incarnation and other associated apps, the old familiar website is still the preferred venue for many. And why not? Facebook.com is one of the most advanced public-facing websites out there.

Facebook is a magnet for top engineering talent, so it stands to reason that the company would boast one of the world’s most complex and multi-faceted websites. It rivals many standalone software apps with the sheer amount of personalization, tweaks, and tinkering available to visitors.

In fact, there are so many things you can do on Facebook.com that you probably don’t know about everything. We’re talking about all the official, baked-in, easily accessible functions that are just a few clicks away. As you’ll see below, there are even some functions that appear to be leftovers from bygone eras that we’re not even sure Facebook still knows are there. Take a look and awaken your inner power user social super star.

• The Inbox You Didn’t Even Know You Had

  If you’ve been a Facebook user for a while, then you probably have a folder full of unread messages that you didn’t even know you had: the “Message Requests” folder (formerly, the “Other” folder.) This is where Facebook sends all the messages from people you’re not currently friends with. It could be filled with old high school flings reaching out or a bunch of Nigerian spammers, who knows?! Only one way to find out!

  To review these messages, click the “messages” icon at the top of your homescreen (a chat icon with the Messenger lightning icon in the middle). By default, you’ll find yourself in the “Recent” tab of your inbox. Directly to the right, you’ll find the “Message Requests” tab. After you click this, you may see a link that says “See filtered requests.” Click that and then you’ll see all sorts of messages from strangers on the internet. Have fun with that!

  In 2012, Facebook experimented with allowing members to pay to reach the inboxes of non-friends. Fees started at $1 and went all the way up to $100 for Zuck himself, but the option to do this appears to be limited.

  

• See Who’s Snooping In Your Account

  Want to know if someone is logged into your Facebook account without your permission? First, go to your settings page. Under the Security folder, you’ll see the link “Where You’re Logged In.” Here you will find all your active Facebook log-ins from desktop or mobile. It will (usually) provide data on the location, browser, and device. If something seems fishy, you also have the ability to “end activity” from individual or all devices.

  This also comes in handy if you logged in to your friend’s computer or on some public laptop, but forgot to log out.

  

• There Are Lots of Secret Emoji

  Emoji. They take away some of the horrible pain of writing in plain language. Facebook will render all the usual face emoticons into pictorial representations. But there are a whole bunch you may not be using.

  (y) = thumbs-up ‘like’ symbol
  (^^^) = a great white shark
  :|] = a robot
  :poop: = well, you know
  <(“) = a penguin

  You can use these in wall posts, chats, and comments, but they don’t always render in mobile. You can find a full rundown of Facebook emoticons here.

  

• Transfer Files Over Facebook Messenger

  If you open a Facebook Messenger window, there’s a little paper clip icon along the bottom. This allows you to upload and send a file directly from your computer. The receiver can just click on the included link and download them from there. Of course, never download anything from someone you don’t know.

  

• Upside Down or Pirate Speak

  Remember 10 years ago, when pirates were all the rage for a minute? Well, at one point the Facebook engineers got swept up in this ironic buccaneer frenzy and programmed a peculiar Easter egg that allows you to translate your Facebook interface into Pirate or Upsidedown speak.

  Does this sound appealing to you for some reason? Go to Settings > Language, and you can change your settings to either “English (Pirate)” or “English (Upside Down).” Think that’s a whimsical little feature that you will never ever get sick of?! You’re wrong. It’s actually quite annoying.

  

• Create a Customizable Supersized Post

  Sometimes you want to share something that is worth more than a few sentences or a single image. If you don’t have your own blog you can take advantage of a Facebook “Note.” This is a personal blog post that lives inside the Facebook ecosystem. Here you can share paragraphs of text and multiple images (no HTML coding knowledge required).

  Just head on over to facebook.com/notes, where you’ll find notes from people you follow. If you want to add your own, just click the “+ Write a Note” link in the top-right corner. Spill your thoughts using the easy post editor, add a cover image if you want, and share just like you would a regular Facebook post. If you can’t finish your note in one sitting, save it and publish later.

  

• Detail Your Facebook Romance

  If you want to see the detailed internet history of you and your significant other, go to www.facebook.com/us, and you will see the complete Facebook history with whomever you are listed as in a relationship with (“us,” get it?). If you’re not listed as being in a relationship, it will just go to your regular page because Facebook thinks that you are just in love with yourself.

  

• Save Posts for Later

  Did you ever want to read a link that a friend shared on Facebook, but didn’t have the time at that particular moment? Then, when you finally do have a moment, you either forgot about it, or it has been buried under so much other junk that it’s not even worth searching for? We’ve all been there. That’s why you should get acquainted with Facebook’s “Save for Later” function.

  If there’s anything you want to save for later, click the little arrow in the top-right of any post. Then click the Save link button from the pull-down. This will send the link to your Saved folder. “Where’s your Saved folder,” you ask? Good question! You actually won’t see it until you save something for the first time. Then you will see a little “saved” ribbon in your left-hand favorites bar. Click that and you will find all your favorite stories. It also works with any video your friends posted.

  At f8 2016, Facebook announced it is extending “Save for Later” to the web, so you can save things to Facebook even when you’re not on Facebook.com, a shot at services like Pocket and Instapaper. Facebook’s first two partners are Overstock and Product Hunt, but any site can add the functionality, so look for it to expand over time.

  KEEP VISITING FOR NEXT UPDATE!