This article describes how to set the privacy and friend settings for XBox 360 gamer profiles. These settings control what other players can view about your gamertag profile and your online status.
When you are signed in to your Xbox LIVE-enabled profile, you can restrict access to your gamer profile information by using the Privacy Settings option on the Edit Profile screen. The following fields let you set which parts of your profile will be public-facing:
Voice and Text Select who can communicate with you through voice and text on Xbox LIVE. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Video Select who can communicate with you through video on Xbox LIVE. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Profile Select who can see your gamer profile information, such as your motto, personal picture, name, bio, location, and camera status. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Online Status Select who can see your online status. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Friends List Select who can see your friends list. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Game History Select who can see your game history, including the games that you have played and your achievements. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Member Content Select whether you want to see member-created content on Xbox LIVE. You can select Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Xbox Marketing Receive insider information that includes news about games, latest releases, downloadable demos, videos, and other rewards and promotions. You can select Opt In or Opt Out.
Profile Activity Showcase (Presence) Share your information by using third-party partners (like game publishers) so that they can communicate with you about their products. You can select Opt In or Opt Out.
Notes
By default, each of these fields (except the last two) is set to Everyone.
A gamer card becomes a "custom" game card when the motto is changed.
Friends include any players who have an outstanding friend request from the profile owner.
A standard gamer card and player review details are always public. These cannot be hidden by using privacy settings or by using parental controls. A standard gamer card shows the gamertag, gamer picture, gamer zone, gamer score, and reputation.
The privacy and friend settings are located in the System section of the Xbox Dashboard under Family Settings.
To make any changes to the Family Settings of a child’s profile, you must first sign in to the child’s profile. You will also have to know the Windows Live ID credentials (the e-mail address and the password that you use to sign in with Windows Live ID) for the parent’s Windows Live ID account. You must have the parent’s Windows Live ID to access Family Settings on the console. You can also adjust privacy settings from the Edit profile menu or from Xbox.com for non-parentally controlled Xbox LIVE accounts.
To configure the privacy and friend settings, follow these steps:
For non-child profiles on Xbox 360
Sign in to the Xbox LIVE profile, and then press the Guide button.
On the Gamer Profile screen, select Edit Gamer Profile.
On the Edit Gamer Profile screen, select Privacy Settings.
Note This step will end your current game session or activity. Therefore, you may want to save game progress before you continue, if you have an active game.
Review the message, and then select Yes to exit your current session.
On the Privacy Settings screen, adjust your privacy setting. Then, press A to confirm the changes. Press B to exit each privacy settings category that you select or to exit the Privacy Settings screen.
For non-child profiles through Xbox.com
Visit the Xbox.com Web site, http://www.xbox.com
(http://www.xbox.com)
. Click Sign in at the top of the page if you are not signed in automatically.
Click the gamercard in the upper-right part of the page or double-click My Xbox on the drop-down menu near the top of the page to view the My Xbox Web page.
Select Manage Profile from the My Xbox screen or from the drop-down menu.
Select Privacy Settings.
Adjust your account's privacy settings as appropriate.
Click Save at the bottom of the page when you are finished.
For child profiles through the Xbox 360 console
Sign in to an Xbox LIVE profile, and then press the Guide button.
Select Settings, and then select Family Settings.
Select Xbox LIVE Controls. Select the Xbox LIVE child profile that you want to manage, and then enter the password for the corresponding parent’s Windows Live ID account when you are prompted.
Use the keyboard on the screen to enter the appropriate password for the Windows Live ID account.
Select Privacy and Friend.
On the Privacy and Friend screen, you can select from the following options:
New Online Friends
With this option, you can stop your child from adding friends or from accepting friend invitations.
Voice and Text With this option, you can restrict your child's access to voice and text.
Video With this option, you can restrict your child's access to video.
Profile sharing With this option, you can restrict who can view your child’s profile.
Profile Viewing With this option, you can restrict whether your child can view the profiles of other people.
Online Status With this option, you can restrict access to your child’s presence information. (This information is what other people can see about your child and what your child can see about other people). You can also make it appear as if your child is offline.
Friends List With this option, you can restrict who can see your child’s friends list, including their profiles.
Select from the following settings based on the option that you selected in the previous step:
New Online Friends: Approval Not Required or Require Approval.
Voice and Text: Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Video: Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Profile Sharing: Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Profile Viewing: Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Online Status: Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked.
Back to the top
