3 Simple Ways to Make Your Venmo Account More Private

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Learn how to change your Venmo account from public to private

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: February 17, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Making Transactions Private
|
• Making Friends List Private
|
• Keeping Your Privacy
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

If you're worried about your payment privacy on Venmo, there are ways to make your account safer by adjusting your transaction and friends list settings. Here's how to make Venmo private on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

Things You Should Know

• To make your Venmo transactions private, tap your profile picture → cog icon → "Privacy" and select "Private".
• To make your Venmo friends list private, tap the cog icon → "Privacy" → "Friends List" and select "Private".
• Keep your transaction descriptions vague, remove inactive friends, and only share your profile with trusted users.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Making Transactions Private

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1. 
   1
   Open the Venmo app. This looks like a white V with a blue background.
2. 
   2
   Tap your profile picture. This will be at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
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3. 
   3
   Tap the cog icon. You can find this in the top-right corner.
4. 
   4
   Tap Privacy. This will be next to a padlock icon.
5. 
   5
   Select Private. You may have this setting set to Public or Friends. You should see a blue checkmark next to Private.

   • If prompted, tap Change Anyway.
   • By default, your Venmo transactions will now be set to Private and visible to only you and the recipient/sender.
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Section 2 of 3:

Making Friends List Private

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1. 
   1
   Open the Venmo app. This looks like a white V with a blue background.
2. 
   2
   Tap your profile picture. This will be at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. 
   3
   Tap the cog icon. You can find this in the top-right corner.
4. 
   4
   Tap Privacy. This will be next to a padlock icon.
5. 
   5
   Tap Friends List. You can find this underneath the More header.
6. 
   6
   Tap Private. This will set your friends list as only visible to you.

   • You can also toggle off Appear in other users' friends list for more privacy.
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Section 3 of 3:

Keeping Your Privacy

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1. 
   1
   Use vague descriptions. Venmo shows who you're paying, if you're friends, and if set to Public, the transaction description. To maintain more security and privacy on Venmo, don't include too much information in the description.

   • You can use unrelated emojis as the description or even acronyms that are enough for you to understand.
2. 
   2
   Routinely revise your friends list. You may still have people added to your friends list from years ago. They may no longer be your friend, acquaintance, or in your life. In this case, it's better to remove them to reduce the exposure of your transactions.

   • Venmo has an option to sync your contacts. If you did this to add friends, consider removing them from your device's contacts, too.
3. 
   3
   Only share your Venmo profile with trusted people. Venmo has a way to share your profile through QR code, link, or email. When using these methods, make sure you know the person on the other end.

   • Each Venmo account has its own personal QR code. Try not to screenshot and send this QR code anywhere it can be saved.
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