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
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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.
Section 1 of 3:

Making Transactions Private

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    Open the Venmo app. This looks like a white V with a blue background.
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    This will be at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
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    You can find this in the top-right corner.
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    This will be next to a padlock icon.
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    You may have this setting set to Public or Friends . You should see a blue checkmark next to Private . [1]
    • 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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    This looks like a white V with a blue background.
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    This will be at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
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    You can find this in the top-right corner.
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    This will be next to a padlock icon.
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    You can find this underneath the More header.
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    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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    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.
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    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. [2] If you did this to add friends , consider removing them from your device's contacts, too.
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    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. [3] Try not to screenshot and send this QR code anywhere it can be saved.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://help.venmo.com/hc/en-us/articles/210413717-Payment-Activity-Privacy
      2. ↑ https://help.venmo.com/hc/en-us/articles/217042728-Accessing-Your-Contacts
      3. ↑ https://help.venmo.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010772908-Personal-QR-codes-on-Venmo-FAQ

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