What this task actually changes
Changing a default only affects future uploads. Changing a map endpoint hides one area. This task is different: you are rewriting the visibility of records that already exist, and the main hidden cost is what those records were feeding, such as public segment leaderboards and the achievements attached to them.
Strava offers Edit Past Activities under Privacy Controls on its website and mobile app. Source
Before starting, separate three jobs so they do not get mixed together: (1) the historical visibility change covered here, (2) map and route privacy, and (3) Flyby. The last two are handled elsewhere; this guide stays on the bulk edit and its side effects.
Decide the scope before you touch the setting
Use this table to choose what you are actually changing. It is a decision aid, not a claim that every option appears in your account.
| What you want to change | Does the bulk Edit Past Activities tool cover it? | Main side effect to check |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility of all past activities (for example, Everyone to Followers or Only You) | Yes, per the approved product description | Activities leave public segment leaderboards; associated segment achievements are lost |
| Heart-rate visibility on past activities | Yes, per the approved product description | No leaderboard effect is claimed here; verify in your own account |
| A future upload default | No, that is a separate setting | None for existing records |
| A map or route endpoint | No, keep map privacy separate | Do not treat a map change as an activity-visibility change |
| Flyby | No, keep Flyby separate | See the related guide linked below |
| One single activity | Not the bulk path | Check that activity’s own visibility and its leaderboard entries |
If your real goal is only to stop a route or map from being visible, do not run a bulk activity-visibility change as a shortcut. If your goal is genuinely historical, continue.
The leaderboard trade-off in plain terms
This is the part most people miss. Visibility is not a cosmetic label on a past activity; it controls whether that activity can appear on public segment leaderboards.
The bulk process can update activity visibility or heart-rate visibility for all past activities. Source
Changing an activity from Everyone to Followers or Only You removes it from public segment leaderboards and loses associated segment achievements; edits cannot be reversed while the bulk update is processing. Source
Two consequences follow directly from that approved description:
- If public leaderboard placement matters to you, moving activities to Followers or Only You will remove them from public segment leaderboards.
- Segment achievements tied to those activities are lost, so this is not a change you can casually undo by flipping visibility back.
There is also a timing constraint: while the bulk update is processing, edits cannot be reversed. Plan the change for a moment when you do not need to make corrections mid-run.
Step-by-step bulk operation
- Write down the goal in one sentence. For example: “Make all past activities visible to followers only.” If the sentence mentions a map, a route endpoint or Flyby, stop and split the task.
- Check whether leaderboards matter to you. If you rely on public segment placements or want to keep segment achievements, decide before you start whether Followers or Only You is acceptable.
- Open Edit Past Activities under Privacy Controls. The approved description places this on the Strava website and mobile app.
- Choose the field you are changing. The bulk process can update activity visibility or heart-rate visibility. Do not assume it changes anything else.
- Select the new value and start the process. Treat the run as one-way until it finishes.
- Do not edit during processing. Wait for the bulk update to complete before making any further changes.
- Verify with a sample after processing. Open a few past activities of different ages and confirm the new visibility is what you intended. Then check whether the leaderboard and achievement effects match what you expected.
- Record what you changed and when. If you later need to explain a missing leaderboard entry, this note is your reference.
Sample verification after the bulk run
A bulk change is easy to assume and harder to confirm. Use a small sample rather than trusting the setting screen alone.
| Check | What to look at | What a problem looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility applied | Open several past activities, including older ones | Some still show the old visibility |
| Leaderboard effect | Look at segments you previously appeared on publicly | You expected removal but still see a public entry, or you expected to keep an entry and it is gone |
| Achievements | Review segment achievements on sampled activities | Achievements you expected to keep are missing |
| Heart-rate visibility (if changed) | Open the same sampled activities | The heart-rate display does not match the chosen setting |
| Processing state | Try a small edit only after the run reports finished | The interface still blocks edits, meaning processing is not done |
If the sample does not match your intent, do not run another bulk change blindly. First identify whether the mismatch is visibility, leaderboard effect or a separate map/Flyby setting.
Common failure paths
- Changing a default and assuming history changed. A future-upload default does not rewrite past records. Confirm the bulk tool actually ran.
- Treating a map change as activity privacy. Map and route privacy are separate from the historical visibility edit.
- Bundling Flyby into the same job. Flyby has its own controls; handle it as its own task.
- Editing mid-process. Reversals are not possible while the bulk update is processing.
- Discovering the leaderboard cost afterward. Decide about public segment placement and achievements before you commit, not after.
- Assuming a username search proves ownership. Public matches are leads, not proof that an account belongs to a particular person.
Where to go next
If your remaining concern is Flyby rather than historical activity visibility, handle that as a separate task: opt out of Strava Flyby and separately review activity visibility. Keep it separate from the bulk edit above so you can tell which change produced which result.
If you want a broader view of which public profiles and handles are associated with a name before or after these changes, a username lookup can surface public matches as leads. TraceSeek covers 3,000+ platforms, and the first scan is free; a scan is described as taking 20–30 seconds. Treat any match as a starting point for your own review, not as confirmation of identity or account ownership.