About "Preferences" – OkCupid

"Preferences" is where you tell us who you are looking for on OkCupid.

The preferences you set here affect who you see in Discover and elsewhere around OkCupid.

✅ You will (as always) see and be seen by people who are looking for someone of your age and location

✅ We place a priority on people who match what you are Looking For exactly

Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I seeing people from outside of my Preferences?

If someone is an extra good match for you, but just slightly outside your age or distance range, you may see them suggested to you in some parts of OkCupid. For example, if you have your age range set as 34-43 and your distance as 25 miles, you may still see or be seen by good matches that are 33 or 44, and who are 28 miles away. We don't want you to miss out on these good matches!

I set my Preferences to “located anywhere”, why am I still seeing local people?

Setting your profile to look for people “located anywhere” includes people who live near you and also far away. We also make sure to only show you people who are interested in folks who live where you do.

Because the vast majority of members on OkCupid are looking only for people near them, you’ll likely still mostly see people near your location.

However, if you set your Looking For to “located anywhere” you will also see people located anywhere who are looking for people in your location.

How do I only see people in my state/country?

At the moment, we don’t have a way to filter by state or national borders. We're considering adding an option to filter by state/country, but it is not a currently available feature.

How can I only see people from far away?

The only way to prevent people near your location from seeing you is to go Incognito. This allows you to only be seen by people whose profiles you’ve liked.

Because the vast majority of members on OkCupid are looking only for people near them, you’ll likely still mostly see people near your location.

However, if you set your Looking For to “located anywhere” you will also see people located anywhere who are looking for people in your location.

My profile says I'm looking for someone that I'm not!

If you're using okcupid.com, you can find your “Preferences” by selecting your profile picture in the top right corner of the site. If you're using the app, you can find your “Preferences” under Profile > Preferences.

If you still need help, you can email support@okcupid.com