In plain English
It lets someone look at the profile as other users would see it. This screen appears before the profile is shown to others in its finished form.
In context
Here, "profile preview" names the screen for checking profile changes by showing how the profile will appear to other users before it is shown in its final form.
- Situation
- Managing profiles, usernames, privacy, audience, discoverability, and account visibility
- What it communicates
- names the screen for checking profile changes before saving or publishing
Meaning limits
The term alone does not say that the profile is already visible to other users.
Examples
“Before posting the update, she opened the profile preview to see how her page would look to other users.”
“The profile preview showed his new photo and bio together while the public version was still unchanged.”