Where to find notification settings on Facebook
Facebook sends notifications through several channels at once — your phone's lock screen, your email inbox, and inside the app itself. To stop them, you need to know which channel is bothering you, because the off switch is in a different place for each one. Most people think they've turned notifications off when they've only silenced one type.
The fastest way to find your settings is to open Facebook on the device where you're seeing the notifications, then look for the menu icon (three horizontal lines on mobile, a downward arrow on desktop). From there, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. You'll see a Notifications section — but this controls only in-app notifications, not the ones that pop up on your phone's home screen or arrive in your email.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook notifications come from three separate places — the app itself, your phone's notification center, and your email — and each has its own off switch.
- To stop notifications on your phone's lock screen, you must change settings in your phone's operating system, not in Facebook's app.
- Email notifications are controlled inside Facebook's Settings under Notifications, where you can turn off specific types like friend requests or comments.
- You can silence notifications from one person or group without turning off all notifications, using the mute feature on their profile or the group page.
- Turning off notifications does not delete your account or change what Facebook collects about you.
Stopping notifications on your phone's lock screen and home screen
The notifications that appear on your phone's lock screen or as a banner at the top of your screen are controlled by your phone's operating system, not by Facebook itself. This is why turning off notifications inside the Facebook app doesn't stop them — you're changing the wrong setting.
On iPhone: Open Settings, scroll down and tap Facebook, then tap Notifications. You'll see a toggle for Allow Notifications at the top. Turn it off. If you want to keep some notifications but not others, keep Allow Notifications on and scroll down to choose which types (like Messages or Friend Requests) you want to receive.
On Android: Open Settings, tap Apps or process Manager, find Facebook, tap Notifications, then toggle off Show Notifications. Some Android phones call this section "App Notifications" or "Notification Settings" depending on the manufacturer. If you see a list of notification types below the main toggle, you can turn off specific ones while keeping others on.
If you want notifications from Facebook but not from a specific person or group, you don't have to turn everything off. Go to that person's profile or the group page, tap the three dots in the top right, and select Mute. You can choose to mute notifications for 15 minutes, one hour, eight hours, 24 hours, or indefinitely.
Turning off email notifications from Facebook
Facebook sends emails about comments on your posts, friend requests, group activity, and other events. These are controlled inside Facebook's settings, separate from your phone's notification system.
Open Facebook on any device, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, tap Notifications. You'll see a list of notification types — Comments, Likes, Friend Requests, Group Invitations, and others. Next to each one, you'll see an option for Email. Click the dropdown next to Email and choose Off, or select which frequency you want (when ready, Daily Digest, or Weekly Digest).
If you want to turn off all email notifications at once, scroll to the bottom of the Notifications page and look for an option like "Email Notifications" or "Digest Email Settings." Some versions of Facebook let you unsubscribe from all marketing and notification emails in one place. You can also scroll through each notification type individually and set them all to Off.
Controlling notifications inside the Facebook app
Notifications that appear while you're using Facebook — the red number badges on icons, the list in your notification center inside the app — are controlled in Facebook's own settings. These won't show on your phone's lock screen, but they'll still alert you while the app is open.
Go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. Tap Notifications. You'll see categories like Comments, Likes, Friend Requests, and Group Activity. Next to each one, you can choose to turn it on or off, or select which notifications matter most to you. Some versions of Facebook let you choose between All, Standard, or Off for each category.
If you want to keep some notifications but reduce how many you see, look for a "Notifications Preferences" or "Manage Preferences" option. You can often choose to see notifications only from close friends, family, or specific groups, rather than from everyone.
Muting specific people, groups, or pages
If one person, group, or page is sending too many notifications but you don't want to unfriend or leave entirely, use the mute feature. This stops notifications from that source without them knowing you've muted them.
On a person's profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner and select Mute. You'll see options to mute their posts, their stories, or both. Choose how long you want to mute them — you can change it back anytime. On a group page or a page you follow, the mute option is in the same place. Muting a group stops notifications about new posts and comments, but you can still see the group if you visit it directly.
If you want to mute notifications from a specific conversation in Messenger, open the conversation, tap the person's name at the top, and look for Mute Notifications or a bell icon. You can mute that conversation for 15 minutes, one hour, eight hours, 24 hours, or indefinitely.
What happens when you turn off notifications
Turning off notifications only stops the alerts — it doesn't change anything else about your account. You can still use Facebook normally. Your friends can still message you, comment on your posts, and see your activity. You just won't get a notification telling you it happened until you open the app or check your email.
Turning off notifications does not delete your account, change your privacy settings, or stop Facebook from collecting information about you. It only silences the alerts. If you want to change what Facebook collects or who can see your posts, those are separate settings in the Privacy section of your Settings page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off notifications from them?
No. Turning off notifications is invisible to other people. They won't know whether you see their messages when ready or hours later. The mute feature also works silently — the person you muted won't receive any notification that you've muted them.
Can I turn off notifications for just one type, like comments?
Yes. In Settings and Privacy, go to Settings, then Notifications. Each notification type (Comments, Likes, Friend Requests, Group Activity) has its own on/off switch. You can turn off Comments but keep Friend Requests on, for example.
Why am I still getting notifications after I turned them off?
You may have turned off notifications in one place but not another. Check three places: your phone's Settings (iPhone or Android), Facebook's Settings under Notifications, and your email spam folder to see if Facebook emails are being filtered there. If you muted a person but still see notifications, you may have muted only their posts, not their messages.
Can I turn notifications back on for just certain people?
Yes. If you've muted someone, go back to their profile and select Unmute. If you've turned off all notifications, you can turn them back on in your phone's Settings or Facebook's Settings, then use the mute feature on specific people or groups you want to stay quiet.
Do notification settings sync across my phone and computer?
Phone lock screen notifications are controlled by your phone only, so turning them off on iPhone doesn't affect your Android tablet or computer. Email notification settings sync across all devices because they're stored in your Facebook account. In-app notifications also sync across devices.