Where to find Facebook notification settings
Facebook notifications live in three places depending on what device you use. On a computer, click the downward arrow in the top right corner of any Facebook page, then select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left sidebar, click Notifications. On an iPhone or Android phone, open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner, scroll down and tap Settings and privacy, then Settings, then scroll to find Notifications.
Once you are in the Notifications section, you will see categories of alerts Facebook can send you: messages, friend requests, comments on your posts, tags, birthdays, and dozens of others. Each category has its own on-off switch and delivery method options. You do not have to turn off all notifications at once — you can silence only the ones that interrupt you most.
Key Takeaways
- Notification settings are in Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications on both computer and phone, with separate controls for each type of alert.
- You can choose how Facebook reaches you for each notification type: push notifications on your phone, email, or in-app alerts only.
- Turning off notifications does not hide the content itself — you will still see posts, messages, and comments when you open Facebook, you just will not be alerted.
- Facebook resets some notification defaults after major app updates, so check your settings every few months if you have turned off many alerts.
Turning off push notifications on your phone
Push notifications are the alerts that pop up on your phone's lock screen or home screen, even when you are not using Facebook. To stop these, go to Notifications in Facebook settings and look for the toggle next to Push notifications. Turn it off. This stops all push alerts from Facebook to your phone at once.
If you want to be more selective — keeping alerts for messages but silencing everything else — leave push notifications on in Facebook settings but adjust them at the phone level instead. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Facebook and turn off Allow Notifications. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications and toggle off Show notifications. You can also set a Quiet time window in iPhone settings so Facebook alerts do not arrive between certain hours.
Controlling email notifications
Facebook sends emails for friend requests, comments, tags, and activity summaries. In the Notifications section, scroll to find Email notifications and click it. You will see a list of every email type Facebook can send. Click the dropdown next to each one and choose Off, or leave it on and choose how often you want to receive it — when ready, daily, or weekly.
The most common reason to keep email notifications on is for messages and friend requests, since you might miss those otherwise. Most people turn off the weekly activity summary and the "someone commented on a post you liked" emails, which arrive constantly if you use Facebook regularly. Start by turning off the categories that feel most intrusive, then adjust from there.
Silencing notifications for specific people or groups
You can mute notifications from a particular person without unfriending them. Go to their profile, click the three dots in the top right, and select Mute [person's name]. Choose whether to mute their posts, stories, or both, and for how long. You will no longer see their activity in your feed or get notified when they post, but you can still message them and see their profile if you visit it directly.
For groups, click the three dots next to the group name and select Mute group. You can mute notifications only, or mute both notifications and the group's posts from your feed. This is useful if you are in a group for work or family but do not want constant alerts about every message.
In-app notifications versus push and email
Even if you turn off push notifications and email, Facebook still shows you alerts inside the app itself — a small red number on the bell icon, or a notification center you can open. These in-app alerts do not interrupt you the way a phone notification does, but they are still there when you open Facebook. If you want to see nothing at all from Facebook until you choose to check it, you need to turn off push notifications on your phone and disable email, which removes the interruptions.
Some people prefer this setup: they keep in-app notifications on so they can see what they missed when they open Facebook, but turn off push and email so Facebook is not interrupting them throughout the day. Others turn off everything and check Facebook on their own schedule. The point is that you control which channels Facebook can use to reach you.
What happens when you turn off notifications
Turning off a notification does not delete the content or hide it from you. If someone comments on your post and you have comment notifications off, the comment still appears on your post — you just do not get alerted. When you open Facebook, you will see it in your feed or on your post as usual. The same is true for messages: turning off message notifications means you will not get a pop-up or email, but the message will be waiting in your inbox when you open the app.
The only thing that changes is whether Facebook interrupts you. The content remains, and you can still find it by opening the app or checking your email manually. This is why many people turn off notifications but keep the app installed — they use Facebook on their own terms, not on Facebook's schedule.
Resetting notifications after app updates
Facebook occasionally resets notification settings after a major app update. If you suddenly start getting alerts you thought you had turned off, go back to Settings > Notifications and check your choices. This happens most often on phones after you update the Facebook app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Spending two minutes reviewing your settings after an update can prevent weeks of unwanted alerts.
You can also turn off notifications for the Facebook app itself at the operating system level. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Facebook and toggle off Allow Notifications entirely. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications and turn off Show notifications. This is the nuclear option — it stops all Facebook alerts no matter what you set in the app — but it works if you find yourself constantly re-adjusting settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off notifications, will Facebook know I am ignoring it?
No. Turning off notifications changes only what alerts you receive — it does not tell Facebook anything about your behavior or preferences. Facebook still tracks what you do inside the app, but whether you get a notification about a comment has no effect on what Facebook knows about you.
Can I turn off notifications for one friend but keep them for others?
You can mute a specific person's posts and stories so you do not see their activity in your feed, but Facebook does not let you get notifications for only certain friends. You can turn off all friend activity notifications and then manually check specific people's profiles, or you can keep notifications on and mute the people who post most often.
Why do I still get notifications after I turned them off?
Check three places: your Facebook app settings, your phone's notification settings for the Facebook app, and your email spam folder. If notifications are off in Facebook but on in your phone settings, your phone will still alert you. Also check whether you turned off push notifications but left email on — you may be getting email alerts instead of phone alerts.
Does turning off notifications affect my privacy?
No. Notification settings control only how Facebook reaches you, not what data Facebook collects or how it uses your information. Turning off notifications does not reduce tracking or change what Facebook knows about you — it only stops the alerts.
Can I turn off notifications for just one type of alert, like birthday reminders?
Yes. In the Notifications section, find the specific alert type — birthdays, friend requests, comments, tags, and so on — and toggle it off individually. You do not have to turn off all notifications at once. Most people keep message notifications on but turn off everything else.