The fastest way to stop Facebook notifications
You can turn off almost every type of Facebook notification without leaving the platform or losing your account. The simplest route is to go to your phone's settings — not Facebook's settings — and toggle off notifications for the Facebook app entirely. This stops every alert: messages, friend requests, comments, likes, and group activity all at once.
If you want to keep some notifications but silence others, Facebook's own settings let you pick which types of alerts reach you and how they arrive. You can turn off notifications for specific people, specific groups, or specific actions (like when someone comments on your post). You can also choose whether notifications come as phone alerts, emails, or both.
The trade-off: turning off notifications means you might miss time-sensitive messages from friends or important group announcements. You will have to check Facebook manually to see what happened. Some people find this actually makes them use Facebook less, which may or may not be what you want.
Key Takeaways
- The fastest way to stop all Facebook notifications is to go to your phone's Settings app, find Facebook, and toggle off notifications there — you do not need to open Facebook itself.
- If you want to keep some notifications and silence others, open Facebook, go to Settings and Privacy, then Notifications, and turn off only the types you do not want.
- You can silence notifications from a specific person or group without unfriending them or leaving the group — just mute that person or group instead.
- Email notifications and push notifications (the alerts on your phone) are controlled separately, so you may need to turn off both if you want to stop hearing from Facebook entirely.
Turning off notifications through your phone's settings
On iPhone: Open Settings, scroll down to find Facebook, tap it, then tap Notifications. You will see a toggle for "Allow Notifications" — turn it off. Everything stops when ready. You can also choose "Time Sensitive" or "Critical" if you want to let through only the most important alerts, though Facebook rarely marks anything as truly critical.
On Android: Open Settings, go to Apps (or process Manager on older phones), find Facebook, tap Notifications, and toggle off "Show Notifications." The exact wording varies by phone brand, but the idea is the same. If you see a toggle for "Importance," set it to "None" or "Silent."
This method is the cleanest because it stops notifications at the source — your phone's operating system — rather than asking Facebook to stop sending them. Facebook still sends the alerts, but your phone refuses to show them to you. This also means you will not see the little red badge with a number on the Facebook app icon.
Turning off specific notification types in Facebook's settings
If you want to stay in the loop for some things but silence others, use Facebook's own notification controls. On any device, open Facebook, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines on iPhone, or the hamburger menu on Android), scroll down to Settings and Privacy, then tap Settings. Look for Notifications.
You will see categories like Messages, Friend Requests, Comments, Likes, Group Activity, and Event Invitations. Each one has its own toggle. Turn off the ones you do not want to hear about. You can also control whether each type comes as a push notification (alert on your phone), an email, or both — so you could keep email notifications but turn off phone alerts, for example.
This approach takes more time than using your phone's settings, but it gives you fine control. You might turn off notifications for likes and comments but keep them for messages and friend requests. The downside is that Facebook regularly adds new notification types, so you may find yourself turning things off again months later.
Muting a specific person or group instead of unfriending
You do not have to turn off all notifications to silence one person. If a friend, family member, or group is sending you too many alerts, you can mute just them. Go to that person's profile or the group's page, tap the three dots in the top right, and look for "Mute [Name]" or "Mute Group." You will stay friends or in the group, but you will not see their posts in your feed and you will not get notifications about their activity.
Muting is useful when you want to reduce noise from one source without the awkwardness of unfriending or leaving. The person does not know you muted them. You can unmute them anytime by going back to their profile and tapping the three dots again.
The catch: muting only affects your feed and notifications. If that person tags you in a post or sends you a direct message, you will still see it. Muting is about reducing clutter, not blocking someone entirely.
Controlling email notifications separately from phone alerts
Facebook sends notifications through two different channels: push notifications (the alerts that pop up on your phone) and emails. You can turn off one without turning off the other. Some people keep emails but turn off phone alerts, since emails feel less intrusive and you can read them on your own schedule.
To control emails, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Notifications. Look for "Email" or "Email Notifications." You will see a list of things Facebook can email you about — comments, friend requests, group activity, and so on. Turn off the ones you do not want. You can also scroll to the bottom and find "Unsubscribe from all emails" if you want to stop email notifications entirely without touching your phone alerts.
Keep in mind that some emails from Facebook are not notifications — they are account security alerts (like someone logging in from a new device) or password reset confirmations. These usually cannot be turned off because Facebook needs to reach you if your account is at risk. Turning off email notifications will not stop those.
What happens when you turn off notifications
Turning off notifications does not delete your account, change your privacy settings, or hide your profile from anyone. It only stops the alerts. You can still use Facebook normally — you just have to open the app yourself to see what is new. Your friends can still message you, comment on your posts, and tag you. You will just not be notified about it until you check.
Some people find this is actually better for their mental health and focus. Without constant alerts, they use Facebook less and feel less pressure to respond when ready. Others find they miss important messages or forget to check at all. The right choice depends on how you use Facebook and what matters to you.
If you change your mind, you can turn notifications back on the same way you turned them off. There is no waiting period or penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my friends know I turned off notifications?
No. Turning off notifications is invisible to everyone else. Your friends can still message you, and you can still see their posts — you just will not get an alert when they do something. They have no way to know whether you have notifications on or off.
Can I turn off notifications for one person but keep them for everyone else?
Yes, by muting that person. Go to their profile, tap the three dots, and select "Mute." You will stay friends but will not see their posts or get notifications about them. You can mute multiple people without affecting notifications from anyone else.
If I turn off notifications, will I still see messages?
You will not get an alert when a message arrives, but the message will still be there waiting for you in Messenger. When you open Facebook or Messenger yourself, you will see it. Some people turn off notifications but check Messenger once a day on purpose.
What is the difference between muting and unfriending?
Muting silences someone's posts and notifications but keeps you as friends. Unfriending removes them from your friends list entirely. Muting is gentler if you just want less noise from someone but do not want to end the friendship.
Can I turn off notifications for groups without leaving the group?
Yes. Go to the group, tap the three dots, and look for "Mute Group" or "Notification Settings." You can silence all notifications from that group, or choose to be notified only for certain types of posts (like when someone mentions you). You stay in the group and can still see posts when you visit it.