Turn off Facebook email notifications in your account settings
Facebook sends emails about comments, friend requests, messages, and activity on your posts by default. You can turn off any or all of these emails without closing your account or changing how you see posts in the app itself. The settings are in one place: your notification preferences.
On a computer, go to Facebook.com, click the downward arrow in the top right corner, select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Notifications. You will see a list of notification types with email options next to each one. On a phone, open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom right, scroll down to Settings and privacy, tap Settings, then Notifications.
Each notification type has its own toggle or dropdown. For example, you might see options like "Comments on your posts" or "Friend requests". Click or tap the email option next to each one and choose Off to stop receiving that email. You do not have to turn them all off — you can keep emails about messages but turn off emails about likes, or vice versa.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook email notifications are controlled separately from in-app notifications, so turning off emails does not affect what you see when you open the app.
- You can turn off all Facebook emails at once or pick and choose which types of activity trigger emails.
- The notification settings page shows every type of email Facebook can send, so you can see exactly what is currently turned on.
- Changes take effect when ready — you will not receive emails about that activity type the next time it happens.
Find the email notification settings on your device
The path to notification settings is slightly different depending on whether you use a computer or phone, but the settings themselves are the same. On a computer, the settings are easier to see all at once because you can scroll through the full list on one page. On a phone, you may need to scroll more, but the toggles work the same way.
If you use Facebook through a web browser on a computer, log in and look for the downward arrow or menu icon in the top right corner of the page. Click it and find Settings and privacy. From there, click Settings to open your full account settings. On the left sidebar, you will see Notifications listed under several other options like "Privacy" and "Apps and websites". Click Notifications to see all your email notification choices.
On an iPhone or Android phone, open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) at the bottom right of the screen. Scroll down past your name and profile options until you see Settings and privacy. Tap it, then tap Settings. Scroll down to find Notifications and tap it. You will see the same list of notification types as on a computer.
Choose which types of emails to receive or block
Facebook groups notifications into categories so you can control them separately. Common categories include comments on your posts, likes and reactions, friend requests, messages from people you know, messages from people you do not know, event invitations, and activity in groups you are part of. You might want to receive emails about messages but not about every comment, or vice versa.
Next to each notification type, you will see a dropdown menu or toggle switch. Click or tap it to see your options. Most notification types let you choose Off (no emails), On (send emails), or sometimes a middle option like Only important or when ready. If you choose Off, Facebook will not email you about that activity, but you will still see it in the app if you open Facebook and look at your notifications there.
Some notification types have additional options. For example, "Messages" might let you choose whether to get emails from friends only, from anyone, or from no one. Read the label next to each setting to understand what it controls. If you are not sure what a notification type means, you can always turn it off and turn it back on later if you miss those emails.
Unsubscribe from marketing and digest emails
Facebook also sends promotional emails about new features, events happening near you, or summaries of activity from people you follow. These are separate from the notification settings and may require a different step to turn off. Look for an Unsubscribe link at the bottom of any marketing or digest email you receive from Facebook.
Click the unsubscribe link in the email itself — this is usually the fastest way to stop that specific type of email. Facebook will ask you to confirm that you want to unsubscribe, and the change takes effect when ready. You will not receive that type of email again unless you change your mind and re-enable it in your settings.
If you want to control these emails through your account settings instead of unsubscribing from individual emails, go back to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications and look for a section labeled Other or Marketing. Not all Facebook accounts show these options in the same place, so if you do not see them, unsubscribing from the email itself is the most reliable method.
Check your email filters if you still receive unwanted emails
If you have turned off email notifications in Facebook but still receive emails from Facebook, the emails might be getting through because of how your email provider handles them. Some email services have filters or rules that can override your Facebook settings, or Facebook might be sending emails from an address you did not expect.
Check your email inbox for any Facebook emails that arrived after you changed your settings. Look at the sender address — it might be from notifications@facebookmail.com, noreply@facebook.com, or another address. If you want to block all emails from that address, you can create a filter or rule in your email provider to send them to spam automatically. In Gmail, you can click the three dots next to an email and select Block [sender]. In Outlook, right-click the email and choose Junk > Block Sender.
Before you block Facebook emails entirely, make sure you have actually turned off the notifications in Facebook itself. It is straightforward to think you changed a setting when you did not, so go back to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications and double-check that the notification types you do not want are set to Off.
Manage notifications for specific people or groups
You can also control notifications on a smaller scale by muting specific people or groups. If one person's activity generates a lot of emails, or if a group you are in sends too many notifications, you can silence them without unfriending or leaving the group. This is useful when you want to stay connected but do not want constant emails.
To mute a person on Facebook, go to their profile, click the three dots in the top right, and select Mute. You will see options to mute their posts, stories, or both. You can also choose how long to mute them — for 30 days, until you unmute them, or indefinitely. Muting stops you from seeing their activity in your feed and stops emails about their posts.
To mute a group, open the group, click the three dots next to the group name, and select Mute group. You can choose to mute notifications, posts, or both. You will still be a member of the group and can see it if you search for it, but you will not get emails or see posts from that group in your feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off email notifications stop me from seeing activity in the Facebook app?
No. Email notifications and in-app notifications are separate. You can turn off all emails and still see everything in the app when you open it. Turning off emails only stops Facebook from sending you messages to your email address — it does not change what appears in the app itself.
Can I turn off emails from one person without unfriending them?
Yes. Mute that person's profile by clicking the three dots on their profile page and selecting Mute. You will stop receiving emails about their activity, but you will still be friends and can message them. You can unmute them anytime by going back to their profile.
What if I only want emails about messages, not about comments or likes?
Go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications and turn off each notification type except Messages. You can control each type separately, so you can keep emails on for messages and turn them off for everything else.
How do I stop getting Facebook digest or summary emails?
Look for an Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email and click it. If you do not see an unsubscribe link, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications and look for a section about digest or summary emails, then turn it off.
Why am I still getting Facebook emails after I turned off notifications?
Double-check that you actually saved your changes in the notification settings — sometimes the page does not update visibly. Go back to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications and confirm each setting is set to Off. If emails continue, create a filter in your email provider to block the sender address.