Where to find notification settings on Facebook

Facebook notifications appear as red badges on your phone or computer, and as alerts in your email inbox. To stop them, you go to your Settings & Privacy menu, then find the Notifications section. The exact path depends on whether you use Facebook on a phone or computer, but the settings themselves work the same way.

On a phone (iPhone or Android), tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right of the Facebook app. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On a computer, click the downward arrow in the top right corner of any Facebook page, then select Settings & Privacy and Settings. Once you are in Settings, look for Notifications in the left menu.

Key Takeaways

  • Facebook notifications come from three places — your phone, your computer, and your email — and you control each one separately in Settings.
  • You can turn off all notifications at once, or pick and choose which types you want to receive (likes, comments, friend requests, and so on).
  • Phone notifications require you to change settings both in Facebook and in your phone's app settings, because Facebook alone cannot silence them.
  • Email notifications are the easiest to control and can be turned off entirely from a single menu without touching your phone settings.

Turning off notifications on your phone

Phone notifications are the badges and pop-ups that appear on your screen while you are using Facebook or when the app is closed. To turn these off, go to Settings in Facebook, then tap Notifications. You will see a list of notification types: Likes and reactions, Comments, Friend requests, Messages, and others.

Next to each type, you will see a toggle switch. Tap the switch to turn that notification type off. If you want to silence all phone notifications at once, look for an option at the top that says something like Turn off all notifications or Notifications with a toggle — tap that instead. This is faster than turning off each type individually.

However, Facebook's settings alone may not be enough. Your phone also has its own notification controls that sit above Facebook's controls. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Facebook and toggle Allow Notifications off. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications and toggle Show notifications off. If you turn off notifications in both places, you will not see any phone alerts from Facebook.

Stopping email notifications from Facebook

Email notifications are messages that arrive in your inbox telling you someone liked your post, commented on your photo, or sent you a friend request. These are the easiest to control because they live entirely within Facebook's settings and do not require changes to your phone or email provider.

In Facebook Settings, go to Notifications and look for a section called Email or Email notifications. You will see a list of notification types again. Tap the toggle next to each one to turn it off, or look for a master toggle that turns off all email notifications at once. Once you turn off email notifications in Facebook, you will stop receiving those messages in your inbox.

If you have already received many Facebook emails and want to stop them without going into Settings, you can also unsubscribe from the bottom of any Facebook email. Look for a link that says Unsubscribe or Manage notifications at the very bottom of the email, click it, and you will be taken to Facebook's notification settings.

Controlling notifications on your computer or web browser

If you use Facebook on a computer or laptop, notifications appear as small pop-ups in the corner of your screen or as badges on the Facebook tab. To turn these off, log into Facebook on your computer, click the downward arrow in the top right, select Settings & Privacy and then Settings. Click Notifications in the left menu.

You will see a section labeled Where you receive notifications or similar. Look for Browser or Desktop and click it. You will see toggles for different notification types. Turn off the ones you do not want, or toggle off the entire browser notification section to silence them all. Some browsers also have their own notification settings — if Facebook notifications still appear after you turn them off in Facebook, check your browser's settings under Privacy or Notifications.

Turning off notifications for specific people or groups

Sometimes you want to keep Facebook notifications on overall, but silence them from one particular person or group. You can do this without going into Settings. On your phone, find a post or message from that person, press and hold it (or right-click on a computer), and look for an option like Turn off notifications from this person or Mute. Select it, and you will stop seeing notifications from them while still receiving notifications from everyone else.

For groups, go to the group's page, click the three dots in the top right corner, and select Notification settings or Mute notifications. You can choose to mute all notifications from that group, or only certain types like new posts or comments. This approach is useful if you are in a group that posts frequently but you do not want constant alerts.

What happens after you turn off notifications

Turning off notifications does not delete your Facebook account, hide your posts, or change who can see your profile. It only stops the alerts from reaching you. You can still log into Facebook and see everything — you just will not be notified when something happens. If you change your mind later, you can turn notifications back on by following the same steps and toggling them back on.

Keep in mind that turning off all notifications means you might miss important messages from friends or family. Many people choose to turn off notifications for likes and comments but keep them on for messages and friend requests, so they do not miss direct contact. You can customize this by turning off only the notification types you do not care about.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know if I turn off notifications from them?

No. Turning off notifications is private — it only affects what you see on your device. The other person will not be notified, and it does not change your friendship or your ability to see their posts. They can still message you and tag you in photos; you just will not get an alert when they do.

Can I turn off notifications for just one type, like likes?

Yes. In Facebook Notifications settings, you can toggle off individual notification types while keeping others on. For example, you can turn off notifications for likes and reactions but keep notifications for comments and messages. This gives you control over which alerts matter to you.

Why do I still get notifications after turning them off?

Notifications can come from three separate places: Facebook's app settings, your phone's app settings, and your email. You may have turned off one but not the others. Check all three: Facebook Settings > Notifications, your phone's app settings, and your email inbox. You need to turn them off in every place where they are enabled.

Can I turn off notifications temporarily and turn them back on later?

Yes. You can turn notifications off and back on as many times as you want by going to Settings > Notifications and toggling them on or off. There is no limit to how many times you can change this setting, and it takes effect when ready.

What is the difference between muting and turning off notifications?

Muting usually applies to one person or group and stops notifications from just that source. Turning off notifications in Settings applies to all of Facebook or to a specific notification type across all people. Muting is more targeted; turning off notifications in Settings is broader.