Where to find Facebook's notification settings
Facebook's notification controls live in three places depending on what device you use. On a computer, click the downward arrow in the top right corner, select Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On the left sidebar, click Notifications. On an iPhone or Android phone, open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) at the bottom right, scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then Settings, then Notifications.
Once you're in Notifications, you'll see categories like In-App Notifications, Push Notifications, and Email Notifications. Each category controls a different way Facebook tries to reach you. In-app notifications are the badges and alerts you see while using Facebook. Push notifications are the pop-ups that appear on your phone or computer even when you're not in the app. Email notifications are messages sent to your inbox.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook stores notification settings in three separate places: in-app, push, and email — turning off one does not turn off the others.
- You can silence notifications from specific people, pages, or groups without unfollowing them or blocking them.
- Push notifications on your phone are controlled both in Facebook's settings and in your phone's operating system settings, so you may need to adjust both.
- Facebook resets some notification preferences when you update the app or change your password, so check your settings after major account changes.
- Turning off all notifications does not delete your account or hide your profile — it only stops Facebook from sending you alerts.
Turning off push notifications on your phone
Push notifications are the most intrusive because they interrupt you outside the app. On an iPhone, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Push Notifications. You'll see a list of notification types: Comments, Likes, Friend Requests, Messages, and others. Toggle off any category you don't want to be interrupted by. You can turn off all of them, or keep only the ones that matter to you — for example, keeping Messages on while turning off Likes.
On Android, the process is the same: Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Push Notifications. Toggle off the categories you want to silence.
There's a second layer: your phone's own operating system. Even if you turn off push notifications in Facebook's settings, your phone's system settings can override that choice. On iPhone, go to your phone's Settings app > Notifications > Facebook and toggle off Allow Notifications. On Android, go to your phone's Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications and toggle off Allow notifications. If you want to be thorough, adjust both layers.
Controlling in-app notifications and badges
In-app notifications are the red badges on the Facebook icon and the alerts you see while scrolling. On a computer or phone, go to Notifications > In-App Notifications. You can toggle off Notification Badges (the red numbers on icons) and Notification Sounds (the chimes and pings). You can also control which types of activity trigger notifications: Comments, Likes, Tags, Friend Requests, and others.
A useful middle ground is keeping badges and sounds on for Messages and Friend Requests but turning them off for Likes and Comments. This way you won't miss something someone sent directly to you, but you won't be interrupted by every reaction to your posts.
Silencing specific people, pages, or groups without unfollowing
You don't have to turn off all notifications to reduce noise. You can mute notifications from individual people, pages, or groups. On a computer, find the person's profile or the page, click the three dots in the top right, and select Mute. Choose whether to mute for 30 days or indefinitely. On a phone, do the same: tap the three dots and select Mute.
Muting is different from unfollowing or blocking. When you mute someone, you still see their posts if you visit their profile, but their activity won't show up in your feed and they won't trigger notifications. They won't know you've muted them. This is useful for people you want to stay connected to but don't want constant alerts from.
For groups, you can adjust notification settings without leaving. Open the group, tap the three dots, and select Notification Settings. You can choose All Posts, Highlights, Friends' Posts, or Off. This lets you stay in a group chat without being pinged every time someone posts.
Turning off email notifications
Facebook sends emails about friend requests, comments on your posts, messages, and activity summaries. To control these, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Email Notifications. You'll see a long list of email types. Toggle off any you don't want to receive.
A common choice is to turn off most email notifications but keep Messages on, so you know when someone has sent you a direct message. You can also turn off Weekly Digest and Recommended Videos to reduce clutter in your inbox.
If you've been receiving Facebook emails you didn't knowingly sign up for, check this section first. Facebook sometimes re-enables email notifications after you update your password or change your phone number, so revisit this setting after account changes.
What happens when you turn off all notifications
Turning off notifications does not delete your account, hide your profile, or change your privacy settings. Your friends can still see your posts and message you. You can still use Facebook normally — you just won't be interrupted by alerts. You can turn notifications back on at any time by following the same steps and toggling them back on.
If you turn off all notifications and later realize you're missing important messages, you can turn on just the Messages category. This is a common setup for people who want to use Facebook on their own schedule rather than being pulled in by constant pings.
Why Facebook keeps resetting your notification choices
After you update the Facebook app, change your password, or log in from a new device, some notification settings may reset to Facebook's defaults. This is not a bug — it's intentional. Facebook's default is to send you as many notifications as possible because notifications drive engagement, and engagement is how Facebook makes money.
Check your notification settings after any major account change. If you've turned off notifications and suddenly start receiving them again, log into your settings and verify that your choices are still there. If they're not, toggle them off again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know if I turn off notifications from them?
No. Turning off notifications is invisible to other people. They won't see that you've muted them, and they won't know you're not getting alerts about their activity. Your friendship status and their ability to message you remain unchanged.
Can I turn off notifications for just one type of post, like videos?
Facebook doesn't offer a setting to silence only videos or only photos. You can control broad categories like Comments, Likes, and Tags, but not specific content types. Your best option is to mute the pages or people who post the content you don't want to see.
Why am I still getting notifications after I turned them off?
Check three places: Facebook's in-app settings, Facebook's push notification settings, and your phone's operating system settings. If you've only adjusted one, the others may still be sending notifications. Also verify that you're not getting emails instead of push notifications — they're controlled separately.
Do I need to turn off notifications on both my phone and computer?
Yes. Notifications on your phone and computer are controlled separately. If you only turn them off on your phone, you'll still get them on your computer, and vice versa. Adjust both if you want to silence Facebook everywhere.
Can I schedule quiet hours so notifications stop at night?
Facebook doesn't have a built-in quiet hours feature. Your phone's operating system does: on iPhone, use Focus modes; on Android, use Do Not Disturb. You can set these to set up automatically at a certain time each night and silence all app notifications, including Facebook.