Where to find Facebook notification settings

Facebook stores notification controls in three different places depending on what you want to turn off: your phone's operating system settings, Facebook's own app settings, and your account settings on Facebook.com. Most people need to adjust settings in more than one place to fully silence notifications, because Facebook can send alerts through each channel independently.

The fastest route is usually your phone's settings, which controls whether Facebook can interrupt you at all. But if you want to keep some notifications (like messages from close friends) while blocking others (like activity suggestions), you'll need to go into Facebook's app settings instead. Account settings on the website let you control what Facebook stores about your notification preferences across all your devices.

Key Takeaways

  • Your phone's operating system settings are the master switch — turning off notifications there stops all Facebook alerts, even if the app itself is set to send them.
  • Facebook's app settings let you pick which types of notifications you want to receive, such as messages only or birthday reminders only.
  • Account settings on Facebook.com control notification preferences that sync across your phone, tablet, and computer.
  • Disabling notifications does not delete your account or hide your profile — it only stops the alerts from reaching you.
  • Email and text message notifications are controlled separately from push notifications and require their own settings adjustments.

Turning off notifications on iPhone

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Notifications, then scroll down and tap Facebook. You will see a toggle for "Allow Notifications" at the top — turn it off to stop all alerts from Facebook. This is the most complete way to silence the app on iPhone, because it prevents Facebook from sending any notification to your device, regardless of what the app itself is set to do.

If you want to keep some notifications but block others, leave "Allow Notifications" on and instead adjust the options below it. You can turn off "Badges" (the red number on the app icon), "Sounds" (audio alerts), or "Banners" (pop-up messages that appear on your screen). You can also scroll down to "Notification Grouping" and change it from "Automatic" to "Off" if notifications are stacking up in your lock screen.

Turning off notifications on Android

On Android, open Settings, then Apps or process Manager, then find and tap Facebook. Tap Notifications, then toggle off "Show Notifications" to stop all alerts. Some Android phones label this differently — look for "Notifications" or "App Notifications" in the Facebook app settings instead if you cannot find it in the system settings.

If you want to keep notifications but reduce how often they appear, leave "Show Notifications" on and adjust "Notification Sound" or "Vibration" instead. You can also tap "Advanced" or "More Settings" to find options for blocking notifications during certain hours or from certain types of activity.

Controlling notifications inside the Facebook app

Open Facebook, tap the three horizontal lines (menu) at the bottom right, scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then tap Settings. Scroll to "Notifications" and tap it. You will see a list of notification types: Messages, Friend Requests, Comments, Likes, Event Invitations, and others. Tap each one to choose whether you want notifications, and how often.

For each notification type, Facebook usually offers three choices: "On" (you get alerts), "Off" (you get no alerts), or a frequency option like "All" or "Muted". If you tap "Messages," for example, you can choose to get notifications for all messages, only messages from close friends, or no message notifications at all. This is where you fine-tune which activities actually reach you, rather than blocking everything at once.

Managing notifications on Facebook.com

Log into Facebook on a computer or mobile browser, click the question mark icon in the top right, then click Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Notifications. You will see categories like "In-App," "Email," and "Text Message" — each one controls a different way Facebook tries to reach you.

Click "In-App" to control notifications that appear while you are using Facebook. Click "Email" to control what Facebook sends to your email address — this is separate from your phone notifications and often the source of unwanted alerts. Click "Text Message" if you have set up SMS notifications. For each category, you can turn off entire notification types or adjust the frequency from "All" to "Muted" to "Off".

Stopping email and text notifications

Email notifications are often the most persistent because they arrive in your inbox even when you are not using Facebook. To stop them, log into Facebook.com, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings, click Notifications on the left, then click Email. You will see a long list of email notification types. Click "Unsubscribe" next to any you do not want, or click the dropdown next to each one and select "Off".

Text message notifications work the same way — go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Text Message, then turn off the types you do not want. If you have never set up text notifications, you will not see this section. If you are receiving text messages from Facebook and do not remember signing up, you can reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe, or go to your phone's settings and block Facebook's number.

What to do if notifications keep coming back

Sometimes after you turn off notifications, they reappear a few days or weeks later. This usually happens because Facebook has added a new notification type or changed your settings during an app update. Check your notification settings again using the steps above — particularly the Email section on Facebook.com, which is where most unwanted notifications reappear.

If you have turned off notifications in multiple places and they still arrive, check whether you are logged into Facebook on more than one device. Each device has its own notification settings, so you may need to adjust settings on your phone, tablet, and computer separately. You can also check your Facebook login activity by going to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security & Login to see what devices are currently connected to your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications delete my account or hide my profile?

No. Disabling notifications only stops alerts from reaching you. Your account remains active, your profile stays visible to your friends, and you can still use Facebook normally. You straightforward will not be interrupted by alerts.

Can I turn off notifications for one person but keep them for others?

Yes, but only for messages. Open a conversation with that person, tap their name at the top, scroll down and tap "Mute Notifications," then choose how long to mute them. For other notification types like comments or likes, you can only turn the entire category on or off.

Why am I still getting Facebook notifications after I turned them off?

You may have notifications enabled in one place but not another. Check your phone's system settings, the Facebook app settings, and Facebook.com account settings — you need to turn them off in all three to stop all alerts. Also check your email settings, since Facebook often sends notifications there even when app notifications are off.

Do I need to turn off notifications on every device I use?

Yes. Your phone, tablet, and computer each have separate notification settings. Turning off notifications on your iPhone does not affect your iPad or Android phone. You need to adjust settings on each device you use to access Facebook.

Can I turn off notifications for just certain hours of the day?

Facebook does not have a built-in "quiet hours" feature for its own notifications. However, your phone's operating system does — on iPhone, use Focus modes; on Android, use Do Not Disturb. These will silence all notifications from all apps during the hours you set, including Facebook.