Where Facebook notifications live and how to find them
Facebook sends notifications through four channels: the bell icon on the website, your phone's lock screen and home screen, email, and text message. To stop them, you need to know which channel is bothering you most, because turning off one does not turn off the others. A notification that pops up on your phone while you are working is different from an email that arrives at 11 p.m., and Facebook treats them separately.
Start by noticing which notifications actually interrupt you. If your phone buzzes constantly during the day, focus on mobile notifications first. If your inbox is full of Facebook emails you never read, tackle email notifications. You do not have to turn everything off at once — you can silence one channel and keep another, depending on what fits your life.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook notifications come through four separate channels — the website bell icon, phone notifications, email, and text — and you must turn each one off independently.
- On your phone, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications and toggle off the categories that interrupt you most, or turn off all notifications and re-enable only the ones you want.
- On the Facebook website, click the bell icon, then Settings, then turn off notification types one by one or use the "Mute all" option at the bottom.
- Email and text notifications are controlled in Facebook Settings > Notifications, where you can choose "Off" for each type or keep only messages from close friends and family.
- The fastest way to stop all Facebook notifications is to turn off app notifications at the phone level, which stops everything without entering Facebook itself.
Turning off notifications on your phone
Your phone's operating system controls whether Facebook can send notifications at all. This is the most powerful place to stop them, because it works even if Facebook tries to re-enable notifications inside the app.
On iPhone: Open Settings, scroll to Facebook, tap Notifications, and toggle off "Allow Notifications." This stops everything from Facebook when ready. If you want to keep some notifications — say, messages from close friends — leave "Allow Notifications" on, then scroll down and turn off individual categories like "Comments and Likes" or "Event Invitations."
On Android: Open Settings, go to Apps, find Facebook, tap Notifications, and toggle off "Show Notifications." You can also tap "Advanced" to turn off specific notification types while keeping others. Some Android phones call this section "App Notifications" or "Notification Settings" depending on the manufacturer.
If you want to keep your phone notifications but silence them during certain hours, both iPhone and Android let you set "Quiet Hours" or "Do Not Disturb" schedules. Facebook notifications will still arrive, but your phone will not buzz or light up during those times.
Turning off notifications on the Facebook website
If you use Facebook on a computer or tablet, the website sends its own notifications — the bell icon in the top right corner that shows a red number. You can turn these off without touching your phone settings.
Click the bell icon, then click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right of the menu that appears. You will see a list of notification types: "Comments," "Likes," "Friend Requests," "Event Invitations," and others. Click the toggle next to each one to turn it off. If you want to turn off everything at once, scroll to the bottom and click "Mute all."
These website notifications do not affect your phone or email — they only stop the alerts you see while you are on Facebook.com or Facebook.com in a browser tab. If you close Facebook, you will not see them anyway.
Stopping Facebook emails
Facebook sends emails for comments, likes, friend requests, event invitations, and group activity. These pile up in your inbox even if you have turned off phone and website notifications.
Go to Facebook Settings (the downward arrow in the top right corner, then Settings and Privacy > Settings). On the left sidebar, click "Notifications." You will see a list of email notification types. Next to each one, click the dropdown menu and choose "Off." You can also choose "Friends" to receive emails only from people on your close friends list, or "Followers" for public figures.
If you want to keep receiving messages from Facebook but nothing else, find "Messages" in this list and leave it on, then turn everything else off. Some people also keep "Security and Login" on so they know if someone tries to access their account from a new device.
Stopping text message notifications
Facebook can also send SMS text messages for messages, friend requests, and group activity. These are less common than email or phone notifications, but they use your phone's data plan and can be annoying.
In Facebook Settings > Notifications, look for the section labeled "Text Message (SMS)" or "Mobile Phone." Click the dropdown next to each notification type and choose "Off." You can also remove your phone number from Facebook entirely by going to Settings > Personal Information and deleting the phone number in the "Mobile" field. This stops all text notifications at once.
What to do if notifications keep coming back
Facebook sometimes re-enables notifications after you turn them off, especially after app updates or when you change your password. If you notice notifications returning, check your phone settings first — that is the hardest place for Facebook to override.
If you have turned off notifications at the phone level and they still appear, uninstall the Facebook app and use Facebook through your phone's web browser instead. The browser version does not send phone notifications, only website notifications when you are actively on the site. You can also check whether you have the Facebook app and the Messenger app installed separately — Messenger sends its own notifications and must be silenced in its own settings.
Keeping notifications you actually want
You do not have to turn off all notifications. Some people want to hear about messages from close friends but not about likes on old posts. Others want event reminders but nothing else.
Start by turning everything off, then turn back on only the categories that actually matter to you. On your phone, this means going back to Settings > Facebook > Notifications and toggling on only "Messages" or "Close Friends." On the website, click the bell icon and toggle on only the types you want. In email settings, choose "Friends" instead of "Off" for the notifications you want to keep.
The goal is to make Facebook work for you instead of the other way around. If a notification does not change what you do or help you stay connected to someone you care about, it is noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off notifications stop me from seeing messages?
No. Turning off notifications only stops the alerts. Messages will still arrive in your inbox on Facebook — you just will not get a buzz, email, or notification telling you they came in. You can check your messages whenever you open Facebook.
Can I turn off notifications for one person but keep them for others?
On the website and app, you can mute individual people. Go to their profile, click the three dots, and choose "Mute." You can also use "Close Friends" in your notification settings to receive alerts only from people on that list. Email settings let you choose "Friends" to hear only from your friends list.
Why do notifications keep coming back after I turn them off?
Facebook sometimes re-enables notifications after app updates or password changes. The most reliable fix is to turn off notifications at your phone's system level (Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications) rather than inside the Facebook app itself. Your phone's operating system is harder for Facebook to override.
What is the difference between turning off notifications on my phone versus on the website?
Phone notifications are alerts that pop up on your lock screen or home screen. Website notifications are the bell icon alerts you see while browsing Facebook on a computer. Turning off one does not affect the other. You need to turn both off separately if you want to stop all notifications.
If I turn off all notifications, will Facebook still track my activity?
Notifications and tracking are separate. Turning off notifications only stops the alerts you receive — it does not change what Facebook collects about your behavior on the site or elsewhere. That is controlled by privacy settings and ad preferences, not notification settings.