Facebook notifications disappear when you change a single setting, and the fix depends on where that setting is
Facebook notifications stop arriving for one of four reasons: your phone's operating system blocked them, Facebook's app settings turned them off, your browser disabled them, or Facebook itself paused them because you marked messages as spam. Most people find the problem in their phone settings, not in Facebook. The fastest way to restore them is to check your phone's notification permissions first, then move to Facebook's own controls if that does not work.
The good news is that each setting is independent, so you can fix them one at a time and test after each change. You do not need to change everything at once — start with your phone's operating system, then move to the Facebook app, then to your browser if you use one.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone and Android, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook and confirm notifications are turned on at the operating system level, not just inside the Facebook app.
- Inside the Facebook app, open Settings > Notifications and check that the notification types you want (messages, friend requests, comments) are actually enabled.
- If you use Facebook in a web browser, your browser's notification permission for Facebook may have been revoked — check your browser settings or re-allow notifications when Facebook asks.
- Facebook automatically silences notifications from people you have reported or marked as spam, and you must manually re-enable them to see alerts again.
- Turning off "Quiet Hours" or "Do Not Disturb" on your phone will restore notifications if you set those features to mute all alerts during certain times.
Check your phone's operating system notification settings first
Your phone's operating system controls whether any app can send notifications at all, regardless of what Facebook's settings say. On iPhone, open Settings, scroll to Facebook, tap it, and look for "Notifications". If it says "Allow Notifications" is off, tap it and turn it on. You may also see options for "Sounds" and "Badges" — turn those on too if you want to hear alerts and see red notification dots on the Facebook icon.
On Android, the path varies slightly by phone maker, but the general route is Settings > Apps > Facebook (or process Manager > Facebook on older phones) > Notifications. Look for a toggle that says "Show notifications" and make sure it is on. Some Android phones also have a "Notification channels" option that lets you control notifications for specific Facebook features like Messages or Friend Requests separately — check those too.
If notifications are already on at the operating system level, move to Facebook's own settings. If they were off, turn them on, wait a few minutes, and test by having someone send you a message or comment on your post. If notifications arrive after that, the problem is solved.
Turn on notifications inside the Facebook app
Even when your phone allows notifications, Facebook's app has its own on-off switch for each notification type. Open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines (menu) at the bottom right, scroll down to "Settings & Privacy", tap "Settings", then tap "Notifications". You will see a list of notification types: Messages, Friend Requests, Comments, Likes, Event Invitations, and others.
Each one has a toggle. Make sure the ones you want to see are turned on. If you only want notifications for messages but not for every like or comment, you can turn off the rest. The setting "In-App Notifications" controls whether you see alerts while you are actively using Facebook — turn that on if you want to be notified even when the app is open.
Below the notification types, you may see "Notification Sounds" and "Vibration". Turn both on if you want to hear and feel alerts. If you see "Quiet Hours" or "Do Not Disturb", check that it is not set to a time range that includes right now — if it is, notifications will be silenced until that window closes.
Allow notifications if you use Facebook in a web browser
If you access Facebook through Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge instead of the app, your browser controls notifications. When you first visit Facebook in a new browser, it asks "Allow notifications from Facebook?" — if you clicked "Block" by mistake, notifications will never arrive.
To fix this, open Facebook in your browser and look for a small icon in the address bar — usually a bell with a slash through it, or a lock icon. Click it and look for "Notifications" or "Permissions". Change the setting from "Block" to "Allow". Refresh the page. Facebook should now ask again whether to allow notifications — click "Allow" this time.
If you do not see that icon, go to your browser's settings directly. In Chrome, open Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications, find Facebook in the list, and change it from "Block" to "Allow". In Safari, go to Preferences > Websites > Notifications, find Facebook, and change the dropdown from "Deny" to "Allow". In Firefox, open Preferences > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Notifications, find Facebook, and remove it from the blocked list.
Re-enable notifications from people you reported or marked as spam
If you reported someone's message as spam or blocked them, Facebook automatically stops sending you notifications from that person. This is a safety feature, but it also means you will not see alerts if you later want to hear from them again.
To restore notifications from a specific person, open a conversation with them in Messenger, tap their name at the top, scroll down to "Notifications", and make sure it is set to "On" instead of "Muted" or "Off". If you blocked them entirely, you must unblock them first — go to Settings > Blocked People, find their name, and tap "Unblock".
If you marked a message thread as spam, open your Messenger inbox, find the conversation, swipe left on it (iPhone) or long-press it (Android), and look for "Mark as Not Spam" or "Unblock". After you do that, notifications should resume.
Check whether Do Not Disturb or Quiet Hours is active on your phone
Most phones have a Do Not Disturb or Quiet Hours feature that silences all notifications during set times. If this is turned on, Facebook notifications will not arrive even if everything else is configured correctly. On iPhone, swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center and look for a crescent moon icon — if it is highlighted, Do Not Disturb is on. Tap it to turn it off.
On Android, swipe down twice from the top to open the full notification panel and look for "Do Not Disturb" or "Quiet Hours" — if it is on, tap it to turn it off. You can also go to Settings > Sound and Vibration > Do Not Disturb and check the schedule. If it is set to turn on during times you are normally awake, consider adjusting the schedule or turning it off entirely.
Some phones also have a "Focus Mode" (iPhone) or "Focus" (Android) that works similarly — check that too. If any of these features are active, they will block all notifications until you disable them or wait for the scheduled time to end.
Restart Facebook and your phone if notifications still do not work
Sometimes Facebook's notification system gets stuck and needs a fresh start. Close the Facebook app completely — on iPhone, swipe up from the bottom to see open apps and swipe Facebook away; on Android, open Settings > Apps > Facebook and tap "Force Stop". Wait 10 seconds, then open Facebook again.
If that does not work, restart your phone entirely. Turn it off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. This clears temporary glitches that can block notifications. After your phone restarts, open Facebook and test by having someone send you a message or tag you in a comment. If notifications still do not arrive after restarting, check whether you are using an old version of the Facebook app. Open your phone's app store (App Store on iPhone, Google Play on Android), search for Facebook, and tap "Update" if an update is available. Outdated versions sometimes have notification bugs that newer versions fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I get notifications on my phone but not in my browser?
Your phone and browser have separate notification settings. Your phone's operating system controls app notifications, while your browser controls web notifications. Check both — allow notifications in your browser's settings and make sure your phone's operating system permission for Facebook is on.
Can I get notifications only for messages and not for likes or comments?
Yes. Open the Facebook app, go to Settings > Notifications, and turn off the notification types you do not want (Likes, Comments, etc.) while keeping Messages on. You can customize each type separately.
What if I turned off notifications on purpose but now want them back?
Go to your phone's Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications and turn them on. Then open the Facebook app, go to Settings > Notifications, and turn on the specific types you want to see. Both levels must be on for notifications to arrive.
Do notifications work if my phone is in airplane mode?
No. Airplane mode turns off all wireless connections, so your phone cannot receive notifications from Facebook's servers. Turn off airplane mode to restore notifications.
Why does Facebook keep asking me to allow notifications every time I open it?
Your browser is set to ask each time instead of remembering your choice. When Facebook asks, click "Allow" and look for a checkbox that says "Remember this choice" or "Do not ask again". Check that box so it stops asking.