- What ignoring means on Messenger today
- How to ignore a group chat on Messenger
- Ignoring one person on Messenger: the closest options
- Ignoring people who aren't your Facebook friends on Messenger
- Ignoring someone on Messenger without hurting a working relationship
- If someone won't stop messaging you on Messenger
- Frequently asked questions
To ignore someone on Messenger, mute or restrict their chat. Messenger's own Ignore option is now described for group chats only: it moves the chat to Archive and stops notifications. For one person, muting silences alerts, restricting also hides the chat, and blocking cuts them off completely.
Sometimes you don't want to cut someone off, you just want their chat to stop demanding attention. Maybe it's a relative who sends endless forwards, a contact from an old project, or a group chat that never goes quiet. Messenger used to have a simple Ignore option for any conversation. Here's what Messenger's help pages describe now, and the closest ways to get the same peace.
What ignoring means on Messenger today
Messenger's current help centre describes ignoring for group chats. It says that if you choose to ignore a group chat, the chat moves to your Archive folder and you stop receiving notifications for new messages from it. I couldn't find a help page describing an Ignore button for a one-to-one conversation, and the help centre's list of blocking, reporting and deleting topics doesn't include one. So for a single person, the help points you to other tools, and I'll go through them below.
How to ignore a group chat on Messenger
These steps are from Messenger's help for the phone app:
- From Chats, tap and hold the group chat you'd like to ignore.
- Tap Ignore.
The group disappears from your main list and goes quiet. The help pages don't describe any notice going to the group, though people may still notice that you've gone quiet. If you change your mind, you can bring it back at any time:
- Tap Menu.
- Tap Archive.
- Tap and hold the group chat you'd like to move.
- Tap Unarchive.
If you're not sure where archived chats end up, my guide to archiving chats on Messenger explains the folder in more detail.
Ignoring one person on Messenger: the closest options
For a single contact, Messenger gives you three levels of quiet, and the right one depends on how much distance you want.
Mute the chat so it stops buzzing
Muting keeps the conversation exactly where it sits but switches its alerts off. Messenger's help says you can turn notification alerts off for a single conversation, and you choose how long. On Android, tap and hold the conversation in Chats, tap Mute, pick what to mute and for how long, then tap OK. On iPhone, swipe left on the conversation in Chats, tap More, tap Mute and choose how long. My separate walkthrough of muting someone on Messenger has more detail.
Restrict the person for a bigger step back
Restrict goes further. According to Messenger's help pages, a restricted person's chat leaves your Chats list, you stop getting notifications when they message you, and Messenger doesn't tell them. They also can't see when you're online or whether you've opened their messages. On Android you tap and hold the conversation and tap Restrict. It's the nearest thing to the old one-to-one Ignore, because you can still change your mind later from Settings, then Privacy & safety, then Restricted accounts.
Block the person when you want them gone
Blocking is the strongest option. Messenger's help says that blocking someone's Facebook profile on Messenger also blocks their profile on Facebook, and they won't be able to message, call or find your profile on Messenger or Facebook chat. Profiles aren't notified. If you only block messages and calls, you'll still see their Facebook profile. If you aren't ready for that, the help suggests restricting, turning off chat notifications or deleting the conversation instead.
| Option | What your chats list does | What Messenger's help says about the other person |
|---|---|---|
| Ignore (group chats) | Chat moves to Archive; no notifications | Help describes no notice to others |
| Mute | Chat stays; alerts off for the time you choose | Help describes no notice |
| Restrict | Chat leaves your Chats list; no notifications | Not told; can't see your online or read status |
| Block | Blocks messages and calls | Not notified; can't find your profile if you block the profile |
Ignoring people who aren't your Facebook friends on Messenger
If someone you're not connected with on Facebook messages you, it arrives as a message request rather than a normal chat. Messenger's help says that accepting a request connects you with the person who sent it, so you can simply leave it alone. From Requests, you can reply, delete the request or block the person. On a computer, that's messenger.com, then Requests on the left, then hover over the request, click Options and choose Delete chat. Phone menus vary by app version, so look for Requests in your app.
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For a business, that matters. Leaving a request unaccepted is a polite way to avoid spam, but real enquiries can sit there too. It's worth looking through your Requests now and then.
Ignoring someone on Messenger without hurting a working relationship
If this is a client, supplier or colleague, I'd lean towards mute rather than restrict or block. A muted chat still collects their messages, so you can catch up on your own schedule, and you won't miss something that matters. A restricted chat disappears from your list, which makes it much easier to forget an important request. Decide who really needs to stay visible and who just needs a quiet corner. It takes a minute and saves a lot of irritation later.
If someone won't stop messaging you on Messenger
Ignoring is for annoyance, not for harassment. If someone is threatening you or making you feel unsafe, don't just mute them. Block them, report the message or conversation inside Messenger, and if you're in danger, contact the police. Keep screenshots of anything worrying before you block.
Related guides live in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Can you ignore someone on Messenger?
Messenger's help describes ignoring for group chats. For one person, the closest options are mute, restrict and block.
What happens when you ignore a group chat on Messenger?
It moves to your Archive folder and you stop getting notifications for new messages from it. You can unarchive it at any time.
Is restricting the same as ignoring on Messenger?
It's the nearest equivalent. A restricted person's chat leaves your Chats list and Messenger doesn't tell them.
Will someone know if I mute their chat?
Messenger's help pages describe muting as a notification setting and don't say the other person is told.
How do I stop message requests on Messenger?
You can leave a request unaccepted, delete it, or block the person from the Requests list.
