How to Turn Off Notifications on Facebook (Every Type)

Facebook notifications can go from useful to relentless very quickly. A birthday reminder here, a group post there, a comment thread you replied to once that now pings you every few minutes. If you run a business Page as well as a personal profile, the noise doubles. The good news is that you can switch most of it off, and you don't have to choose between everything and nothing.

Facebook splits notifications across several places, which is why it feels hard to find the right switch. This guide follows Facebook's help articles, including Find your Facebook settings and Choose what you get notifications for on Facebook. Menus vary by app version, so some labels may read differently on your screen.

The main Facebook notification settings screen

Facebook's help page describes the Notifications section of Settings as the place to adjust what you get notified about and where you get notifications.

1. Click or tap your profile picture (top right on a computer, or the menu in the app).
2. Choose Settings & privacy, then Settings.
3. Select Notifications.
4. Go through each type, such as comments, tags, reminders, birthdays and groups, and switch off the ones you don't want.

Inside each type you can usually choose where it reaches you, for example push, email or SMS. Turning off push for a category while leaving it on inside Facebook is a good middle ground: you'll see it when you open the app, but your phone won't buzz.

Silencing Facebook push alerts on your phone

Facebook's help article Adjust your mobile push notifications from Facebook says you can change push notifications from your Android, iPhone or iPad settings. That's the bluntest switch, and it overrides whatever you've set inside the app.

• iPhone or iPad: open the Settings app, tap Notifications, choose Facebook and turn off Allow Notifications.
• Android: open Settings, go to Apps (or Apps and notifications), choose Facebook, tap Notifications and switch them off.

The exact wording depends on your phone and its software version. Inside the Facebook app's own Notifications settings, many versions also offer a mute option for push notifications for a set period, which is handy for a focused afternoon or a holiday.

Stopping notifications from one Facebook post

Facebook's help article on post notifications points out something many people miss: if you comment on a post, post notifications are turned on automatically. That's why one comment on a busy thread can lead to dozens of alerts.

To stop them, open the post's menu (the three dots) and turn notifications for that post off. Menus vary by app version, but the option sits in that post menu.

Muting Facebook group notifications

Groups are often the noisiest part of Facebook. Facebook's help article says that to edit your notification settings for a group, you go to the group itself, then choose how much you hear from it. I've written a full walkthrough of turning off notifications for Facebook groups, and if you'd rather keep your membership but stop the posts filling your feed, here's how to unfollow a Facebook group without leaving it.

Alerts from people and Pages you follow on Facebook

The help article on this says that notifications for people or Pages you follow can only be adjusted from a computer. So if you're hunting for the switch in the app and can't find it, that's why. Log in on a laptop or desktop, visit the profile or Page and change the notification option there.

If one person's posts are the problem rather than their alerts, you might prefer to take a break from them in your feed. Here's how to snooze someone on Facebook for a while without unfriending them.

Messenger and Facebook Page notifications

• Messenger has its own settings. Facebook's help article says you can turn notifications off for all conversations or for just one conversation.
• Business Pages have separate notification settings too. Facebook's business help article explains that Page admins change them from the Page's own settings, under push notifications.

For small business owners, my advice is to keep Page message alerts on during your working hours, because a fast reply to an enquiry matters, and switch personal profile alerts down to the essentials.

Which Facebook notification switch to use

What's bothering you	Where to switch it off
Every Facebook alert on your phone	Your phone's own notification settings
A particular type, such as birthdays	Settings, then Notifications
One busy post you commented on	That post's three-dot menu
A chatty group	The group's notification setting
A person or Page you follow	Their profile or Page, on a computer
Messenger chats	Messenger notification settings

When Facebook notifications keep coming back

• Check your phone's settings as well as Facebook's. If either one is on, you may still get alerts.
• Remember that commenting on a post turns post notifications back on.
• Joining a new group can bring a fresh set of alerts, so set it straight away.
• If you use both the app and a browser, change the settings while logged in, as they're tied to your account rather than one screen.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off all Facebook notifications at once?

The quickest way is your phone's own settings. Facebook's help article says you can adjust push notifications from your Android, iPhone or iPad settings.

Why do I keep getting notifications from a post?

Facebook says commenting on a post turns post notifications on automatically. Turn them off from that post's menu.

Why can't I change notifications for a Page I follow in the app?

Facebook's help article says notifications for people or Pages you follow can only be adjusted from a computer.

Will people know I've turned off their notifications?

Facebook's help articles I read don't say it tells anyone. Notification settings are your own preferences.

Do Messenger notifications have separate settings?

Yes. Facebook says you can turn Messenger notifications off for all conversations or for a single conversation.