Turn off notifications in Facebook settings, not just on your phone

Facebook notifications interrupt you through multiple channels at once — your phone's lock screen, your email inbox, your browser, and the app itself. Turning them all off requires visiting Facebook's notification settings directly, because your phone's do-not-disturb mode only silences the sound, not the messages themselves. The fastest way is to go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications in the Facebook app or website, then disable the specific types you don't want.

Most people find they don't want to turn off all notifications — you probably still want to know when someone messages you directly. The real control comes from choosing which notifications stay on and which go silent. Facebook's settings let you pick this down to the individual action: you can keep notifications for direct messages but turn off notifications for likes, comments, friend requests, or group activity.

Key Takeaways

  • Notifications come through your phone, email, and the Facebook app separately, so you need to turn them off in Facebook settings, not just your phone's settings.
  • You can disable notifications by type — turn off likes and comments while keeping direct messages on, for example.
  • Facebook sends notifications through three channels: in-app alerts, push notifications to your phone, and email, and each one has its own on-off switch.
  • If you want to keep notifications but reduce interruptions, you can set quiet hours so Facebook only notifies you during times you choose.

How to turn off notifications in the Facebook app

Open Facebook and tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) at the bottom right. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then tap Settings. Look for Notifications — it's usually near the top of the list. Tap it to see all notification types: Comments, Likes, Friend Requests, Group Activity, Events, and others.

For each type, you'll see options like "On", "Off", or sometimes "Muted". Tap the one you want to change. If you want to keep notifications but make them less frequent, some categories let you choose "Muted" instead of "Off" — this means you'll still see them in your notification center, but Facebook won't send you a push notification to your phone or email.

How to turn off notifications on Facebook's website

Go to facebook.com and click the down arrow in the top right corner. Click Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Notifications. You'll see a list of notification types with toggles next to each one — click the toggle to turn any notification off.

The website version gives you more granular control than the app. For some notification types, you can click the notification name itself to see additional options: you might be able to turn off notifications from certain people, certain groups, or certain types of activity within that category. For example, under "Comments", you can choose to be notified only when someone replies directly to your comment, not when others comment on the same post.

Stop email notifications separately

Facebook sends notifications through email even if you've turned off push notifications in the app. To stop these, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Email. You'll see a list of email notification types: Comments, Likes, Friend Requests, Group Invites, and others. Click the toggle next to each one to turn it off.

Some people prefer to keep push notifications off but leave email on, so they see notifications only when they check their email. Others do the opposite. The choice is yours — just remember that turning off notifications in one place doesn't automatically turn them off everywhere.

Use quiet hours to reduce interruptions without turning notifications off

If you want to keep notifications but stop them from interrupting you at certain times, Facebook has a quiet hours feature. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Quiet Hours. Turn on the toggle and set the start and end times — for example, 9 PM to 8 AM. During those hours, Facebook will still collect your notifications, but it won't send you push notifications or emails. You'll see them all waiting in your notification center when quiet hours end.

This is useful if you want to stay connected during work hours but don't want your phone buzzing at night. You can set different quiet hours for weekdays and weekends if you want.

Turn off notifications from specific people or groups

You don't have to turn off all notifications of a certain type — you can silence notifications from specific people or groups instead. On the Facebook app, go to a person's profile, tap the three dots in the top right, and look for "Mute" or "Notifications". You can choose to mute their posts, stories, or notifications. On the website, click the three dots on someone's profile and select "Mute [Name]".

For groups, open the group and tap the bell icon (on the app) or click the bell icon (on the website). You can choose "All Notifications", "Highlights Only", or "Off". This is faster than turning off all group notifications in settings if you only want to silence one or two groups.

What happens to notifications you've already turned off

Turning off a notification type doesn't delete past notifications — they stay in your notification center until you clear them manually. It only stops Facebook from sending you new ones. If you change your mind later and turn a notification type back on, Facebook will start sending new notifications of that type, but it won't resend the old ones you missed.

If you've turned off notifications but still see them appearing, check three things: first, make sure you turned them off in Facebook settings, not just in your phone's settings. Second, check that you didn't accidentally turn on quiet hours and forget about them. Third, if you're on the website, make sure you're logged into the right account — some people have multiple Facebook accounts and don't realize they're checking the wrong one's settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I turned off notifications from them?

No. Turning off notifications is invisible to other people. They won't see that you've muted them or turned off notifications from their activity. Facebook doesn't tell anyone when you change your notification settings.

Can I turn off notifications on my computer but keep them on my phone?

Yes. Notification settings are the same across all devices — if you turn off a notification type in settings, it turns off everywhere. But you can use your phone's settings to silence notifications from the Facebook app specifically, which will stop the sound and vibration without changing Facebook's settings. This is different from turning off the notification in Facebook itself.

Why do I still get notifications after turning them off?

Check whether you turned them off in Facebook settings or just in your phone's settings. Your phone's do-not-disturb mode silences the sound but doesn't stop Facebook from sending notifications. Also check your email settings separately — turning off push notifications doesn't automatically turn off email notifications.

Can I turn off notifications for one type but keep them for direct messages?

Yes. Go to Notifications in settings and turn off each type individually. Direct messages are listed separately, so you can leave that one on while turning off likes, comments, friend requests, and everything else.

What's the difference between "Off" and "Muted"?

"Off" means Facebook won't send you any notification — no push notification, no email, nothing. "Muted" means the notification won't interrupt you with a sound or vibration, but you'll still see it in your notification center when you open Facebook. Not all notification types offer a "Muted" option — some are only "On" or "Off".