Where to find notification settings on Facebook
Facebook stores notification controls in two places: your account settings on the desktop version, and the app settings on your phone. The fastest route depends on which device you use most. On a computer, go to the down arrow in the top right corner, select Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Notifications in the left menu. On an iPhone or Android phone, open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon), scroll down to Settings and privacy, tap Settings, then Notifications.
Once you reach the Notifications page, you will see categories of alerts grouped by type — things like comments, friend requests, messages, and events. Each category has its own on-off switch and sometimes additional choices about how you receive them. The layout is the same whether you use desktop or mobile, though mobile may require more scrolling to see all options.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook notifications are controlled from Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications, accessible on both desktop and mobile.
- You can turn off entire notification categories (like comments or friend requests) or adjust how you receive them — push, email, or both.
- Turning off a notification type in your account settings stops it across all your devices unless you change the setting again.
- Some notifications can be paused temporarily rather than turned off permanently, useful if you want to silence alerts for a few hours.
- Notifications from specific people or groups can be managed separately from your general settings, giving you fine-grained control.
Turning off notification categories
The broadest way to stop notifications is to disable entire categories. In your Notifications settings, you will see sections like Comments, Likes and reactions, Friend requests, Messages, Events, and Groups. Each has a toggle switch next to it. Tap or click the toggle to turn that category off completely. When you do, you will stop receiving notifications for that type of activity across all your devices — phone, tablet, and computer.
Be aware that turning off a category stops all notifications of that type, not just some. If you turn off Comments, for example, you will not be notified when anyone comments on your posts, even people close to you. If you want to stay notified about some comments but not others, you will need to use the finer controls described in the next section instead.
Choosing how you receive notifications
Rather than turning off a notification type entirely, you can change how you receive it. Most notification categories offer three choices: push notifications (alerts that pop up on your phone or computer), email notifications, or both. To adjust this, tap or click on a notification category to expand it. You will see checkboxes or toggles for Push notifications and Email notifications. Uncheck the ones you do not want.
This approach is useful if you want to stay informed but prefer one method over another. For example, you might turn off push notifications for Friend requests so your phone does not buzz constantly, but keep email notifications so you can review them once a day. Or you might turn off email entirely and rely only on push notifications that appear when you are using the app.
Muting notifications from specific people or groups
Facebook also lets you silence notifications from individual people or specific groups without affecting notifications from everyone else. To mute someone, visit their profile, tap the three dots in the top right, and select Mute. A menu will appear with options to mute their posts, stories, or notifications. Choose what you want to mute. You can mute just their notifications while still seeing their posts in your feed, or mute everything.
For groups, open the group page, tap the bell icon with a slash through it (or the three dots, then Mute notifications), and choose whether to mute all notifications, just posts, or just comments. This is helpful if you are in a group that posts frequently but you do not need to be notified every time. The person or group will not know they have been muted.
Pausing notifications temporarily
If you want to silence notifications for a short time without changing your settings permanently, Facebook offers a pause option. On mobile, open the app, tap the menu icon, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications, and look for Pause all notifications or Mute notifications. You will be asked how long to pause — usually options are 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours. On desktop, the same option appears in the same location.
When the pause period ends, notifications resume automatically at their previous settings. This is different from turning off a notification type, which stays off until you manually turn it back on. Pausing is useful during meetings, work, or times when you want uninterrupted focus but do not want to forget to re-enable notifications later.
Adjusting notification sounds and badges
Beyond turning notifications on or off, you can control how they appear. On an iPhone, go to Settings (the phone's system settings, not Facebook's), tap Notifications, find Facebook, and adjust the sound, badge count, and alert style. On Android, open the Facebook app, go to Settings and privacy > Settings > Notifications, and look for Notification sound and Vibration options.
You can also turn off the red badge number that appears on the Facebook app icon when you have unread notifications. This is controlled in your phone's system settings, not in Facebook itself. Removing the badge can reduce the urge to check the app constantly, even if you keep notifications enabled.
What happens when you change notification settings
Changes to your notification settings take effect immediately across all devices. If you turn off a notification category on your computer, your phone will stop sending that type of notification right away. You do not need to log out and back in, and you do not need to restart the app. The change syncs automatically because Facebook stores your settings on its servers, not on individual devices.
If you change your mind, you can turn notifications back on the same way you turned them off. There is no waiting period or confirmation required — just toggle the setting back on. Your notification history (past alerts you received) is not affected by changing your settings going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know if I turn off notifications from them?
No. Turning off notifications is private. The person will not receive any message or alert that you have muted them or disabled their notification type. They can still message you, comment on your posts, and interact with you normally — you just will not be notified when they do.
Can I turn off notifications for one type of post but not another?
Yes, but only for certain categories. For example, you can mute notifications from a specific group or person while keeping notifications from others. For broader categories like Comments, you can turn off all comments notifications or keep them all on, but Facebook does not offer a middle ground like "comments from friends only." Muting specific people or groups is the way to get that level of control.
What is the difference between muting and turning off notifications?
Turning off a notification category in Settings stops that type of alert for everyone. Muting a specific person or group stops notifications only from that person or group, while you keep receiving notifications from others. Muting is more selective; turning off is more broad.
If I pause notifications, will I miss important messages?
You will not receive notifications during the pause period, but the messages and activity will still happen. When the pause ends and notifications resume, you will see a summary or badge showing what you missed. You can also open the app at any time to check manually, even while notifications are paused.
Do notification settings sync between my phone and computer?
Yes. Your notification preferences are stored in your Facebook account, so changes you make on one device appear on all your devices. If you turn off a notification type on your phone, it will be off on your computer too, unless you change it again.