Look, we've all been there. You’re sitting at dinner, trying to have a normal human conversation, and your pocket starts vibrating like a frantic hummingbird. You check it. Is it an emergency? No. It’s a notification telling you that a guy you haven't spoken to since tenth-grade biology just posted a photo of his sourdough bread. Honestly, the "ping" fatigue is real. People constantly ask me, how do i turn off notifications on facebook, and the answer isn't just about clicking a single button. It’s about reclaiming your sanity from an algorithm designed to keep you scrolling until your eyes blur.
Facebook's notification system is a sprawling, multi-headed beast. You have push notifications hitting your lock screen, red dots (the "jewels") screaming for attention inside the app, and those relentless emails that somehow find their way into your primary inbox. If you want to stop the noise, you have to be surgical. You can't just delete the app—well, you can, but most of us need it for groups or Marketplace—so you have to learn to muzzle it properly.
The Nuclear Option vs. The Scalpel
There are two ways to handle this. You can go into your phone's system settings and just revoke Facebook’s right to speak entirely. This is the nuclear option. On an iPhone, you head to Settings, then Notifications, find Facebook, and toggle "Allow Notifications" to off. Done. Silence. On Android, it's roughly the same: Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications.
But wait.
What if you actually want to know when your mom tags you in a family photo? Or what if you're selling a couch on Marketplace and need to see buyer messages? This is where the scalpel comes in. Facebook gives you granular control, but they hide it deep. They don't want you to turn them off. Every notification is a "hook" to get you back into the ecosystem. Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, talks extensively about how these variable rewards keep us coming back. That red dot is a dopamine hit. Stopping it requires going into the belly of the beast.
How Do I Turn Off Notifications on Facebook via the Mobile App?
Most of us live on our phones. To fix this in the app, tap those three horizontal lines (the hamburger menu) in the bottom right on iOS or top right on Android. Scroll down. You'll see "Settings & Privacy." Tap it. Then tap "Settings." Now, you’re looking for "Notifications" under the "Preferences" section.
This screen is a long, slightly overwhelming list.
Facebook breaks it down by "What Notifications You Receive." You’ll see categories like Comments, Tags, Reminders, More Activity About You, Updates from Friends, and so on. If you tap into "Comments," for example, you can choose to turn off Push, Email, and SMS individually.
Dealing with the Red Dots
Ever notice how even if you turn off push notifications, the app icon still has that little red number? Or when you open the app, the "Watch" icon or the "Groups" icon has a red dot? That’s called a "Shortcut Bar" notification. To kill these, go back to Settings, search for "Navigation bar," and tap "Customize the bar." From there, you can actually turn off those annoying notification dots for specific shortcuts. It makes the app feel a thousand times less "loud" when you open it.
I personally find "People You May Know" to be the most annoying one. No, Facebook, I do not want to connect with my dentist’s brother-in-law. You can toggle that entire category off.
The Desktop Method: A Different Beast
If you're on a computer, the layout is different but the logic remains the same. Click your profile picture in the top right. Select "Settings & Privacy," then "Settings." On the left-hand sidebar, click "Notifications."
Here’s a pro tip: look for the "Browser" section. This is where you stop those little pop-up boxes that appear in the corner of your Mac or PC screen even when you don't have the Facebook tab open. If you’ve ever accidentally clicked "Allow" on a Chrome prompt, this is how you take it back.
Group Notifications are the Real Killer
Groups are the biggest source of notification clutter. If you're in a busy group like "Local Community News" or a hobbyist group, you might be getting dozens of pings a day. To fix this, you don't actually go through the main notification settings. You have to go to the specific Group page.
- Open the Group.
- Tap "Joined."
- Tap "Manage Notifications."
- Change it from "All Posts" to "Highlights" or "Off."
"Highlights" is usually the sweet spot. It uses the algorithm to only tell you about posts that are getting a lot of traction or are from your actual friends within the group. If you set it to "Off," you’ll only see things if you’re specifically mentioned or if someone replies to your comment. It’s a game-changer for digital minimalism.
Why Your Email is Flooded
Let’s talk about the inbox. Facebook is notorious for "summary" emails. You know the ones: "You have 14 notifications waiting for you." Or "So-and-so posted a link."
In the notification settings (under the "How You Get Notifications" section at the bottom), tap "Email." Most people have this set to "All notifications, except the ones you turn off." Switch that to "Only about your account, security, and privacy." This effectively kills the marketing fluff while keeping your account safe from hackers by ensuring you still get password reset or login alerts.
The Quiet Mode Strategy
Sometimes you don't want to delete notifications forever; you just want them to go away while you're working or sleeping. Facebook actually built a tool for this called "Quiet Mode."
You can find it under "Your Time on Facebook" in the Settings menu. It allows you to schedule a block of time where the app won't send push notifications and will actually show you a timer if you try to open the app. It's a bit like a self-imposed "Time Out." It’s useful if you lack the willpower to stay off the app during work hours but don't want to go through the hassle of toggling twenty different switches.
Dealing with "Birthdays" and "On This Day"
Facebook loves nostalgia because nostalgia leads to engagement. But honestly? I don't need a notification at 9:00 AM telling me it’s the birthday of a guy I met at a conference in 2014.
In the "What Notifications You Receive" list, there is a specific toggle for "Birthdays." Turn it off. There’s also one for "Memories." If you find seeing old photos of your ex or a deceased pet to be a bit much for a Tuesday morning, you can disable these or filter them by date or person.
Misconceptions About Turning Off Notifications
One big myth is that turning off notifications will hide your posts from friends. That’s not how the feed works. Notifications and Feed Reach are two totally separate systems. Another misconception is that "Muting" a person is the same as turning off notifications.
If you "Mute" a friend’s story, you just won't see their updates at the top of your feed. If they tag you in a comment, you'll still get a ping unless you've adjusted your "Tags" settings. If you want to stop hearing from a specific person without unfriending them, you actually want the "Unfollow" button. You stay friends, but they never show up in your feed, and you won't get notified about their life updates.
The Mental Health Angle
We have to acknowledge the "why" here. Research from the University of California, Irvine, suggests it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to a task after being interrupted. Every time your phone lights up with a Facebook notification, you aren't just losing three seconds to look at it; you're losing nearly half an hour of deep focus.
The "fear of missing out" (FOMO) is a real psychological trigger that Facebook uses. By asking how do i turn off notifications on facebook, you are essentially taking the first step in a "digital detox." It’s about moving from reactive technology use to intentional technology use.
Practical Next Steps for a Cleaner Phone
If you want to finish this once and for all, don't just read this and close the tab. Do these three things right now:
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- The 2-Minute Audit: Go to Settings > Notifications on the Facebook app. Turn off "People You May Know," "Birthdays," and "Marketplace" (unless you use it daily).
- The Group Purge: Go to your Groups tab. Tap the gear icon (Settings) and then "Notifications." Scan the list. If a group has "All Posts" turned on, switch it to "Highlights" or "Off."
- The Lock Screen Rule: Go to your phone's main system settings. Keep Facebook notifications on if you must, but disable "Lock Screen" previews. This way, you have to actually go looking for the news rather than it shouting at you every time you glance at your phone.
By narrowing the "noise" down to only what matters—like direct mentions or urgent messages—you stop being a slave to the red dot. Facebook is a tool. It should work for you, not the other way around. Once you've silenced the unnecessary pings, you'll likely find that you don't actually miss the sourdough bread updates as much as you thought you would.