Turn off Facebook notifications in three places

Facebook sends notifications through three separate channels: your phone (push notifications), your email inbox, and the notification bell inside Facebook itself. To stop seeing them, you need to turn them off in each place independently — turning off one does not affect the others. Most people want to disable push notifications first, since those are the pings that interrupt you throughout the day.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Facebook on iPhone, Android, or a web browser. The good news is that once you know where to look, each takes about two minutes.

Key Takeaways

  • Push notifications (the pings on your phone) are controlled in your phone's settings, not in Facebook itself, and you can turn them off entirely or choose which types to receive.
  • Email notifications are managed inside Facebook under Settings & Privacy, and you can disable them all at once or pick which ones to keep.
  • The notification bell inside Facebook shows activity from your friends and pages you follow, and you can mute specific people or pages without unfollowing them.
  • If you turn off notifications but later want them back, the same steps let you turn them back on — nothing is permanent.

Disable push notifications on iPhone

Push notifications on iPhone are controlled through your phone's Settings app, not through Facebook. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Facebook, then tap Notifications. You will see a toggle for "Allow Notifications" — turn it off to stop all Facebook notifications from reaching your phone.

If you want to keep some notifications but block others, leave "Allow Notifications" on and scroll down to see your options. You can turn off the notification badge (the red number on the Facebook app icon), turn off sounds, or turn off banners (the alerts that pop up at the top of your screen). Some people keep notifications on but disable sounds and badges so they only see alerts when they open Facebook.

Disable push notifications on Android

On Android, open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (the menu) in the bottom right corner. Tap Settings & Privacy, then Settings. Scroll down to Notifications and tap it. You will see "Notifications" at the top — tap it and select "Off" to turn off all push notifications.

If you want finer control, stay in the Notifications menu and look for "Notification Type". You can turn off notifications for specific activities like comments, friend requests, or messages while keeping others on. This is useful if you want to know when someone messages you but do not care about every like or comment.

Turn off email notifications

Email notifications are managed inside Facebook on any device. On your phone or computer, open Facebook and tap the three horizontal lines (menu). Tap Settings & Privacy, then Settings. Scroll down to find Notifications and tap it. Look for "Email" and tap it.

You will see a long list of email notification types: comments, friend requests, event invitations, and many others. Each one has a dropdown menu set to "On" or "Off". The fastest way to stop all email notifications is to scroll to the bottom and look for an option like "Unsubscribe from all" or "Turn off all email notifications" — Facebook sometimes labels this differently depending on your account region. If you do not see a bulk option, you can turn off each type individually by changing the dropdown to "Off".

Manage notifications inside Facebook

The notification bell icon inside Facebook (usually at the top of your screen) shows activity from people you follow and pages you like. You cannot turn this off entirely without leaving Facebook, but you can control what shows up there. Tap the notification bell, then look for a settings icon (usually a gear or three dots) and tap it.

From here you can choose notification preferences — for example, you might want to see messages and friend requests but not every comment on posts you are tagged in. You can also mute specific people or pages. If you mute someone, you will not see their posts or activity in your notifications, but you remain friends with them and they cannot tell you muted them. To mute someone, go to their profile, tap the three dots next to their name, and select "Mute".

What happens when you turn off notifications

Turning off notifications does not delete your account, change your privacy settings, or stop Facebook from collecting data about you. It only stops the alerts from reaching you. You can still see messages, comments, and posts when you open Facebook — you just will not get pinged about them.

If you turn off all notifications and later miss them, you can turn them back on using the same steps. There is no penalty for changing your mind, and you can adjust your settings as often as you want. Many people turn notifications off during work or sleep and turn them back on in the evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I turned off notifications?

No. Turning off notifications is a private setting on your device. No one can see that you disabled alerts, and it does not change how you appear to other people on Facebook.

Can I turn off notifications for just one person?

Yes. Go to their profile, tap the three dots next to their name, and select "Mute". You can mute their posts, their stories, or both. They will not be notified, and you will still be friends with them.

What if I turn off push notifications but still want text messages from Facebook?

Push notifications and text messages are separate. Push notifications are controlled in your phone settings or Facebook app. Text messages are usually managed in Facebook's notification settings under a "SMS" or "Text Message" section. You can turn off one and keep the other on.

Do I have to turn off notifications in all three places?

No. Turn off notifications only in the places where you receive them. If you do not get Facebook emails, you do not need to change email settings. If you use Facebook only on your computer, you do not need to adjust phone settings.