How to manage or turn off Facebook notifications

Facebook notifications can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you obviously want to keep on top of the conversations you are participating in, but on the other hand, too many notifications can be really annoying, like if someone keeps poking you. This is why you should constantly manage and even turn off Facebook notifications in some instances so you don’t have to continually delete them. Here’s the complete step-by-process to doing both on the desktop Facebook, the mobile app, and Facebook Messenger.

How to manage and turn off Facebook notifications on the desktop site

As always, tweaks like these go through the Settings menu. Click your profile avatar at the top-right of the page, and in the menu that appears, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Notifications.

You will now be presented with a very extensive list of all the notifications Facebook can give you. It is then a case of methodically working your way down the list and selecting notification settings for each notification type.

You can choose between a push notification (one that appears on the Facebook page), an email, an SMS, or any combination of the three. To turn off Facebook notifications entirely, toggle all of the options off.

In some cases, such as Reminders, there is a separate toggle to turn off Facebook notifications. Just turn everything off to be on the safe side.

How to manage and turn off Facebook notifications on the app

It is the same procedure on the app, but as always, it’s a case of figuring out where the settings have been hidden.

• Tap the Menu button at the bottom-right of the screen.
• Scroll down and select Settings & Privacy > Settings.
• Tap Notification settings.
• Go down the notification list and enable or disable each one. The app also has a handy mute button that you can use to temporarily silence all notifications.

How to manage and turn off Facebook notifications on Messenger

This guide wouldn’t be complete without looking to see how to manage and turn off your notifications on Facebook Messenger. After all, this is the one part of Facebook where you’re likely to get the most notifications from, especially if you like to talk. So how do you avoid being overwhelmed by Messenger notifications (apart from not talking so much, that is)?

Mute the other person’s messages

If someone is talking too much to you, you can mute their messages for a certain length of time. On the right-hand side of Messenger, click the Mute button.

Then decide how for long the mute should last for. During that time, no chat windows will open and you will receive no notifications.

General Messenger notification settings

If you prefer a broader brush and you want to manage your notifications for everyone, then go to the main Facebook newsfeed page. At the bottom-right, you’ll see your Messenger contacts. Click the three vertical dots.

There are some settings here that can help you manage and control your Messenger notifications. Toggle off the ones that you don’t need or want. Also consider disabling Active Status. This removes the green dot, indicating you are online. People won’t message you if they think you’re not there.

Now click Message delivery settings.

If you are in the habit of getting spam messages on Facebook, you can specify here what should be done with these messages. Should they go to your chat, to a separate Message requests folder (where you don’t get a notification), or not receive those messages at all? Click the blue Edit button, drop down the menu, and decide.

Messenger notifications on iOS and Android

If you want to enable or disable Messenger notifications on the mobile app, then you will need to do it from within the phone notification settings. Go to that section in your phone settings, find Messenger, and there will be notification options there.

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