Yes, it is possible to disable stories on Facebook. Stories are the short ephemeral photo and video posts that appear in a bar at the top of the Facebook app. While stories have become a popular feature on many social media platforms, not everyone likes seeing them on Facebook. Fortunately, Facebook does allow you to disable stories in the app so you don’t have to see them.
What are Facebook stories?
Facebook stories are short photo or video posts that users can share to their profile. Stories appear in a bar at the top of the Facebook app and last for 24 hours before disappearing. Some key things to know about Facebook stories:
- They can include photos, videos, text, stickers, drawings, and animated filters/effects.
- Stories are shared to your profile, where your Facebook friends can view them.
- Only people you’re connected with as friends on Facebook can see your stories.
- Stories disappear after 24 hours and don’t remain permanently visible on your profile.
- You can see who has viewed your stories through the seen status under each story.
- You can react and reply to friends’ stories with emojis, text, photos, or video messages.
The stories format was popularized on apps like Snapchat and Instagram before Facebook adopted it. The ephemeral, casual nature of stories appeals to many social media users.
Why do some people want to disable Facebook stories?
There are a few key reasons why some Facebook users choose to disable stories:
- They find stories distracting – Stories auto-play as you scroll through the app, which some find disruptive to their experience.
- Privacy concerns – Even though stories disappear in 24 hours, some people are uncomfortable with the ephemeral sharing culture.
- Prefer permanence – Many people are used to Facebook as a way to permanently document life events, so disappearing stories seem at odds with that.
- App clutter – Too many tabs and features can make the app interface feel cluttered.
- Don’t find value – Some users aren’t interested in viewing ephemeral story content from friends.
Additionally, frequent story posters may overwhelm others’ feeds, providing more incentive to turn stories off. Overall, while some enjoy the casual fun of stories, others find they interrupt their preferred Facebook experience.
How to disable stories on Facebook
If you use the Facebook mobile app, disabling stories is an easy process:
- Open the Facebook app and tap the three-line menu icon in the top right.
- Scroll down and select “Settings & Privacy.”
- Go to “Settings.”
- Tap “Story Privacy.”
- Toggle the switch next to “See Stories” to the off position.
Once you toggle this off, stories from friends will no longer appear in the top bar of your Facebook app. The stories bar will be empty whenever you open Facebook.
Turning stories back on
If you change your mind later, you can always re-enable stories:
- Go back to “Story Privacy” in Facebook’s Settings.
- Toggle “See Stories” back on.
Stories will then begin showing up in your app again as normal.
What about Facebook on desktop?
Currently, it’s not possible to disable Facebook stories when using the desktop website. Stories will continue to appear in the right column on desktop. The toggle to turn stories off is only available in the Facebook mobile app.
How does disabling stories affect your profile and friends?
Disabling stories only affects your view of Facebook – it does not impact your profile or what your friends see. Specifically:
- You can still post stories when stories are disabled. Friends who have stories enabled will be able to see them.
- Friends can still see any previous stories you’ve posted to your archive.
- You simply won’t see any of your friends’ stories when the feature is disabled.
- Your profile and feed remain unaffected and visible as normal.
In summary, turning off stories is just a personal preference that prevents you from viewing friends’ stories. It does not stop you or your friends from using stories if desired.
Pros of disabling Facebook stories
For those considering turning stories off, here are some of the advantages:
- Less distracting – Without auto-playing stories, you may find it easier to focus while browsing your feed.
- More control over feed – Your feed will only include the permanent posts you want to see.
- Avoid unwanted content – You don’t have to see potentially annoying frequent story posting from some friends.
- Reduced data usage – Fewer auto-playing videos could help conserve mobile data.
For many users, the main pro is simply not having to see content they don’t find relevant or beneficial. Disabling stories lets you tailor Facebook to your preferences.
Cons of disabling Facebook stories
Here are some potential drawbacks to consider about disabling stories:
- May miss out on friends’ content – You won’t get to see any of the fun moments friends choose to share via stories.
- Can’t post reactions – You lose the ability to quickly react to friends’ stories.
- Less reciprocal sharing – Friends may share less with you if they don’t see you posting stories.
- FOMO – Fear of missing out on what friends are sharing.
Overall, the question is whether you find value in the casual content friends post via stories. Some may feel left out after disabling the feature.
Other Facebook feed customization options
In addition to controlling your story settings, Facebook offers other ways to customize what you see in your feed:
- Unfollow people – Stop seeing posts from specific friends without unfriending them.
- Snooze friends – Temporarily hide posts from certain people.
- Reconnect with favorites – See more from friends you interact with often.
- Unpage liked pages – Hide updates from pages you no longer want to follow.
- Edit feed preferences – Adjust frequency of certain types of posts.
Combining these options with disabling stories gives you granular control over your Facebook experience.
Conclusion
Facebook stories provide a way to share ephemeral, casual moments with friends on the platform. However, not everyone finds value in this format. Fortunately, Facebook makes it easy to disable stories in the mobile app for those looking to eliminate that aspect of their feed.
Turning off stories has no impact on friends’ abilities to post and limits your feed to just permanent posts. While some may miss out on content from disabling stories, the option exists to cater Facebook to your preferences and desired experience.