Facebook’s messaging system allows users to communicate privately with friends, family, and even strangers. However, sometimes users may receive unwanted messages from people they don’t know or don’t want to hear from. In these cases, it’s understandable that someone would want to control who can send them messages on Facebook.
The good news is that Facebook provides users with some control over who can message them. There are settings that allow you to filter messages, block specific users from messaging you, limit messages to friends only, and more. Exercising this control requires navigating Facebook’s privacy settings.
Can I prevent strangers from messaging me on Facebook?
Yes, you can prevent strangers from messaging you on Facebook in a couple different ways:
Adjust messaging settings
In your Facebook settings, you can adjust who is allowed to send you messages:
- Friends – Only people on your friends list can send you messages
- Friends of Friends – Your friends and their friends can message you
- Everyone – All Facebook users can send you messages
Setting this to “Friends” will prevent strangers from messaging you.
Block specific users
You can also block specific users from messaging you:
- Click on the messages icon in the top toolbar
- Open the message thread from the person you want to block
- Click on the dropdown arrow in the top right
- Select “Block [Name]”
This will prevent that user from sending you any more messages.
How do I limit who can start a conversation with me?
In addition to incoming messages, you can also filter who is allowed to start a new conversation thread with you.
To adjust this setting:
- Click the down arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Privacy”
- Under “How people can find and contact you”, click “Edit” next to “Who can send you friend requests?”
- Select your desired audience
Again, “Friends” is the most restrictive and will prevent strangers from starting conversations.
Can I auto-decline messages from people I don’t know?
Yes, Facebook has a setting to automatically decline new messages from people who are not your friends:
- Go to “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Privacy”
- Under “How people can find and contact you”, click “Edit” next to “Who can send you friend requests?”
- Turn on “Automatically decline messages from people I don’t know”
This will automatically delete new messages from non-friends before you even see them.
How do I ignore or mute a conversation?
Rather than fully blocking someone, you can ignore or mute a conversation thread:
- Ignore – New messages go to your Filtered Messages folder
- Mute – New notifications are suppressed but messages remain in your inbox
To do this:
- Open the conversation thread
- Click the 3-dot menu in the top right
- Select “Ignore Messages” or “Mute Messages”
You can reverse this at any time to resume getting notifications.
Can I require message approval from friends of friends?
Yes, you can require that messages from your friends of friends (FOF) get your approval before they appear in your inbox:
- Go to “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Privacy”
- Under “How people can find and contact you”, click “Edit” next to “Who can send you friend requests?”
- Turn on “Confirm friend requests from friends of friends”
This adds a layer of screening for FOF messages. You’ll get a notification prompting you to approve or ignore the conversation before it starts.
Can I download my messages from Facebook?
Yes, Facebook allows you to download all of your messages in one archive:
- Click the down arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Click “Download Your Information”
- Deselect all categories except “Messages”
- Click “Create File”
Facebook will assemble your messages into a downloadable HTML file. It may take up to a few days for them to prepare the file.
Conclusion
Facebook provides many options for controlling who can send you messages. The main settings to adjust are:
- Message audience – Friends, Friends of Friends, or Everyone
- Automatically decline strangers
- Require approval from Friends of Friends
You can also block specific users from messaging you entirely. For less drastic control, you can ignore or mute conversations.
Exercising this control over your messaging preferences helps avoid unwanted contact and spam. But it still allows you to connect with friends and family. Overall, Facebook grants users a robust set of tools to customize who reaches them through messages.