Facebook Messenger allows you to communicate privately with your friends and connections on Facebook. By default, anyone who is your friend on Facebook can message you on Messenger. However, you may want to limit who can send you messages for privacy or to reduce message clutter. Fortunately, Facebook provides several ways to control who can message you.
Checking Your Message Settings
The easiest way to see who can message you on Facebook is to check your message settings. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook profile and click on the dropdown arrow in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the menu.
On Desktop:
- Click on “Settings” in the left sidebar.
- Go to the “Messaging” section.
- You will see your current message settings under the “Who can send you messages?” heading.
On Mobile:
- Tap on “Messages” in the left sidebar.
- Go to the “Message Settings” section.
- You will see your current settings under “Who Can Message You?”
The messaging settings allow you to choose between:
- Everyone – Any friend or person on Facebook can message you.
- Friends of Friends – Your friends and their friends can message you.
- Friends – Only your Facebook friends can message you.
- Custom – You can customize exactly who can message you.
Customizing Your Message Settings
The “Custom” message setting gives you the most control over who can contact you on Messenger. Here’s how to use it:
- Go to your message settings as explained above.
- Choose “Custom” for the “Who can send you messages?” option.
- Use the dropdown menu to choose who can message you:
- Friends – Your added Facebook friends.
- Close Friends – A list you can create of your closest friends.
- Family – Your added family members.
- Friends Except… – Block specific friends from messaging you.
- Don’t Receive Messages – Block all incoming messages.
- Customize any other options like who can call you on Messenger.
- Click “Done” to save your settings.
With the custom options you can really fine tune who has access to messaging you on Facebook.
Blocking Individuals
Another way to control who can message you is by blocking specific individuals. To do this:
- Go to the profile page of the person you want to block.
- Click on the three dots icon next to their name.
- Select “Block” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm that you want to block that person.
Once blocked, that person will no longer be able to message you or see the things you post on your profile.
You can also block someone directly from a message thread:
- Open the message thread with the person.
- Click on their name at the top of the thread.
- Select “Block [Name]”
- Confirm the block.
To see a list of people you’ve blocked and unblock them, go to your Settings & Privacy menu and choose “Blocking” on the left sidebar.
Restricting Message Requests
If your account has message requests enabled, people who are not your friends can send you a message request asking to start a conversation. You can choose to accept or ignore the request.
To disable message requests altogether:
- Go to your message settings.
- Under “Who can send you message requests?” choose “No One”.
- Click “Done”.
Now only your friends or people in your “custom” settings will be able to message you directly.
Turning Off Chat
You can disable the ability for anyone to message you through Facebook Chat. This is the most extreme option to limit messages. Here is how to do it:
- Go to your message settings.
- Next to “Turn Off Chat” choose “Turn Off”.
- Confirm that you want to disable chat.
With chat turned off, you will stop receiving new messages through Facebook Messenger. You can still use Messenger to reply to existing conversations.
To re-enable chat, simply return to your message settings and choose “Turn On” next to the Chat option.
Using Messenger Kids
If you are under 13 years old, you can use Messenger Kids to safely message approved contacts. Messenger Kids gives parents full control over who can chat with their child. Here’s how it works:
- A parent downloads the Messenger Kids app and sets up their child’s account.
- The parent approves all of the child’s contacts.
- The child can only message approved contacts added by their parent.
- Parents can monitor the account and messages at any time.
Messenger Kids provides a more secure messaging environment for younger Facebook users. Contacts must be approved by a parent and inappropriate content is filtered.
Using Groups for Messaging
Facebook Groups allow members to easily message other members of the group. As the group admin, you control membership and can add or remove people at any time.
Using Groups for messaging can be better than giving individual messaging access, as you can remove a person’s access simply by removing them from the Group.
To set up a Group for messaging:
- Go to Groups and create a new private Group.
- Add the contacts you want to be able to message each other.
- Post in the Group to allow members to comment and interact.
- As admin you can moderate and control membership.
Group messaging can work well for family, friends, coworkers and other defined social circles.
Using Pages for Messaging
Similar to Groups, Facebook Pages allow fans and followers to message the Page privately. As the Page admin you control who can view, comment on, and message the Page.
Setting up a Page gives you public messaging capabilities with the ability to block users as needed. This can be used for businesses, organizations, content creators and public figures on Facebook.
To start messaging as a Page:
- Create or set up your Facebook Page
- Add relevant info and content to attract followers
- Post updates to encourage likes, follows and engagement
- Reply privately to any messages you receive from fans
Pages provide versatile messaging capabilities while giving admins full control.
Pros and Cons of Customizing Messages
There are some key advantages and disadvantages to customizing who can message you:
Pros:
- Improves privacy by limiting unsolicited messages
- Avoids unwanted content or spam messages
- Allows you to filter contacts
- Good for avoiding harassment or bullying
- Lets you control interactions
Cons:
- Can limit positive interactions and friendships
- Requires extra setup and management
- Friends may feel rejected if blocked
- You may miss out on some messages
- People can still see your public content and add you as a friend
In most cases, the privacy benefits outweigh the disadvantages of customizing messages. But be thoughtful about who you restrict from contacting you to maintain your social connections.
Comparison of Message Settings
Here is a table comparing the different message settings available on Facebook Messenger and who they allow messaging access to:
| Setting | Who Can Message You |
|---|---|
| Everyone | All friends and connections on Facebook |
| Friends of Friends | Your friends and their friends |
| Friends | Only your added Facebook friends |
| Custom | Only people and groups you specify |
| Block Specific People | Block individual users from messaging you |
| Turn Off Chat | Prevent all incoming Facebook messages |
As you can see, the Custom setting provides the most control, while turning off chat completely prevents all new messages sent through Messenger.
Tips for Managing Your Messages
Here are some tips to help you manage your Facebook messages:
- Check your settings regularly and when privacy concerns arise.
- Use the Custom option to filter contacts.
- Block individuals if they send inappropriate content.
- Turn off Chat only when absolutely needed.
- Reply to messages promptly to maintain connections.
- Use Groups and Pages for more messaging control.
- Don’t be afraid to customize who can message you.
- Balance privacy with maintaining positive interactions.
Controlling your messaging settings is key to preventing unwanted interactions while still allowing beneficial communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about Facebook messaging settings:
Can I prevent specific people from messaging me?
Yes, you can block individual users to prevent them from messaging you or seeing your profile posts.
What happens when I block someone?
Blocking prevents all interactions from that person on Facebook, including messaging, friend requests, viewing your content or contacting you in groups.
How do I know if someone has blocked me?
You will no longer see their profile information and get an error if trying to view their profile or send them a message. Their messages will also no longer appear in your inbox.
Can I stop message requests?
Yes, you can disable message requests in your settings so only friends can message you directly. Non-friends will have to send you a friend request first.
Do message settings also control who can call on Messenger?
Yes, the same message settings apply to who can call or video chat with you through Messenger.
Conclusion
Facebook provides powerful tools for controlling who can send you messages. By managing your chat settings, blocking users, and customizing exactly who can reach you, you can improve your messaging privacy on Facebook. Balance limiting unwanted messages with maintaining connections for a positive experience.