Facebook messaging can be a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. However, sometimes you may wish to prevent specific people from being able to message you on Facebook.
Here are some ways you can stop someone from messaging you on Facebook:
Unfriend or Unfollow
The simplest way to prevent someone from messaging you is to unfriend or unfollow them on Facebook. This will remove them from your friends list and mean they can no longer send you messages.
To unfriend someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Hover over the Friends button and select Unfriend
- Confirm you want to unfriend them
To unfollow someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Hover over the Following button and select Unfollow
- Confirm you want to unfollow them
Unfriending or unfollowing someone means you will no longer see their posts in your News Feed. However, it does not block communication completely as they can still view your public posts and send you friend requests.
Block Messages
A better option to stop messages is to block the person who is messaging you. This can be done in a couple of ways:
Block from Messaging Settings
You can block someone from messaging or calling you directly in your messaging settings:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Select Messaging
- Select Message Blocking
- Type in the name or profile link of the person you want to block
- Select Block Messages
This will prevent the person from starting new message threads with you or replying in existing threads. You will also not receive any calls from a blocked person.
Block from Profile
You can also block someone from their profile page:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots in the top-right corner
- Select Block
- Confirm you want to block them
This will have the same effect as blocking them in your messaging settings. They will no longer be able to message or call you.
Restrict User
If you don’t want to completely block someone from messaging but still want to limit contact, you can restrict them instead. This means they will only be able to see your public posts and information.
To restrict someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots in the top-right corner
- Select Restrict
- Confirm you want to restrict them
With restricted users you can choose whether to allow them to:
- See only your public posts, not posts shared just with friends
- See your friends list
- Interact with your posts e.g. commenting, reactions
You can customize these settings when you restrict someone. Restricting limits their access but still allows them to send you messages.
Report or Ignore Messages
If someone is sending you harassing, abusive or spam messages, you can report the messages or sender to Facebook.
To report a message on desktop:
- Open the message thread
- Click on the three dots in the top-right corner
- Select Report
- Follow the on-screen instructions
To report on mobile:
- Long press on the offensive message
- Tap Report
- Follow the on-screen instructions
You can choose reasons like bullying, harassment, hate speech, nudity etc when reporting. Facebook will review the report and take action if it violates their community standards.
You can also ignore messages rather than reporting them. This moves the conversation to your Filtered Messages folder so you don’t see any new messages from the person. They will have no indication you’ve ignored them.
Change Messaging Settings
Some other messaging settings can help control who can message you, including:
- Allow Messages From: Only friends, friends of friends, or no one.
- Message Delivery: Filter potential spam or offensive messages.
- Joinable Groups: Restrict who can add you to groups.
- Message Requests: Automatically decline requests from people you don’t know.
Adjust these based on how restrictive you want to be. The stricter settings will limit messages but reduce unwanted contact.
Use Messenger Kids
If the person messaging you is under 13 with a Messenger Kids account, they can only message other Messenger Kids users. Their parent has to approve friends on their contact list.
So you can avoid messages from a Messenger Kids user by:
- Not approving them as a friend on your child’s Messenger Kids contact list
- Not having a Messenger Kids account yourself
This will prevent any account communication as they can only message approved friends who also use Messenger Kids.
Conclusion
Unfriending, blocking, reporting or restricting someone are the most effective ways to stop unwanted messages on Facebook. Adjust your messaging settings to be more restrictive on who can contact you.
Be proactive about cutting contact with abusive or harassing users. Seek support from Facebook by reporting problematic messages so they can ban bad actors from the platform.
With the right combination of blocks, restrictions and settings changes, you can control who messages you on Facebook and maintain your online privacy.
Here is a summary of the key points:
| Method | Effect |
|---|---|
| Unfriend/Unfollow | Stops messages but they can still view profile |
| Block | Prevents all messages and calls |
| Restrict | Limits profile access but allows messages |
| Report/Ignore | Notifies Facebook of issues or moves chat to filtered messages |
| Update Settings | Customize who can message you |
With the right mix of options, you can control your Facebook messaging experience. Don’t hesitate to cut contact with abusive users and report concerning behavior.
Your online interactions should be enjoyable, not stressful. Take steps to manage your Facebook communications and prevent unwanted messages.
Hopefully this guide has helped explain the various ways to stop someone from messaging you on Facebook. Let me know if you have any other questions!