If you’ve stopped receiving notifications from Facebook, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to get them back. Notifications are an important way for Facebook to alert you to new comments, messages, friend requests, and other activity, so you’ll likely want to resolve any issues with missing notifications.
Check Your Notification Settings
The first thing to check is your notification settings. Facebook allows you to control which types of notifications you receive and how you receive them. It’s possible you accidentally adjusted these settings so that you’re no longer getting certain notifications.
To check your notification settings:
- Click on the down arrow in the top right corner of Facebook.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the menu.
- Click on “Settings” in the left column.
- Select “Notifications” on the left.
Here you’ll see lists of different notification types. For each type, you can choose whether to get notifications via email, phone, Facebook, or turn them off completely. Go through each list and make sure the types of notifications you want to get are turned on.
Turn Browser Notifications On
If your browser notifications are disabled, you won’t see notifications pop up when using Facebook, even if your notification settings in Facebook are turned on.
To enable browser notifications:
- Click the lock icon in the URL bar (on Chrome) or information icon (on Firefox).
- Select “Site Settings.”
- Find “Notifications” and make sure the toggle is switched on.
You may also need to allow notifications in your computer or device’s system settings outside the browser.
Enable Notifications on Mobile
Similarly, on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, you need to enable notifications at the system level. The steps vary by device, but try this:
- Go to “Settings” and find the app settings.
- Select Facebook.
- Make sure “Notifications” are turned on.
You may also need to check that notifications are allowed in your device’s main system settings outside individual apps.
Update the Facebook App
If you’re not getting notifications in the Facebook mobile app, the app may need an update. Open your device’s app store, search for Facebook, and install any available updates.
Log Out and Back In
Logging out of Facebook and logging back in can sometimes resolve issues with missing notifications. This refreshes your session which may dislodge any stuck updates or notifications.
To log out and back in:
- Click the down arrow > Log Out on desktop or More > Log Out on mobile.
- Close the Facebook app or website completely.
- Reopen Facebook and log back into your account.
Give it a few minutes and check if your notifications have returned.
Clear Cache and Cookies
Outdated cached data and cookies can interfere with Facebook’s ability to send notifications properly. Clearing this data forces Facebook to redownload fresh data which may fix notification issues.
On desktop browsers:
- Open your browser settings.
- Find the section for cached data and cookies.
- Clear data for Facebook.com.
On mobile devices:
- Go to your device’s app settings.
- Find Facebook.
- Tap to clear cache and/or cookies.
Check Service Availability
Very occasionally, missing notifications are due to an outage on Facebook’s side that is affecting notifications globally. Check Facebook’s system status page or Downdetector to see if others are also reporting notification issues.
If Facebook is experiencing a widespread outage or bugs with notifications, your notifications will return once Facebook resolves the problem.
Wait for Notifications to Resume
In some cases, notification issues resolve on their own after a short period of time. Notifications may have gotten stalled, but reactivate after a few hours.
If you’ve checked the other troubleshooting steps and notifications are still missing, try waiting a while to see if notifications resume. Sometimes a little patience is all that’s needed.
Contact Facebook Support
If you’ve tried the above troubleshooting without success, you may need to contact Facebook directly to further diagnose the issue.
To contact Facebook support:
- Visit the Facebook Help Center.
- Review the articles under the Notifications, Sounds and Indicators section for additional troubleshooting tips.
- Use the “Need more help?” link at the bottom to contact Facebook’s support team.
Facebook may request additional details about your issue or perform diagnostics on your account settings and activity to pinpoint why notifications aren’t coming through.
Use an Alternative Account
If Facebook support is unable to resolve your notification issues, you can try using an alternative Facebook account as a temporary workaround. Create a new account and use it to get notifications until your main account’s notifications are fixed.
To set up a secondary account:
- Go to www.facebook.com and click Create New Account.
- Enter your name, email/phone number, password, birthday.
- Complete the signup process.
- Visit your main account and add your new account as a Friend.
- Use your secondary account for notifications until issues are resolved on your main.
Restore Default Settings
If your notification settings have become corrupted or you’re unable to pinpoint a specific cause, try fully resetting your Facebook notification settings to their defaults.
On the Facebook website:
- Click on the down arrow > Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click “Restore Default Settings” at the bottom of General Account Settings.
On mobile:
- Tap More/Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Scroll down and tap “Restore Default Settings.”
This will revert all of your notification settings to Facebook’s default recommended values which may resolve any issues.
Reinstall the Facebook App
On mobile devices, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Facebook app from scratch. This wipes the existing install and starts fresh.
To reinstall the app:
- Delete the Facebook app from your device.
- Restart your device.
- Re-download the Facebook app from the app store.
- Log back into your account.
A clean reinstall of the app can clear up any corrupted files or settings that may be interfering with notifications.
Conclusion
With the right troubleshooting steps, you should be able to resolve most notification issues on Facebook. Check your notification settings, browser/device settings, Facebook’s system status, and contact Facebook support if needed. Reinstalling the app, using alternative accounts, or resetting to default settings can also get your notifications back on track.