Facebook notifications can quickly become overwhelming and distracting. With constant alerts about new comments, messages, friend requests, and more, it’s easy to get bombarded with too much information.
Thankfully, Facebook provides many options for managing and reducing notifications so you only see updates that are most relevant to you. Here are some tips on how to get rid of unnecessary Facebook notifications and customize your settings so you stay up-to-date without all the noise.
Turn Off Specific Notification Types
The easiest way to reduce Facebook notifications is to turn off specific notification types that you don’t need. This allows you to customize your notifications and just see the updates you care about.
To adjust notification settings:
- Click the arrow in the top right corner of Facebook.
- Select “Settings” then click “Notifications” on the left sidebar.
- Here you will see a list of all the different notification types Facebook may send you. The key categories are:
- Posts: Notifications about posts in your News Feed.
- Friends: Friend requests and connections.
- Groups: Updates from groups you’ve joined.
- Pages: Updates from pages you’ve liked.
- Events: Invitations and reminders.
- Apps: Game requests and updates from third-party apps.
- Payments: Receipts for payments and donations.
Go through each notification type and toggle them on or off based on your preferences. For example, you may want notifications for friend requests but not page posts. Adjust the settings until you are only getting alerts relevant to you.
Use These Settings to Fine-Tune Specific Notification Types
In addition to overall on/off settings, you can also fine-tune some notification categories for even more control:
- Posts: Choose notifications for the News Feed, posts you’re tagged in, video premieres, and more.
- Friends: Get notifications for new friend requests and accepted requests only.
- Groups: Select notifications for announcements only rather than all new posts.
- Pages: Prioritize updates from favorite pages and page admins.
- Events: Adjust settings for event invites, changes, and reminders.
Manage Notifications from Specific People
Another handy way to clean up your Facebook notifications is to change settings for posts and interactions from specific friends or pages. This allows you to keep getting relevant updates while ignoring irritating spam.
To manage people-specific notifications:
- Go to the page or profile of the person or Page you want to manage.
- Click “Following” below their cover photo (or “Friends” for a friend).
- Select “See first,” “Default,” or unfollow.
- “Default” will give their posts standard News Feed treatment. “See first” prioritizes them. Unfollowing means you won’t get any notifications.
Use these controls to unfollow busy pages that post too much or friends that constantly tag you. You can also prioritize notifications from close connections so you never miss their posts.
Limit Notifications from Group Posts
Facebook Groups can generate a torrent of notifications that quickly becomes overwhelming. Luckily, you can fine-tune your group notifications to cut down on the noise.
To manage group notifications:
- Go to the group’s main page and click “Notifications” next to the Join button.
- Select your preferences for different notification types like new posts, admins, events, and more.
- Choose “Off” for any notification settings you don’t need.
It’s also possible to keep getting notifications from Group admins while ignoring all other member posts. This keeps you informed about important group updates without all the chatter.
Temporarily Snooze All Notifications
Instead of turning off notifications completely, you can temporarily snooze all alerts for a set period of time. Snoozing is handy when you need to concentrate or will be away from Facebook for a while.
To snooze notifications:
- Click the arrow at the top right and select “Settings.”
- Open the “Notifications” tab and scroll down to “Snooze Notifications.”
- Choose a preset time period to snooze notifications like 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or Until I turn them back on.
Once the snooze period ends, your notifications will resume as normal. You can always go back and turn them off again or adjust the snooze time.
Pro tip: Use scheduled snoozes to take regular Facebook breaks
To help avoid distraction and social media overload, set up a recurring daily or weekly snooze period. For example, you could silence notifications every weekday evening or for a full day on weekends. Find a snooze schedule that gives you healthy breaks from Facebook.
Disable Notification LEDs, Sounds, and Banners
Getting tons of Facebook notifications doesn’t just clog up your feed – it can also constantly light up your phone and trigger sounds or banner pop-ups. Adjusting these alert settings can help minimize distractions.
To tweak notification alerts:
- Open the “Settings” menu and select “Notifications.”
- Scroll down to “Light, Sound, and Pop-ups.”
- Here you can toggle notification LED flashes, sounds, and banners on or off as desired.
Turning off the lights, sounds, and pop-ups for Facebook notifications keeps your phone quiet even when alerts come in. You can also customize vibrate and sound tones for a more subtle notification experience.
Tip: Use do not disturb to silence notifications during specific times
Your phone’s do not disturb settings are another easy way to automatically silence Facebook at certain times or locations. For example, you could block all alerts while you’re at work or asleep. Adjust do not disturb options to automatically snooze Facebook as needed.
Unfollow Friends and Pages
One direct way to get rid of Facebook notifications is to unfollow people and pages posting too many irrelevant updates. This removes their activities from your News Feed completely.
To unfollow a friend or page:
- Go to their profile or page.
- Click “Following” below cover photo.
- Choose “Unfollow.” You can also select “See First” if you want to keep seeing their posts.
You can also unfollow friends directly from any post in your News Feed. Just click the three dots in the top right corner of their post then select “Unfollow [name].”
This doesn’t unfriend or unlike the person – it just removes their public posts from your feed so they can’t trigger notifications. You can also refollow them anytime.
Tip: “Clean up News Feed” suggests people to unfollow
For quick help cleaning up your News Feed, use the “Clean up News Feed” tool. Find it via the News Feed Preferences menu. Facebook will analyze your feed and suggest friends, pages, and groups to potentially unfollow.
Leave Irrelevant Groups and Events
Leaving busy Facebook groups and events you no longer care about is an easy way to immediately reduce notifications. Once you leave, you’ll stop getting all notifications related to that group or event.
To leave a group:
- Go to the group’s main page.
- Select “Leave Group” near the top right.
To leave an event:
- Go to the event page.
- Select “Leave” near the top right of the Event Details section.
Trimming down irrelevant groups and events helps cut down on pointless notifications so you only see updates that matter. Be ruthless and don’t hesitate to leave groups that you barely interact with.
Hide Posts You Don’t Want to See
If certain friends share posts you don’t care about or find irritating, you can hide those posts instead of unfollowing the person entirely.
To hide a post:
- Click the three dots at the top right corner of the post.
- Select “Hide Post” or “Hide all from [page/person].”
Hidden posts won’t show up in your News Feed at all, preventing any notifications related to that post. You can find and undo hidden posts via Activity Log in your profile.
Tip: “Snooze” friends and pages for a 30 day break
Instead of unfollowing people completely, temporarily “snooze” friends or pages to take a 30 break from their posts. Snoozing removes their updates from your News Feed without unfollowing them.
Turn Off Push Notifications
Disabling push notifications in the Facebook mobile app is the nuclear option to completely stop all alerts on your phone. When disabled, you won’t get any type of notification unless you’re in the Facebook app.
To turn off push notifications:
- Open the Facebook app settings.
- Select “Notifications.”
- Toggle off “Push Notifications.”
This will stop all notification dots, banners, sounds, and icons when Facebook is running in the background or your phone is locked. However, it also means you might miss relevant notifications.
Caution: You may miss important updates by fully disabling push notifications
Turning off all push notifications can help eliminate distractions, but you may miss timely updates from close friends or pages you care about. Use this option sparingly or temporarily.
Conclusion
Cutting down Facebook notifications takes just a few tweaks to your settings. Start by turning off unnecessary notification categories and limiting alerts from annoying friends or pages. Snoozing notifications temporarily also helps when you need a break. And don’t hesitate to unfollow people who post irrelevant updates.
Finding the right balance takes some experimentation. The goal is to stay connected and up-to-date without notification overload. With these tips, you can take control of your Facebook notifications and keep your feed distraction-free.