Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of 2022. While Facebook offers many benefits for connecting with friends, family, and interests, one common complaint is the prevalence of ads throughout the platform.
Facebook relies heavily on advertising revenue, so commercial ads are ubiquitous on Facebook. Some find this annoying or disruptive to their experience. Fortunately, there are ways to limit ads and better control the types of sponsored content you see on Facebook.
Understanding Facebook Ads
Facebook displays several types of paid ads:
- Sponsored posts – These appear in your News Feed and may come from Pages you’ve liked or followed. They look similar to regular posts.
- Sponsored stories – These show when friends have interacted with an ad or page. They appear as stories in your News Feed.
- Display ads – These appear on the right side of your News Feed or within your feed. They may be targeted to your interests and demographics.
- Suggested posts – These appear at the very top of your News Feed and are easy to skip over. They suggest relevant content.
Facebook serves ads based on the interests and information in your profile and previous activity on Facebook. Advertisers select target audiences for their ads using Facebook’s detailed data on its users.
The content of sponsored posts and stories comes directly from advertisers. Facebook reviews these ads but cannot catch everything. You may sometimes see inappropriate or low-quality ads.
Facebook allows advertisers to access reports on how their ads performed. They may collect data on which users saw or engaged with their ads. All of this powers Facebook’s advertising system.
Adjusting Your Ad Preferences
You have some control over the types of ads Facebook shows you. Facebook’s Ad Preferences tool allows you to view and manage the interests and information used to show you ads.
To access Ad Preferences:
- Click the dropdown arrow at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
- Click “Ads” in the left column.
- Select “Ad Preferences” to see and edit your ad interests.
Here are some ways you can use Ad Preferences to reduce ads:
- Hide an ad – Hover over any ad and select “Hide Ad” to never see that specific ad again.
- Remove interests – Deleting interests will stop ads related to those topics.
- Limit ad tracking – Opt out of targeted advertising to see more generic ads.
- Disable future ad interests – Block Facebook from using your activity to infer interests.
Keep in mind that changing preferences will take some time to take effect, as advertisers may already be running paid campaigns targeting you.
Using Ad Blockers
A more direct way to eliminate Facebook ads is using an ad blocking extension or program in your web browser. These prevent ads from loading in your browser by blocking requests to ad servers.
Some popular ad blocker options include:
- Adblock Plus
- uBlock Origin
- AdBlock
- Adguard
Install the ad blocker extension in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or whichever browser you use. The ads should disappear immediately from Facebook and most other sites once enabled.
You can whitelist certain sites to selectively allow acceptable ads. But use caution when whitelisting sites, as that may reenable unwanted ads.
Pros and Cons of Ad Blockers
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Blocks almost all ads | Cannot block every single ad |
| Improves page load times | May break site functionality |
| Works across all sites | Does not distinguish between acceptable and intrusive ads |
| Enhances privacy | Harms revenue model for sites relying on ads |
Ad blockers provide the most comprehensive ad blocking. But some users may not mind certain unobtrusive ads and want to support websites generating quality ad-funded content.
Using Facebook Without an Account
The only way to completely avoid Facebook ads and tracking is not using Facebook at all. But if you wish to keep accessing Facebook, you can use it logged out without an account.
To use Facebook while logged out:
- Go to Facebook.com and do not enter any login information
- Click “Continue without an account” if prompted to log in
- You can now browse Facebook but with limited functionality
- You won’t see personalized ads since Facebook cannot track you
However, there are drawbacks to using Facebook while logged out:
- You cannot post, comment, or interact with any content
- No notifications or messages from friends
- Limited search and profile viewing capabilities
- No customization like following Pages or adding friends
Overall, you miss out on most of what makes Facebook useful. But it does allow ad-free, private viewing of public content.
Limiting Ad Data Collection
If you wish to keep using Facebook normally with an account, there are still steps to limit how your personal information is used for ads:
- Avoid connecting third-party apps or services to your Facebook account. They may collect your data for ads.
- Be cautious when filling out apps and surveys on Facebook. Decline giving unnecessary information like phone numbers and addresses.
- Adjust your privacy settings to limit which information third-parties can access.
- Disable Facebook’s access to your web browsing, app usage, and location history whenever possible.
While Facebook will still collect some data, being judicious about what you share and connect to Facebook can reduce ad targeting.
Conclusion
Facebook’s massive revenue from ads ensures they will always be a part of the platform. But users aren’t powerless against disruptive and unwanted ads.
Adjusting your ad preferences and blocking ads remain the most direct ways to reduce Facebook ads. However, you can also limit data collection and access Facebook without an account.
With the right approach, you can control your Facebook feed and experience the parts you enjoy without as many annoying advertisements.