When you post in a public Facebook group, by default, the post may show up in the News Feed of some of your friends who are also members of that group. This can be annoying if you want to participate in group discussions without bombarding all your friends with notifications.
The good news is that Facebook offers options to control notifications to your friends about your public group posts. Here are some tips on how to stop your Facebook friends from being notified when you post in public groups.
Adjust Notification Settings for the Group
The easiest way is to adjust the notification settings for that particular group. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the group and click on its name to access the group profile page.
- On desktop: Click “Members” and select “Notification Settings” from the dropdown menu. On mobile: Tap the three dots at the top right and choose “Notification Settings”.
- Under “Posts in This Group”, switch off “Friends” to disable notifications to friends about your posts.
- Scroll down and click “Save Changes”.
With this setting changed, your Facebook friends who are also members of this group will no longer be automatically notified about any new posts you make in this group. You have successfully turned off notifications to friends.
Adjust Overall Notifications in News Feed Preferences
Alternatively, you can change your overall News Feed preferences to see fewer group notifications:
- Go to your Facebook News Feed.
- Click the three line “hamburger” icon at the top right.
- Select “News Feed Preferences”.
- Scroll down and reduce the number for “Groups you’re active in” to see fewer group notifications.
- Click “Back” to save changes.
This will reduce notifications from all public groups you’re active in. You can also turn them off entirely here.
Adjust Post Audience to “Group Only”
When making a new post in a group, you can choose to limit its audience to just that group:
- When writing your post, click the audience selector (usually “Public”).
- Choose “Group Only” to limit visibility to just that group.
- Click “Post”.
This will prevent that post from showing up on any friends’ News Feeds. Use this option for posts you only want group members to see.
Leave the Group
If you want to stop notifications about a particular group completely, you can always leave that group. Here’s how:
- Go to the group profile page.
- Click “Members” on desktop or the three dots icon on mobile.
- Choose “Leave Group” and confirm.
Once you leave a group, your friends will no longer get any notifications about your posts there. But you’ll no longer be part of that community.
Use a Fake Account
Another workaround is to create a separate Facebook account just for participating in groups anonymously. Here’s how:
- Sign up for a new Facebook account with an alternate email.
- Don’t add any friends or fill out personal details.
- Join public groups using this separate account.
- Post anonymously in groups using the fake account.
The advantage here is that your primary account friends won’t get notifications. The catch is constantly switching between two accounts can be inconvenient.
Conclusion
To recap, here are some effective ways to prevent your Facebook friends from being notified about posts in public groups:
- Change notification settings for each specific group.
- Adjust overall News Feed preferences for group notifications.
- Limit post audience to “Group Only” for certain posts.
- Leave groups you no longer want to participate in.
- Use a separate fake account just for anonymous groups.
With the right settings, you can still actively participate in public group discussions without bombarding your personal friends. Take control of your group notifications and enjoy Facebook groups on your own terms.
| Method | How To | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjust Notification Settings for the Group | Go to group profile and turn off notifications to friends | Selectively disables notifications from specific groups | Need to update settings for each group |
| Adjust Overall News Feed Preferences | Reduce number of group notifications in News Feed settings | Affects all groups at once | Not as targeted as group specific settings |
| Adjust Post Audience to “Group Only” | Limit individual post audience to the group | Good for posts you only want the group to see | Need to update for every post |
| Leave the Group | Exit group completely so no longer a member | Totally stops notifications from that group | No longer able to participate in that group |
| Use a Fake Account | Create a separate account just for groups | Keeps main account separate from groups | Inconvenient to manage two accounts |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stop just some friends from seeing my group posts?
Unfortunately there is no setting to exclude specific friends from group post notifications. Your options are to either stop notifications to all friends or none of them for a particular group.
What if I posted publicly before adjusting my settings?
Any posts you made publicly before changing notification settings will still be visible. But going forward, new posts will abide by your updated preferences.
Do these settings also work for private Facebook groups?
No, these settings only affect public groups. Private groups do not show posts in friends’ News Feeds unless you specifically add them to the group.
What if someone tags me in a public group post?
Even with notifications turned off, if another member manually tags you in a comment or post, it can still show up on your friends’ feeds. The best way to avoid this is asking group members not to tag you.
Will this prevent friends joining the same groups as me?
No, these settings don’t stop friends from seeing which groups you are a member of or joining those same groups. They simply stop post notifications.
Additional Ways to Control Visibility of Public Posts
In addition to group post notifications, you can also adjust other Facebook features that control who sees your public posts and activity:
Limit Old Posts Visibility
You can limit the audience of previous public posts to “Only Me” so they are no longer visible to anyone else. This can help manage your digital footprint.
Restrict Public Profile Info
Adjust your public profile settings to reveal less personal info like your bio, profile photo, cover photo, posts, and friends list to non-friends.
Review Activity Log
Regularly check your activity log to see what public posts you’ve made. You can delete old posts or limit their visibility here.
Disable Activity Status
Turn off your activity status under the privacy shortcuts menu so friends can’t see when you’re active on Facebook.
Increase Privacy of New Posts
By default, new posts are public. Be mindful to adjust audience to “Friends” if you want to limit their visibility.
Conclusion
Participating in public Facebook groups can be rewarding but you may not want to notify all your personal friends about those posts. Use the techniques outlined in this article to take control of your group post notifications.
Customize settings for each group, restrict overall News Feed notices, limit individual post audience, leave groups completely, or use a separate account. Finding the right balance allows you to enjoy engaging group discussions without bombarding your friends.
How you configure your preferences depends on your priorities. Evaluate the pros and cons of each approach and choose the notification settings that work best for your needs.
With these Facebook tools, you can steer group post visibility in the direction you want. The choice is yours on how much you want to share across your digital social circles.