Facebook’s news feed shows you updates from your friends, pages you follow, and groups you are part of. While the news feed helps you stay connected, you may want to stop seeing posts from certain people or pages for various reasons. Luckily, Facebook provides several options for removing content from your news feed. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through all the ways to stop posts appearing in your Facebook news feed.
Hide Posts from Specific People
The easiest way to stop seeing someone’s posts in your news feed is to hide them. When you hide a person, their posts and comments will no longer show up. To hide someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots at the top right
- Select “Hide posts”
This will immediately remove all their current and future posts from your feed. You can undo this at any time by following the same steps and selecting “Unhide posts”.
Pros
- Fast and easy process
- Completely removes all posts from one person
- Can be reversed later on
Cons
- Have to do it for each person individually
- Doesn’t let you select specific post types to hide
Overall, hiding someone is the simplest way to eliminate their posts from your news feed. It is great for removing posts from a friend or two who share too frequently.
Snooze Posts from Specific People
Similar to hiding posts, you can also “snooze” people for 30 days. Snoozing temporarily stops seeing someone’s posts without unfriending or unfollowing them. To snooze a person:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots at the top right
- Select “Snooze for 30 days”
Once snoozed, their posts will not appear in your feed for 30 days. After the snooze period ends, their content will reappear. You can undo the snooze early by following the same steps and choosing “Undo Snooze”.
Pros
- Lets you take a short break from someone’s posts
- Automatically wears off after 30 days
- Doesn’t unfriend or unfollow the person
Cons
- Have to snooze people individually
- Only lasts 30 days before posts reappear
Snoozing is ideal if you just need a temporary break from someone’s posts. It avoids more permanent options like unfollowing or unfriending them.
Unfollow Specific People
Unlike hiding posts which is temporary, unfollowing someone will permanently remove all their posts from your news feed. To unfollow a friend:
- Go to their profile page
- Hover over “Friends” below their cover photo
- Click “Unfollow”
This stops their posts from appearing without unfriending them. You can refollow someone later to see their posts again.
Pros
- Indefinitely removes all posts from one person
- Lets you stay Facebook friends without seeing their content
- Can easily refollow them anytime
Cons
- Have to unfollow people one by one
- They will still see your posts and can interact with your content
Unfollowing is great if you want to permanently remove posts from your feed but stay connected as friends on Facebook.
Update News Feed Preferences
You can use your News Feed Preferences to control the types of posts you see from friends, pages, and groups:
- Go to your News Feed
- Click the three dot menu in the top right
- Select “News Feed Preferences”
- Adjust preferences for people, pages, and groups
This lets you prioritize who and what you want to see posts from. You can also entirely hide posts from pages or groups you no longer wish to follow.
Pros
- Lets you customize feed based on post types
- Can hide posts from multiple pages/groups at once
- More control than just hiding individual people
Cons
- Takes more time to set up custom preferences
- Not as targeted as removing specific people
Updating your News Feed Preferences is a great way to shape the overall content you see each day on Facebook.
Adjust Post Visibility for a Page
When you follow a Facebook page, you can adjust whether their posts show up in your news feed. To update post visibility for a page:
- Go to the page’s profile
- Click “Following” below the cover photo
- Select post visibility – always/sometimes/never
“Always” will show all posts in your feed. “Sometimes” displays some posts, while “Never” removes all their content.
Pros
- Lets you keep following a page without seeing every post
- More selective than completely unfollowing a page
- Can easily adjust post frequency as needed
Cons
- Have to update each page individually
- Harder to keep track of pages set to “Sometimes”
Adjusting post visibility is useful for limiting content from pages that post too frequently or are no longer relevant.
Leave Groups
Everything shared in your Facebook groups appears in your news feed. If a group’s posts are cluttering your feed, you can always leave the group. To leave a group:
- Go to the group’s main page
- Click “Members” in the sidebar
- Select “Leave Group” at the bottom
This permanently removes the group from your feed. You can rejoin a group later if you change your mind.
Pros
- Eliminates all posts from group
- Lets you avoid irrelevant or spammy groups
- Easy to leave with one click
Cons
- Have to leave groups one by one
- Can’t selectively filter types of group posts
Leaving groups is an easy way to clear your feed of content you no longer wish to see.
Install the Facebook Purity Browser Extension
Facebook Purity is a browser extension that provides enhanced control over your news feed. Key features include:
- Ability to hide ALL posts from specific people or pages
- Prevent posts with certain keywords or phrases from appearing
- Filter posts based on content type, links, images, videos, etc.
- See only new posts and hide previously read content
Installing Facebook Purity gives you granular control over your feed that isn’t possible through Facebook’s native settings.
Pros
- Lets you filter feed in multiple advanced ways
- Hide ALL posts from specific people or pages
- Filter by post content, type, keywords, and more
Cons
- Requires installing an external browser extension
- Initial setup can be complicated for non-tech users
Facebook Purity is ideal for users who want maximum power to shape their news feed and filter out undesired content.
Use Facebook’s Built-In News Feed Filters
Facebook has some built-in news feed filters that provide additional options for removing content:
- Relevant/Recent – Toggle between relevant posts or strict chronological order
- Following – See only posts from people and pages you follow
- Photos/Videos – View only posts that contain photos or videos
- Friends/Family – Prioritize posts from friends and family
- Pages/Groups/Events – Show more posts from pages, groups and events
While limited compared to other options, these filters offer a quick way to focus your feed on specific content types or people.
Pros
- Easy to access built-in filters
- Enable focus modes like Friends/Family or Photos/Videos
- Provide some customization without extra apps
Cons
- Very basic compared to other feed managers
- Lack granular controls over specific posts/people/pages
Facebook’s filters are handy for basic news feed adjustments without third-party tools.
Conclusion
Customizing your Facebook news feed allows you to shape the content you see on a daily basis. Key options include:
- Hiding or snoozing friends and pages temporarily
- Unfollowing people or pages to permanently remove posts
- Updating your News Feed Preferences
- Leaving irrelevant groups
- Using advanced filters with Facebook Purity
- Toggling Facebook’s built-in feed filters
Try out different choices to find the right approach based on how much control you need. Over time, curating your news feed improves your Facebook experience by highlighting the connections that matter most.
What tips do you have for managing your Facebook feed? Share your advice in the comments!