Many Facebook users find the constant notifications from the Facebook post tabs to be distracting and annoying. These tabs show up on the bottom right corner of the Facebook website or app with a red notification number, tempting you to click on them to see what posts you’ve missed. While some users don’t mind these constant pings drawing their attention, others find it distracting and making it hard to focus on their work or other tasks. Luckily, Facebook provides a few different options to control or turn off these post tab notifications.
Understanding Facebook’s Post Tabs
To understand how to control the notifications, it’s helpful to understand what the different post tabs in Facebook are showing you:
- News Feed – Shows a mix of top stories and recent posts from friends, pages, and groups you follow.
- Most Recent – Shows all new posts from friends, pages, and groups in chronological order.
- Friends – Highlights just posts from your friends.
- Groups – Highlights just posts from groups you’ve joined.
- Watch – Shows live and recorded videos your friends and pages you follow are sharing.
- Pages – Shows only posts from pages you’ve liked or followed.
- Marketplace – Shows listings posted for sale in your area.
So those red notification numbers on each tab are letting you know how many new posts are waiting for you since the last time you clicked on that tab. Some tabs like News Feed prioritize showing you the most interesting content first, while Most Recent shows strictly chronological updates.
Why Are the Notifications So Frequent?
You may be wondering why the post tabs seem to alert you so frequently. There are a few reasons these alerts can come so often:
- The average Facebook user has over 300 friends and follows many pages and groups.
- On average, over 500 million tweets are sent per day and 4.5 billion likes per day on Facebook.
- Facebook’s algorithm heavily prioritizes engagement and interaction, so they want to notify you often to draw you back in frequently.
- Facebook makes the bulk of its revenue from advertising, so more time you spend there, more ads you’ll see.
In other words, Facebook is designed to hook you in and get you engaging as much as possible. While you may find it disruptive, the constant notifications are working as Facebook intended!
How to Mute Specific Post Tabs
If you don’t want to fully turn off notifications but find some tabs less relevant, you can mute specific post tabs:
- Click on the arrow in the top right by your profile photo.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then click on “Settings.”
- On the left sidebar, click on “Notifications.”
- Scroll down to the “Posts” section.
- Turn off notifications for any tabs you want to mute by toggling the switch to gray.
For example, you may decide to mute Group notifications if you find updates from groups less important. You can toggle off any individual tab here to prevent notifications just from those tabs.
How to Temporarily Snooze All Notifications
If you don’t want to fully mute tabs but need a break from the notifications for a while, you can snooze all Facebook notifications temporarily:
- Click the arrow in the top right corner.
- Click on “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings.”
- Click on “Notifications” on the left.
- Scroll down and click “Take a Break.”
- Choose to snooze notifications for 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or 48 hours.
This is great if you need to focus without distractions from Facebook for a short period of time. Just remember to turn your notifications back on when your snooze period ends.
How to Turn Off Post Tab Notifications
If you want to fully turn off all notifications from the post tabs, follow these steps:
- Click the arrow in the top right and go to “Settings & Privacy.”
- Click on “Settings” then “Notifications” on the left.
- Scroll down to the “Posts” section.
- Toggle the switch for “All Posts” to the gray off position.
This will disable notifications across every post tab. You can still manually check them but will stop getting alerted to new posts.
Use Facebook Less Frequently
One of the simplest ways to get fewer notifications is to use Facebook less often. Set limits like:
- Only checking it a couple times a day at designated times
- Spending 15 minutes max when you open the app
- Allowing yourself to check it only on certain days/times
- Deleting the app from your phone
If you check Facebook less frequently, notifications won’t build up as quickly in between visits. Be disciplined about when and how often you allow yourself to open the app or website.
Adjust News Feed Preferences
You may also get fewer irrelevant notifications if you tailor your News Feed to focus on the friends and pages you care most about.
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings.”
- Click on “News Feed Preferences.”
- Adjust preferences for whose posts you see first.
- Unfollow pages and groups that aren’t relevant.
Trimming your News Feed down to just your closest connections means fewer notifications from random acquaintances and pages.
Use Facebook Lite
Facebook Lite is a stripped down version of Facebook for Android devices. It provides core functionality without extra bells and whistles.
Benefits of Facebook Lite include:
- Smaller app size saving storage space
- Works well on slower connections
- Quick loading and better performance
- Option to disable notifications
- Cleaner mobile interface
The pared down focus of Facebook Lite makes it easier to control distractions. Disable notifications entirely for fewer interruptions.
Conclusion
While Facebook’s constant notifications are designed to keep you engaged, they can also become distracting and annoying. Use the preferences to mute certain tabs, snooze notifications temporarily, disable post notifications entirely, or uninstall Facebook from your phone. Checking Facebook less often naturally reduces alerts. Facebook Lite offers a pared down version with more control over notifications. Tailor your News Feed to focus on closer connections you care about most. With the right settings and discipline, you can take control over the disruptions caused by Facebook’s notification tabs.
| Notification Control Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Mute Specific Tabs | – Can target problem tabs only | – Still get some notifications |
| Snooze All Temporarily | – Takes a short break from pings | – Notifications return after snooze expires |
| Turn Off Post Notifications | – Eliminates all tab notifications | – Have to check manually for new posts |
| Use Facebook Less | – Automatically reduces notifications | – Requires discipline |
| Tailor News Feed | – Shows more relevant content | – Still get some less relevant pings |
| Facebook Lite App | – More control over notifications | – Lacks some Facebook functionality |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I mute notifications from specific people or pages?
Yes, you can mute notifications from specific individuals or pages by going to their profile, clicking the “Following” button, and choosing “See First,” “Standard,” or “Unfollow.” This impacts what shows in your News Feed.
What if I muted notifications by accident?
No problem! Just go back to Settings > Notifications > Posts and toggle any tabs you had mistakenly turned off back on.
Do notification numbers still show up if I mute them?
Yes, you will still see red notification numbers over muted tabs, but your phone/computer will not actively alert you to new posts.
Can I get notifications for only posts with photos or events?
Unfortunately there is no way to granularly customize Facebook notifications based on post types or content. It is all or nothing for each tab’s notifications.
What are some Facebook notification settings best practices?
– Mute less important tabs like Marketplace and Groups if they annoy you
– Snooze all if you need to focus for a few hours
– Disable notifications for friends who post too frequently
– Unfollow pages that are no longer relevant to reduce pings