Facebook allows you to control what you see in your News Feed and from who. If you want to hide posts from a friend or page without unfriending or unfollowing them, you have a few options.
Restrict the Person
The easiest way is to restrict the person. This prevents their posts from showing up in your News Feed. To do this:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner
- Select “Restrict”
This will immediately block that person’s posts from your News Feed. You will also stop seeing their comments and likes. However, you will still be friends on Facebook.
Pros of Restricting Someone
- Quick and easy to do
- Completely removes their posts from your News Feed
- They won’t know they’ve been restricted
- You stay friends on Facebook
Cons of Restricting Someone
- Doesn’t work retroactively, only on future posts
- You may still see their comments on mutual friends’ posts
- Doesn’t work on Facebook Groups
Overall, restricting is the simplest option if you just want to avoid seeing someone’s posts going forward.
Snooze the Person
Another option is to snooze the person temporarily. This lets you take a break from seeing their posts for a specified time period. To snooze someone:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner
- Select “Snooze for 30 days”
You can snooze someone for 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or indefinitely. Their posts will disappear from your News Feed during that time. Once the snooze period is up, their content will automatically start showing again.
Pros of Snoozing Someone
- Lets you take a short break from their content
- You can choose the exact length of time
- Their posts will reappear automatically later
Cons of Snoozing Someone
- Have to redo it each time the snooze period ends
- Can only be done on profiles, not Pages
- You may still see their comments on posts
Snoozing is handy if you just need a temporary break from someone’s posts. But it’s not a permanent solution.
Unfollow the Person
Unfollowing someone will also remove their posts from your News Feed. To unfollow a friend:
- Go to their profile page
- Hover over the Following button
- Click Unfollow
This stops all their posts from showing up. However, it differs from restricting in a few ways:
- They will know you unfollowed them
- It doesn’t hide their comments on posts
- You can still visit their profile to see their posts
Pros of Unfollowing Someone
- Permanently removes their posts from your feed
- Lets you stay Facebook friends
- Easy to turn following back on later
Cons of Unfollowing Someone
- They will be notified you unfollowed them
- You may still see their comments on posts
- Have to visit profile to see their posts
Unfollowing is best if you want their posts gone, but don’t want to unfriend or restrict them completely.
Customize News Feed Preferences
You can also use your News Feed Preferences to control the posts you see:
- Go to your News Feed
- Click the three line menu in the top right
- Select “News Feed Preferences”
- Adjust the dials for the person to see less of their posts
Turning down the dials for a specific person will decrease their content in your feed. You can make the adjustments as minor or severe as you want.
Pros of Adjusting News Feed Preferences
- Lets you precisely customize how much you see from someone
- Can be reversed at any time
- Person won’t know their posts were turned down
Cons of Adjusting News Feed Preferences
- Have to re-adjust if you change your mind later
- Their posts may not be completely eliminated
- Can only be done from a desktop browser
This method provides more nuanced control over someone’s posts in your feed.
Update News Feed Sorting
You can also adjust your default News Feed sorting to see less from specific people:
- Go to your News Feed
- Click “Most Recent” next to the search bar
- Choose “Relevance” instead of “Most Recent”
This will reorder your News Feed based on what Facebook thinks you want to see, rather than strict chronological order. People you interact with less may get pushed lower down.
Pros of Changing News Feed Sorting
- Pushes down posts from people you’re less interested in
- Algorithm handles it for you automatically
- Easy to switch back and forth
Cons of Changing News Feed Sorting
- Harder to control exactly who gets demoted
- Have to redo it if you switch back to Most Recent
- They may still appear frequently if you interact regularly
Letting the algorithm sort your News Feed means less work for you. But it can be less precise.
Hide the Person’s Posts
You can hide individual posts from your News Feed without blocking the person completely. To do this:
- Click the three dots above the post
- Select “Hide post”
This will remove that specific post from your feed. You can also choose to hide all future posts from that person. But it has to be done each time they post.
Pros of Hiding Individual Posts
- Lets you selectively hide certain posts
- Person won’t know you hid it
- Easy to access old posts if needed
Cons of Hiding Individual Posts
- Time consuming to do for each post
- Post may reappear if repromoted
- Have to hide new posts as they come up
Hiding individual posts takes more effort, but gives you surgical control.
Prioritize Close Friends
You can shift more focus onto posts from your close friends list:
- Go to your News Feed Preferences
- Expand the “Close Friends” section
- Raise the dial to see their posts more
Facebook will then bump up posts from your handpicked close friends. Other content will get pushed down in your feed by comparison.
Pros of Prioritizing Close Friends
- Puts focus on the inner circle you care about most
- Lets you stay updated on your closest friends
- Easy to adjust as needed
Cons of Prioritizing Close Friends
- Makes it harder to discover new posts and people
- You may miss posts from broader friend circles
- Have to redo if you revert settings
Making your close friends the priority is great for meaningful connections. But it means you’ll miss more casual content.
Follow a Restricted List
Using a Restricted Friends List lets you be selective about whose posts you see:
- Go to your News Feed Preferences
- Click “Restricted List”
- Type in names of people to restrict
This explicitly prevents posts from those people appearing in your feed. All others will show normally.
Pros of Using a Restricted List
- Only blocks posts from specific people
- Lets you exclude a few individuals easily
- Keeps all other content flowing
Cons of Using a Restricted List
- Restricted people may realize if list is too small
- Have to update list if you change your mind
- All restricted people are completely blocked
The restricted list works well if you just want to weed out a few unwanted posters.
Create a Close Friends List
You can make a Close Friends list to focus on key people:
- Go to your News Feed Preferences
- Click “Close Friends”
- Start adding the names of close friends
This highlights posts from your inner circle and gives them top billing in your feed. Casual friends get lower placement.
Pros of a Close Friends List
- Draws attention to your closest friends
- Lets you stay up-to-date on VIPs
- Doesn’t require blocking anyone
Cons of a Close Friends List
- You may overlook posts from other friends
- Have to update list if close friends change
- Can only add up to 50 people
Creating a Close Friends list helps prioritize must-see updates from your inner circle.
Leave Conversations
If someone is posting too frequently in groups or events, you can leave those conversations:
- Go to the group or event
- Click the “Joined” or “Going” button
- Click “Leave” to exit the conversation
This completely removes you from the group or event feed. You won’t see any of the posts from members.
Pros of Leaving Conversations
- Frees you from overwhelming group posts
- Lets you focus on more relevant conversations
- Easy to rejoin in the future
Cons of Leaving Conversations
- You may miss important updates
- Can’t selectively filter members
- Have to be re-added by admin to rejoin
Exiting a conversation works if you need to clear a busy feed. But you lose access to the whole group.
Turn Off Notifications
You can disable notifications from a person’s posts:
- Go to their profile page
- Click on the “Follow” button
- Toggle off notifications
This stops you from getting notified of their posts. They’ll still appear in your feed but won’t actively alert you.
Pros of Turning Off Notifications
- Stops posts from interrupting you
- Prevents constant alerts from someone
- Their posts still appear in your feed
Cons of Turning Off Notifications
- You may miss important updates
- Have to re-enable notifications later
- Doesn’t remove posts from your feed
Switching off notifications reduces disruptions. But you need some self-discipline to check your feed.
Install News Feed Eradicator
You can use a browser extension like News Feed Eradicator to replace your actual News Feed with custom content. This lets you completely remove certain people from your feed view.
Pros of Using News Feed Eradicator
- Lets you fully customize what you see in your feed
- Can completely block posts from specific people
- Works on desktop and mobile browsers
Cons of Using News Feed Eradicator
- Requires installing a third-party extension
- Set up can be time consuming
- You may miss important updates
News Feed Eradicator offers robust feed customization. But it takes more effort to configure.
Use Lists to Follow Selectively
Facebook Lists allow you to bundle friends into groups that you can follow separately:
- Go to the Lists page
- Click “Create List”
- Add friends to your new list
- Check the list to see their posts
You can create lists based on friend groups or interests. Checking one list shows posts just from those friends.
Pros of Using Lists
- Let’s you separate friends into different streams
- Can post to specific lists
- Easy to create and customize lists
Cons of Using Lists
- Don’t prevent seeing posts outside lists
- Friends may not like certain list placements
- Creates more feeds to check
Facebook Lists provide more posting and viewing selectivity. But they’re an extra feed to manage.
Conclusion
Facebook gives you many options to control someone’s posts in your News Feed. The best approaches depend on your specific reasons and goals.
Restricting or unfollowing them are quick solutions to remove their content. Snoozing, hiding posts, and customizing your News Feed provide more nuanced management. Tools like News Feed Eradicator take customization even further. Lists let you separate friends into selective streams.
Balancing your feed means prioritizing the friends and content you care about most. But you don’t necessarily have to block people completely. With Facebook’s customization settings, you can curate a feed that suits your preferences and reflects your relationships.