Facebook’s settings allow you to control your privacy, security, notifications, and many other aspects of your Facebook experience. Here’s a guide to finding and customizing your Facebook settings on desktop, mobile, and in various Facebook apps.
Accessing Settings on Desktop
To access your Facebook settings on the desktop website:
- Click the down arrow in the top right corner of any Facebook page.
- Select “Settings” from the drop down menu.
This will open the “Settings & Privacy” page. Here you can access settings for:
Account – Control info added to your profile, manage account security, change your password, etc.
Preferences – Manage your default language, content preferences, notifications, etc.
Audience and Visibility – Manage privacy settings for who can see your posts, limit old posts visibility, etc.
Permissions – Control what info apps can access.
Your information – Download your Facebook data, manage your posts and profile info.
Community Standards – Learn about Facebook’s policies.
Security and Login – Set up two-factor authentication, grant account access to others, view login history, etc.
Ads – Manage your advertising preferences.
Businesses and Organizations – Manage settings for any business or organization pages you manage.
Take time to explore each section and customize your Facebook experience. For example, under “Notifications” you can specify which events do or don’t trigger notifications, manage messaging notifications, and control email notifications sent by Facebook.
Accessing Settings in the Mobile Apps
The Facebook mobile apps for iOS and Android also provide access to your account settings:
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device.
- Tap the three line “hamburger” menu icon in the top right.
- Scroll down and select “Settings & Privacy”.
This will display the same settings categories available on desktop. Tap into each one to manage specific account, privacy, notification, and other settings.
Some key settings to check on mobile include:
Notifications – Disable notifications for events you don’t need to be alerted about.
Location Services – Control whether Facebook can access your device’s location.
Data Usage – Enable options like disabling auto-playing videos to manage mobile data usage.
Privacy Shortcuts – Quick access to frequently used privacy settings.
Settings in Facebook Messenger
The Facebook Messenger app also has its own settings you can customize:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Tap “Settings”.
Here you can configure options like:
- Notifications – Manage message and group notifications.
- Privacy – Control who can see your active status, read receipts, and more.
- Chats – Customize various chat settings.
- Data and Storage – Manage media auto-download and message history.
- Payments – Set up payment accounts.
- People & Options – Block users, customize themes, enable dark mode, etc.
Take a few minutes to review the available settings categories and tailor Messenger to your preferences.
Finding Settings in Facebook Apps
Facebook’s family of apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, Portal, and more also provide access to settings:
Instagram – Tap your profile pic > Settings gear icon.
WhatsApp – Tap More options > Settings.
Oculus – Select Settings in the Oculus mobile app or headset.
Portal – Select Settings in the Portal mobile app.
Explore the settings in each app to configure options like notifications, privacy, account info, and more. For example, in Instagram you can enable two-factor authentication, manage data usage, and control visibility of photos and stories.
Settings on Facebook Business Tools
Facebook also provides robust settings for its business tools:
Business Manager – Used to manage business accounts, assets, and ads. Access settings via the gear icon.
Creator Studio – For creators managing Pages and video content. Adjust settings in the left menu.
Commerce Manager – For setting up online shops. Manage settings in the left menu.
Meta Business Suite – An all-in-one management tool. Change settings via the user menu.
With these tools you can configure business account roles, payment settings, page moderation, ad preferences, and more. Take time to thoroughly customize these settings for your business needs.
Can’t Find a Setting?
With so many Facebook products and surfaces, settings can sometimes be hard to find. If you can’t locate a specific setting, here are some tips:
- Use the Facebook mobile app or desktop site’s settings search bar to search for the setting name.
- Consult Facebook’s Help Center for guides to specific settings.
- On mobile, swipe left from the main menus to access shortcut settings.
- Post in Facebook user community groups asking where to find a specific setting.
Facebook is continually updating its settings and adding new options, so don’t hesitate to dig around. Adjusting your settings is key to customizing Facebook to your preferences.