Have you ever noticed your Facebook notifications seem to be out of control? You get notified every time someone likes your post, comments on your post, shares your post, and more. While it can be exciting to see all this activity on your Facebook page, the constant dinging of your phone with notifications can also get overwhelming and annoying.
There are a few main reasons why you may be getting bombarded with Facebook notifications:
You have notifications turned on for everything
The most obvious reason you’re being overloaded with notifications is that your notification settings are turned on for all activity. Facebook lets you customize what types of notifications you want to receive. For example, you can turn off notifications just for when someone likes your post. Or you can turn off notifications for friend requests.
To adjust your Facebook notification settings on desktop:
- Click the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings”
- On the left sidebar, click “Notifications”
- You’ll see a list of all the notification options. Toggle them on or off as desired.
On mobile:
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner
- Tap “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”
- Tap “Notifications” to customize which ones you receive
Go through each notification type and consider if it’s something you really need to be alerted about immediately. Turn off the settings for ones that aren’t super important.
You have notifications turned on for a Group you’re in
When someone posts in a Facebook Group you’ve joined, you have the option to get notifications for that. If you’re in some very active Groups, you may start seeing a flood of notifications every time there’s a new post or comment.
To manage your notifications for Groups:
- Go to the Group’s page
- Click the “Notifications” tab along the top
- Toggle notifications on or off as desired
Consider turning off notifications for Groups that have a ton of engagement but aren’t super important to you. For example, turn them off for entertainment Groups but keep them on for Groups related to your work or close friends.
You have notifications turned on for Pages you’ve Liked
When you Like or Follow a Facebook Page, you can opt to get notifications whenever that Page posts something new. If you Like a lot of active Pages, your notifications can quickly get out of control.
To review which Pages you’re getting notifications from:
- Click the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings”
- On the left sidebar, click “Notifications”
- Scroll down to “Pages” to see which ones you’re following and turn notifications off for Pages that are less important
Only keep notifications on for Pages you really want to stay on top of and engage with frequently.
You have notifications turned on for Friends you Follow
In addition to Pages, you can choose to “Follow” your Facebook Friends. This means you get notifications for their posts even if they don’t directly tag you. This can result in more notifications as Friends tend to post more frequently than Pages.
To review which Friends you’re following:
- Click the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings”
- On the left sidebar, click “Notifications”
- Scroll down to “Friends” to see who you’re following and unfollow Friends who aren’t top priority
Follow sparingly and be choosy about which Friends really need to show up in your notifications.
You’re tagged in a lot of posts
When someone tags you in a Facebook post or comment, you’ll get a notification for it. If you have a lot of Friends who interact with you frequently on Facebook, you may get bombarded with notifications from all the tagging.
Unfortunately there’s no way to turn off notifications for tags completely. Even if you turn off the “You were tagged in a post” notification, you’ll still be notified of tags in comments.
Some options to cut down on tag notifications include:
- Ask Friends to tag you less frequently if possible
- Hide posts you’re tagged in from appearing on your Timeline
- Adjust your privacy settings to review tags before they appear on your Timeline
While you can’t eliminate tag notifications, you can reduce tag clutter this way.
You have notifications turned on for Keywords
Facebook allows you to get notifications when certain keywords are mentioned in posts or comments. For example, you can get notified anytime someone mentions your name or your company name.
If you have notifications turned on for a lot of keywords, you’ll likely get inundated with notifications as those words are used.
To edit the keywords you’re following:
- Click the arrow in the top right corner and select “Settings”
- On the left sidebar, click “Notifications”
- Scroll down and click “Keywords” to remove ones that aren’t needed
Cut down your keyword notifications to just critical terms and names that you need to monitor closely.
You interact with a lot of popular Pages and Friends
The more active your Friends and Pages are on Facebook, the more notifications you’ll get. When you Like, comment on, and share posts from Pages with millions of Likes, you’re going to get a lot of notification feedback from all that engagement.
Same with Friends who have thousands of Followers – the more viral their posts become, the more your notifications will blow up if you’ve interacted with their content.
There’s no way to limit notifications from viral Pages or famous Friends. But you can be more mindful of engaging with their content if you don’t want to be flooded with notifications.
You turned on push notifications
Facebook gives you the option to turn on push notifications that appear on your smartphone screen instantly when you get a Facebook notification. So even when you’re not actively using the Facebook app, you’ll be alerted.
Push notifications can lead to notification overload, since they pop up on your phone frequently and it’s easy to lose track of how many you’re getting.
To turn off push notifications:
- Open your phone’s Settings app
- Tap “Notifications”
- Find “Facebook” and toggle off push notifications
You’ll still get notifications within the Facebook app, just not instant push alerts on your phone screen.
You have the Facebook app open all the time
If you have the Facebook app open on your phone constantly, you’re going to see notifications come in the moment they happen. Whereas if Facebook is running in the background, you may only check notifications every so often.
Close out of the Facebook app when you’re done actively using it. You can still get badge alerts on your phone’s home screen that notify you of new Facebook notifications.
Only open Facebook when you have time to actually scroll through and respond to notifications. Avoid having it open at all times, as that guarantees you’ll see a notification instantly.
You use Facebook for work
If your job involves managing company Facebook Pages and profiles, you’re bound to get more notifications. Being required to stay on top of incoming notifications is an occupational hazard!
For business use cases, Facebook offers its Workplace platform – a separate version of Facebook designed specifically for work collaboration. You may want to keep your personal Facebook usage separate and use Workplace for your business notification needs.
And if you need real-time notifications for your job, Facebook even offers a Notification API for developers.
You’re addicted to Facebook
Let’s be honest – Facebook can be addicting. The constant stream of notifications lights up the reward centers in our brains. It feels good to get notifications!
If you have a hard time putting down Facebook, it’s no wonder you end up getting bombarded with notifications. You’re constantly checking them and wanting more.
Consider taking a Facebook detox if social media consumes too much of your time and attention. Log out for certain periods of the day or week to gain control over your usage.
Recognize the addictive nature of notifications and how Facebook is designed to pull you in. Be mindful of your relationship with the app.
You use Facebook for online dating
If you use Facebook Dating, you’ll likely get more notifications when you match with people or receive messages. The influx of dating-related notifications can contribute to an overall spike in your alerts.
You may want to turn off Facebook Dating notifications if you find they’re overwhelming. Or try using a dedicated dating app instead, where you expect a certain volume of notifications as part of the experience.
Dating notifications can clutter your feed if Facebook is your main social app rather than a dedicated dating platform.
You joined a lot of new Groups or Liked new Pages
When you join a new Group or Like a new Page, you’ll start getting notifications for all of that account’s activity moving forward. So if you’ve recently expanded the number of Groups/Pages you’re following, it makes sense that your overall notifications would surge.
Go back and prune any new Groups or Pages that you don’t need to follow closely. Leave just the few you’re genuinely interested in engaging with.
Similarly, if you’ve added a bunch of new Friends recently, consider culling ones you don’t need to stay updated on. Keep your notifications focused on the select people and accounts you care most about.
There’s a trending news event
When a major news event takes place, you’ll likely see a spike in notifications as people react to the story. Breaking news, celebrity gossip, political drama – these all prompt a flurry of posts and comments.
Notifications will ramp up due to the increased activity around whatever topic is trending. There’s not much you can do besides ride out the wave until conversation settles down again.
Just be aware that your notifications may seem more chaotic than usual in the midst of breaking stories as people flock to Facebook to discuss and debate them. Once the fuss dies down, your notifications should return to normal levels.
It’s the holiday season
During the holidays, notifications tend to increase as people share seasonal greetings, post gift ideas, upload photos from gatherings, and more. The general spike in usage across Facebook usually translates to busier notifications.
You may want to tighten your notification filters before the holidays to prevent getting inundated with seasonal alerts. But in general, expect more notifications during celebration-heavy times of the year on Facebook.
You changed notification settings
If you recently tweaked your notification settings, double check that you didn’t accidentally turn on additional notifications without realizing it. It’s easy to toggle a different setting and end up following more Friends or Pages than you intended.
Review your notification settings to confirm they reflect your actual preferences. You may have adjusted something that led to an influx of unexpected alerts.
Conclusion
Facebook notifications can pile up quickly. But by optimizing your settings, pruning unnecessary follows, and being mindful of your usage, you can take control of your notifications. Keep them focused on the people and topics you genuinely care about.
What notification triggers have you noticed causing overwhelming alerts on Facebook? Identify those sources and consider if you need to keep them turned on. You should be able to shape your notification feed to match your priorities.