There are a few common reasons why notifications may be turned off for your Facebook account. The most likely explanations are that you have manually disabled notifications in your settings, Facebook’s notification settings have defaulted to having notifications turned off, your account security settings are blocking notifications, or there is a technical issue preventing notifications from coming through properly.
You Have Manually Turned Notifications Off
The most straightforward reason your Facebook notifications are not working is because you have manually gone into your settings and turned them off. Facebook allows granular control over notifications, so you can disable notifications for specific things like posts, messages, friend requests, events, pages, groups, apps, and more.
To check your notification settings on desktop:
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Click on “Settings”
- Select “Notifications” on the left sidebar
Here you can see toggles for various notification types that you can turn on or off. Make sure any categories you want notifications for are enabled.
On mobile:
- Tap on the three line “hamburger” menu icon
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Tap on “Settings”
- Select “Notifications”
You will then see a list of notification types that you can individually toggle on or off.
If you have intentionally disabled notifications for certain things, turning them back on for those categories should restore your notifications.
Facebook’s Default Notification Settings
Facebook chooses default notification settings for new accounts that may have certain categories turned off by default. For example, notifications for posts, comments, connections, and more may be disabled. Unless you proactively turn them on, they will remain off.
Be sure to check through the various notification categories in your settings and enable any that you want to receive notifications for. The default settings alone may be limiting notifications.
Account Security Settings Blocking Notifications
If you have increased account security settings enabled, this can sometimes interfere with notifications. For example, if you have two-factor authentication enabled, Facebook may block notifications unless you enter a special login code.
Check under the “Security and Login” and “Emails from Facebook” sections of your account settings. Make sure you don’t have extra steps required to receive emails or notifications from Facebook. Disable anything that is making you take extra steps to get notifications.
Technical Issues Preventing Notifications
Less commonly, technical issues may prevent notifications from coming through correctly. Things to check include:
- Are your Facebook app and mobile device operating system updated?
- Do you have internet connectivity issues that could be blocking notifications?
- If push notifications are enabled, try force quitting and reopening the Facebook app.
- Temporarily disable any security, privacy, or anti-spam extensions/apps that could block Facebook notifications.
- Change notification settings from push to email or vice versa.
- Log out and back into Facebook on all devices to refresh notification tokens.
Troubleshooting steps like these can help identify and fix any technical issues.
Why Does Facebook Turn Off Notifications Automatically?
There are a few reasons why Facebook may automatically disable certain notifications or reduce notification frequency:
To Improve Relevance
Facebook tries to send notifications that are relevant and useful. If you consistently dismiss or ignore certain notification types, Facebook’s algorithms may learn over time and automatically turn those notifications off to avoid sending irrelevant notifications.
For example, if you immediately dismiss post notifications from a certain friend or page whenever you receive them, Facebook will detect that and prevent similar notifications in the future. The goal is to avoid annoying users with unwanted notifications.
To Control Notification Volume
Facebook also limits notifications to prevent message overload. If notifications become too frequent from a particular source, Facebook will throttle them back automatically.
For example, extremely active groups or pages could generate hundreds of notifications per day per member if left unchecked. So Facebook clamps down on sources that are spamming notifications.
To Encourage App Usage
Another motivation is to encourage more active app usage. When you receive push notifications, Facebook can display snippets of content and remind you to open the app. By limiting notifications, Facebook hopes you will open the app more frequently to check for notifications.
More app engagement keeps users more invested in the platform. Turning off notifications for inactive users incentivizes them to return directly to the app.
How Do I Know if My Facebook Notifications are Off?
Here are some signs that your Facebook notifications may not be working correctly:
- You stop seeing notification counters/badges on the Facebook app icon
- The notifications panel in the Facebook app is empty
- You stop receiving push, email, or text notifications from Facebook
- Friends mention they have tagged you, invited you to events, etc., but you haven’t received any notification
- You miss posts and updates from pages that you used to get notifications for
Issues like these typically point to notifications being disabled or limited in some way.
How to Check Facebook Notification Settings
To confirm the status of your Facebook notifications:
On Desktop:
- Click the arrow in the top right > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select “Notifications” on the left sidebar
- Review each notification category and confirm desired types are enabled
On Mobile:
- Tap menu icon > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select “Notifications”
- Review the list and check that the notifications you want are turned on
This allows you to audit your notification settings and troubleshoot any categories that have been disabled.
How Do I Turn Facebook Notifications Back On?
If your notifications are off, here are steps to turn them back on:
On Desktop
- Click the arrow in top right > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Notifications” in left sidebar
- Locate the category you want to enable and turn the toggle on
- Repeat for any other notification types you want to re-enable
On Mobile
- Tap menu icon > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select “Notifications”
- Find the specific notification type and switch the toggle on
- Repeat for any others you want to turn back on
Be sure to check notification settings on Facebook’s website in addition to the mobile app to cover all bases. Toggle any categories important to you back on.
Additional Ways to Re-Enable Notifications
- If notifications were off by default, update the default preferences
- Check security settings and remove any verification/confirmation requirements for notifications
- If technical issues, troubleshoot connectivity and app issues
- Temporarily disable other apps that may block Facebook notifications
- Log out and back into Facebook on all devices to refresh notification tokens
Addressing any root causes for disabled notifications can ensure they reliably stay turned on moving forward.
Why Do My Facebook Notifications Keep Turning Off?
If your Facebook notifications keep reverting to being disabled, there are a few potential reasons:
App Optimization
As mentioned, Facebook’s algorithms try to optimize notifications for relevance. So if you keep dismissing certain notifications, Facebook will continue to disable them automatically.
To provide more useful notifications, be sure to actually read, interact with, and respond to notifications you want to keep receiving.
Excessive Volume
Getting a crazy number of notifications from pages, groups, events, etc. may trigger Facebook’s limits. Facebook automatically throttles sources sending you too many notifications to control volume.
Preemptively unfollow or mute the most active sources if you are getting overwhelmed. Prioritize notifications from your closest connections.
Security and Permission Changes
Certain security options like two-factor authentication can temporarily disable notifications until you enter a code.
Also, updating your operating system or Facebook app permissions may reset notification permissions. Double check that Facebook still has permission to send notifications.
Device and App Issues
Ensure your device has storage space available and isn’t full. The Facebook app needs free space to function smoothly.
Also try reinstalling the Facebook app if notifications are temperamental. Outdated app installs can act buggy.
How Do I Turn Off Facebook Notifications?
If you want to disable Facebook notifications entirely, here is how:
On Desktop
- Click the arrow > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Select “Notifications” in the left sidebar
- Locate the notification type and switch the toggle off
- Repeat to disable other notification categories
On Mobile
- Tap the menu icon > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Choose “Notifications”
- Tap the toggle next to each notification type to disable it
- Toggle off all the notifications you want to turn off
Be thorough and disable notifications everywhere you might receive them – via email, text, push alert, etc.
You can also mute specific people, pages, groups, etc. that you don’t need notifications from rather than disabling all notifications entirely.
Conclusion
Facebook notifications are designed to keep you connected and up-to-date with your friends, family, interests, and more. But technical glitches, privacy settings, notification limits, and deactivated notification categories can all prevent you from receiving them. By auditing your notification settings and addressing any disabled types, you can ensure desired Facebook notifications are successfully turned back on. Consume, interact with, and respond to notifications you value so Facebook knows to keep sending them. Limit sources overwhelming you with excessive notifications. Stay on top of your notification preferences and troubleshoot issues promptly to keep your Facebook notifications working.