How-To

How to Ignore Messages on Facebook

By Jeff Butts

Updated January 25, 2024

If you need to take a break and ignore messages on Facebook for a while, here’s what you need to do to make that happen.

Facebook’s instant messaging platform is insanely popular. You can easily send messages to one person or many without worrying about whether it’s using SMS, MMS, iMessage, or RCS. However, sometimes it can be rather noisy. So, let’s walk through how you can mute or ignore messages on Facebook.

Multiple Ways to Use Facebook Messenger

Facebook makes it easy to use its Messenger platform, offering access to it from a variety of places. You can open the chats from the Facebook main page, using a dedicated Messenger web page, or through apps available on both desktop and mobile devices.

Naturally, this means there are different ways to mute or ignore Facebook Messages, depending on which way you’re accessing the service. Not to worry, though: I’ll cover them all.

How to Ignore Individual Messages on Facebook

If you just want to ignore a single chat, you can do that easily from the Facebook or Messenger websites or the Messenger apps. Note that when you do this, it’s also worthwhile to hide your active status on Facebook so folks don’t realize you’re ignoring them.

Ignoring a Chat on the Facebook or Messenger Webpage

1. In the Chats sidebar of the Facebook or Messenger webpage, hover your mouse cursor over the person or group chat you want to ignore. Then, click the three dots icon.
   
2. Click Mute notifications.
   
3. Next, choose to mute just message notifications, only call notifications, or both. Click Next to continue.
   
4. Next, choose a length of time or Until I turn it back on. Finally, click Mute.
   
5. To turn the notifications back on, follow step 1 above. This time, though, click Unmute notifications.
   

How to Mute or Ignore a Chat in the Facebook Messenger Mobile App

Things are a bit different in the Messenger mobile app but still straightforward.

1. Tap and hold the chat you want to mute. You should see a menu appear. However, if no menu appears, just tap to enter the chat thread.
   
2. If you see a contextual menu after tapping and holding, tap Mute.
   
   • If you had to tap to open the conversation instead, tap the name at the top of the thread.
     
   • Next, tap Mute.
     
3. No matter which option got you to this dialog, choose how long you want to mute the chat. You can also tap Until I change it.
   
4. If you want to turn notifications back on before the time elapses, just repeat the steps but select Unmute.
   

Muting a Chat in Facebook’s Messenger App on the Desktop

For the desktop version of the Messenger app, the process is a little different to mute a chat.

1. Right-click the chat you want to mute.
2. Click Mute notifications.
   
3. Choose how long you want to ignore the messages from that chat on Facebook, then click Confirm.
   

Ignoring All Messages on Facebook Messenger

The steps above will allow you to ignore messages from a single chat. If you want to mute all incoming messages on Facebook, you’ll need to turn to either the Messenger website or app.

Using Messenger’s Do Not Disturb Feature on Mobile to Ignore All Messages on Facebook

If you’re using the Messenger app on your iPhone or Android device, you can turn on a Do Not Disturb mode within the app itself.

1. Tap the three horizontal lines icon in the top left of the display.
   
2. Next, tap the Gear icon.
   
3. Tap Notifications & sounds.
   
4. Toggle on Do Not Disturb.
   
5. Choose how long you want to ignore messages on Facebook.
   
6. If you decide you want to enable notifications again before the timer elapses, follow the above steps but toggle Do Not Disturb off.

Enabling Messenger Do Not Disturb on Your Computer

If you’re using the Messenger app on your Windows PC or Mac, the process to ignore all Facebook messages is similar.

1. Click your profile picture in the bottom left corner of the app, then click Preferences.
   
2. Click Notifications.
   
3. Toggle on Mute all notifications.
   
4. Turning notifications back on is as simple as returning to the setting page in Step 3 and toggling Mute all notifications off.

Take Back Control of Spammy Messages

There you have it, several options for reining in those overly chatty messages. If you need to ignore messages on Facebook, it’s easy and very granular. You can pick and choose who gets your attention, or close everyone out until you’re ready to be sociable again.