How to Control Who Can Message You on Facebook

If you are friends with someone, interact with them often, or have chatted with them on Facebook, they will be able to send you messages via Facebook Messenger. People who have never interacted with you can only send message requests, which you can choose to accept or ignore. You can customize the types of messages that appear in your Chat inbox, Message Requests folder, or are hidden entirely. Additionally, you can block users from messaging you without having to unfriend or block them on Facebook. This guide will walk you through the different methods of controlling who can message you on Facebook.

Open the Messenger app on your iPhone or Android device. This app has a chat bubble icon in blue, purple, pink, with a white lightning bolt inside. You can find it on your home screen or in your Apps menu.

• Use this method to control which messages appear in your Facebook Messenger 'Chat' screen. For example, if you don't want to receive messages from someone who has your phone number saved in their contacts but hasn't added you as a Facebook friend, you can adjust settings here.
• Messenger will display the 'Chat' screen. If you see any conversations listed, tap the back arrow to return.

Tap on the profile picture in the top left corner. The screen will immediately display a menu.

Tap on Privacy in the menu. This option is represented by an icon featuring a blue and white shield.

Tap on Message Delivery. This option can be found near the top of the menu.

Select the group of people you wish to manage messages for. This section is divided into groups: People With Your Phone Number, Your Followers on Instagram (if your Instagram and Facebook accounts are linked), and Others on Facebook. You can control message reception for each specific group.

Choose how you would like to receive messages. Here are the meanings of the available options:

• If you want to receive messages from this group, select Chat.
• If you do not want to receive messages from this group, select Don't Receive Requests.
• If you want messages from this group to be pending, allowing you to either accept or decline them before responding, select Message Requests.

View pending messages. If you'd like to check your pending messages, return to the Chat screen, tap on your profile picture, and select Message Requests.

Open the Messenger app on your iPhone or Android. The app is represented by a chat bubble icon in shades of blue, purple, and pink, with a white lightning bolt inside. You can find the app either on your home screen or in the Apps menu.

• Messenger will display the "Chat" screen. If a conversation is visible, tap the back arrow to return to the previous screen.

Tap the "Search" bar at the top of the app. You'll find the search bar above the conversation list.

• If you want to block someone you've recently chatted with, you can simply tap on the conversation from the Chat screen instead of searching for their name.

Enter the name of the person you wish to block. As you type, matching contacts will appear in the search results.

Tap on the person you wish to block. The screen will display the conversation between you and the selected individual.

Tap on the contact's name at the top of the conversation. This action will bring up their personal information.

Scroll down and tap on Block. This option is located near the bottom of the contact's profile page.

Choose a blocking option. The two options serve different purposes:

• Tap Block Messages and Calls to prevent the person from sending you messages or calling you via the Facebook Messenger app. They will still be able to see your messages in group chats, and you can also view their messages.
• Tap Block on Facebook to stop the person from interacting with you on Facebook, including group chats.
• If you don't want to block someone but don't want to see their new messages in your Chat folder, tap the back button and select Ignore Messages. This will move the conversation to the Message Requests folder, and you will no longer receive notifications when they send a message.

Tap on Block to confirm. From now on, you will no longer receive messages from this person.

Visit https://www.messenger.com. This is the website for Facebook Messenger.

Log in to your Facebook account. If you're already logged into Facebook, click Continue as (your name). If not, enter your login details and click Log In to sign in.

• Use this method to control the messages that will appear in your Facebook message list. For example, if you don't want to receive messages from someone who has your phone number in their contacts but isn't yet friends with you on Facebook, you can customize that here.

Click the three-dot icon. This option is located at the top left corner of the page, next to your name. A menu will appear.

Click on Preferences. A new window will appear on the screen.

Click on Manage Message Delivery (Manage message sending operations). This will open the Facebook Privacy Settings & Tools page.

Click on Edit (Edit) next to the group you want to modify. In the "How You Get Message Requests" section, there are a few options: People With Your Phone Number, Your Followers on Instagram if your Instagram and Facebook accounts are linked, and Friends of Friends on Facebook. You can customize message receiving settings for each group.

Select how you'd like to receive messages. Here are the meanings of each option:

• If you'd like to receive messages from this group, choose Chat.
• If you don't want to receive messages from this group, select Don't Receive Requests.
• If you want messages from this group to be sent as pending requests that you can either accept or decline before replying, choose Message Requests.

View pending messages. To check message requests, visit https://www.messenger.com, click on the three-dot icon at the top of the screen, and select Message Requests.

Go to https://www.messenger.com. This is the official website for Facebook Messenger.

Log into your Facebook account. If you're already logged in, click Continue as (your name) (Proceed as (your name)). Otherwise, enter your login credentials and click Log In to access your account directly.

• This method helps you block messages from users on Facebook without needing to block them on the platform itself.

Search for the person you want to block. To do this, simply type their name in the Search Messenger bar at the top left and click on their name in the search results.

Click the i icon within the circle. This option is located at the top-right corner of the conversation. A panel will appear on the right.

• If this action causes the information panel to close, simply click once more to reopen it.

Click Privacy & Support in the right-side panel. You'll see additional options appear.

Click on the Block option. A new window will pop up immediately.

Choose your blocking option. There are two choices, each serving different purposes:

• If you simply want to stop receiving messages from this person but don’t mind interacting with them elsewhere on Facebook (such as in group chats or comments), choose Block Messages and Calls. This will prevent them from sending you messages without them knowing they’ve been blocked.
• If you want this person to be unable to see or interact with you anywhere on Facebook, choose Block on Facebook. If you’re friends with them, this action will unfriend them as well.