How to turn off Recommendations on Facebook

• Home
• Apps

How To Turn Off Suggested Posts On Facebook 2022

You can turn off suggested posts on Facebook and save your sanity. Here's how...

If you are reading this, you may be wondering how to turn off suggested posts on Facebook. Well, it's as simple as turning off Reels on Facebook!

Facebook's “Suggested for you” feature helps you discover new content based on your interests and activities. For some people, it can be a great way to find out new pages or people they might like. But for others, the suggestions can be overwhelming, and even feel like spam.

Advertisement

If you belong to the latter group, you might want to turn off Suggested Posts on Facebook. We already know that there is an option to turn off suggested posts on Instagram, but what about Facebook? Can you really turn off suggested posts on Facebook?

Let's take a look at how to turn off suggested posts on Facebook.

How To Turn Off Suggested Posts On Facebook

Unlike Instagram, Facebook doesn’t let you turn off “Suggested for you” posts. However, you can manage what you see as suggested posts in your Facebook feed with a simple tweak - hiding the post.

Advertisement

Hiding a post from your Feed helps Facebook learn more about what you want to see in your Feed. Here’s what you need to do:

• Tap the three horizontal dots icon on the suggested post.
• Then, select how you want to manage this content:
  • Tap Hide post to see less content like this.
  • Press Snooze the Page for 30 days to temporarily stop seeing content from them.
  • Choose Hide all from the Page to stop seeing content from them.
  • Tap Find support or report post if the content concerns you.

Alternatively, you can use a browser extension called F.B.(FluffBusting)Purity if you want to get rid of suggested posts completely. This extension hides all the ads, game spam, sponsored posts and suggested posts on Facebook and generally makes Facebook less annoying to use.

• Read More: Can You Still Poke On Facebook?

Why Am I Getting So Many Suggested For You Posts On Facebook?

To help you discover new things on Facebook, the algorithm suggests certain content in your Feed. Content that is suggested for you can be videos, photos or articles from Pages and groups that you don't already follow but might be interested in.

Advertisement

This suggested content is based on what may be relevant to you and is influenced by your past Facebook behaviour. Some of the most important factors influencing the suggested content include your friends' activity on Facebook, the type of content you've liked and commented on in the past, your location and so on.

Now that you have learned how to how to turn off suggested posts on Facebook, have a look at how to fix query error on Facebook.

Want to disable Suggested for You on Facebook?

This is a common complaint.

A separate issue among Facebook Page owners is Similar Page Suggestions sending new fans right to their competitors!

We’ll cover removing Suggested Groups, Friends, and Pages for personal accounts.

Then we’ll address business Page admins (where suggestions actually can be turned off completely).

This article has been checked and updated as of August 2022.

Why Do I Have Suggested Friends, Pages & Groups?

Suggestions on Facebook are coming from FB itself, not from other users.

Facebook has one agenda: To keep you on Facebook longer, so you will see more ads, so they will make more money.

To this end, Suggested Pages in the Facebook News Feed can’t be completely eliminated – without a third party app.

But we can try to temper them.

Can I Remove Facebook Suggested Pages?

For personal profiles, the short answer appears to be “No.”

Suggested Pages get a few users to click around and maybe even share some Facebook Likes. So FB’s mission is accomplished.

Once upon a time we could disable Suggested Pages, but it appears this setting has been removed.

Just in case it returns at some point:

1. In the top bar, click the down arrow to the right of the help ? icon.
2. Click on Settings. I also tried News Feed Preferences…
3. Click on Privacy in the left sidebar. I also tried Apps and Websites. None brought up the needed setting, which is…
4. In the “Instant Personalization” section, uncheck the “Enable instant personalization on partner websites” check box.

As I noted above, I can no longer find this setting anywhere, so consider this…

Can I Edit Which Pages Are Suggested?

If Facebook is going to give us these regardless, then perhaps we can help guide them to at least show us relevant Pages.

They certainly haven’t told us how to do that, but I would start with your Ad Topics and edit your interests.

Note: These settings may or may not be part of the Facebook Page Suggestions algorithm – but they should!

To adjust ad settings from a desktop browser:

1. Click your profile pic at top right and select Settings and Privacy.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Next click on Ads, then Ad Topics in the left sidebar.
4. Search for topics you want to see less of.
5. Click See Less.

If Facebook is smart, they will pay attention to your stated interests when suggesting Pages.

You can also click on Ad Settings and adjust which categories advertisers can use to show you targeted ads.

I can’t guarantee you’ll see fewer Suggested Pages in these niches, but it sure would make sense.

To adjust ad settings from the Facebook mobile app:

1. Tap your Facebook profile pic at bottom right.
2. Tap Settings & privacy.
3. Now tap Settings.
4. Scroll down to Ads and tap Ad Preferences.
5. Adjust Ad Topics and Ad Settings as desired.

A reader also had these suggestions:

Currently it is not possible to get rid of the “suggested pages” but it is possible to direct the topics shown…

My personal feeling is that there are some hidden things on FB. They somehow find out how long a post on a timeline is actively on your screen, and based on that sort of preference a multiplier is generated. You don’t have to like it, it’s just the time you watch something.

If you think the “suggested pages” show something where e.g. the girlfriend gets jealous, then click on “show all” and scroll down… and like some pages with a certain preference. That changes the “direction”… e.g. a guy likes high heels, and somehow FB then only suggests pages with heels and then he thinks his GF should not see that.

To change that choose, 10 or 15 pages with something completely different but with the same different topic. e.g. cars… for sure the next 10 or 20 suggestions are about car pages only. I believe (but I don’t know yet) that needs some likes here and there to keep showing car pages…

Try one or both of these, and let me know if the Suggested Pages become more suited to your interests.

How Do I Remove Suggested Groups on Facebook?

Facebook is also suggesting posts from public groups, and groups you may wish to join.

These seem to be based on similar groups you’re a member of, or groups that friends are in.

If you don’t want to see these, do not like or comment! You can choose to hide the Suggested Post and you won’t see any more from that group.

If you see Suggested Groups, click See more and X out ones you don’t want to see again.

I bet Facebook will still suggest groups to you – just not these ones.

Can I Remove Suggested Friends on Facebook?

Another Suggested for You feature is for friends.

Facebook has become very good at figuring out potential connections between people and now offers suggestions.

These may be people with mutual friends, shared education history, or who are in a network you are in.

Some people suspect they may even be from other apps, but officially, this isn’t the case.

And sometimes, there’s just no clear reason why the algorithm suggests the person!

The good news is that you can simply ignore it if you don’t want to add more friends.

Plus if you happen to block someone for any reason, they won’t ever make an appearance on your list.

Trouble adding the people you actually want to friend? Learn how to add friends on Facebook.

Can I Remove Similar Page Suggestions on my Page?

Surprisingly here, the answer is YES.

Are you a Facebook business Page admin or owner?

When a new fan “Likes” your Page, they’ll be served a series of suggested Pages they may also wish to “Like.”

These recommendations aren’t paid placements. Facebook bases suggestions on location, category, and other pages “Liked” by fans of your page.

Fans can hover over a suggested Page’s thumbnail to “Like” it right away, or click on it to go check out the Page. Or, they can click “See All” to be taken to the full “Like Your Favorite Pages” browser.

It’s cool that the suggested Pages are based on fans’ interests, rather than what’s most popular. But it is a distraction from spending more time on your Page, which they just “Liked.” Suggested Pages might tempt them to click away quickly.

Participation in Page Suggestions is voluntary. But if you opt out of having suggestions shown to your new fans, then your Page won’t be suggested to new fans of other Pages. It’s a tradeoff.

I’ve been asked for this info by a reader who found the suggestions totally irrelevant to her Page.

Others may not want their new fans being steered to competitors. See the screenshot below. If I worked for Crate and Barrel, I would not like this lineup!

It’s your call.

How to Turn Off Similar Page Suggestions on Fan Pages

Login to Facebook on your personal account that’s an admin of the Page.

1. From the left sidebar of your Page, click Settings.
2. From General, click Similar Page Suggestions.
3. Click to uncheck the box next to Include [Page name] when recommending similar Pages people might like on a Page timeline.
4. Click Save Changes. source

The screenshot below is of New Facebook in 2021.

Still seeing “People Also Like” on your Facebook Page?

This post was originally published August 2013. I believe the “People Also Like” section is no longer shown on the Page.

If you still see it, try this:

1. Hover the top bar of the section and click the Edit pencil.
2. Click Manage Sections.
3. Click the”People Also Like”  bar and drag it to the bottom of the list.

Now, at least it will be below all other sections – and probably never noticed.

Conclusion

If you dare to try it, a third party app that might help you control FB suggestions is called F.B. Purity. The F.B. allegedly stands for “Fluff Busting” and is in no way endorsed by Facebook.

I haven’t used it nor am I recommending it. Do your due diligence before trying it out.

If you have any other tips, tricks, or updates, please leave a comment to help others with Suggested for You on Facebook!