Over 31% of internet users access Facebook daily. And while the platform relies on ads to keep its service free, too many disruptive, irrelevant ads can create a negative user experience.
The good news is you have options – from ad preferences to third-party tools for blocking Facebook ads or limiting how your data is used for targeting.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore multiple methods to rid your Facebook feed of annoying ads without compromising your access to the platform.
Understanding Why You See Certain Ads
It‘s important to first understand the core reasons you see particular ads to better control what is ultimately displayed to you:
Facebook Leverages Your Personal Data
Information you provide Facebook directly, websites you visit, purchases made around the web and more is aggregated to determine ads you might engage with.
You can view some interests Facebook has linked to your account under "Your Information > Your Categories" and remove ones you don‘t want fueling ads.
Advertisers Target Specific Groups
Your demographic data makes it into various “audience buckets” allowing advertisers to serve ads to their desired target market.
For example, a clothing brand selling women‘s athleticwear may target women aged 20-40 labeled with interests like fitness, running and working out.
Facebook Tracks All Your Activity
Every page/post you view, ad you click, item you purchase (on and off Facebook) provides additional signals to determine ads you might engage with. Pages you follow, groups joined and ads you‘ve interacted with also influence what you‘ll be served.
Understanding the behind-the-scenes reasons you see ads empowers you to better manage what ultimately appears in your feed. Now let’s explore specific approaches to blocking Facebook ads.
Adjusting Your Facebook Ad Preferences
Optimizing your ad preferences is a straightforward way to regain some control over the ads you see. Here‘s how step-by-step:
- Click the down arrow in the top right and select Settings & Privacy
- Choose Settings from the menu
- Select Ads from the left column
From this main ad preferences dashboard, you can:
- Remove interests used to serve you ads
- Prevent ads based on partners sharing your activity off Facebook
- Hide ads from specific categories or advertisers entirely
Review all the available options and customize based on your preferences. Just remember each change further limits the data Facebook uses to display ads, which may increase less relevant ads if taken too far.
Ad Topics
Expand the Ad Topics section to view categories of ads you frequently see as determined by Facebook then toggle any options on/off to hide ads related to:
- Parenting
- Pets
- Fashion
- Fitness
- And more…
This provides basic control based on general interests associated with your profile. For those wanting more advanced exclusion options, you can install additional tools.
Blocking Ads with Browser Extensions
In addition to adjusting internal Facebook controls, installing an ad blocker is an effective way to stop advertisements before they ever reach your browser.
Adblock Plus, uBlock Origin and Adguard are among the most popular ad blockers with slightly different options:
| Extension | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Adblock Plus | Blocks all ads by default | Reported to show some "acceptable ads" |
| uBlock Origin | Very lightweight | Requires more technical skill to customize filters |
| Adguard | Blocks ads + protects against trackers and malware | Only desktop browser extension is free |
I recommend uBlock Origin if you have intermediate technical skills to leverage custom filtering options for a streamlined ad blocking experience.
For those less familiar with altering filter lists, Adblock Plus strikes a nice balance between blocking ads and simplicity of use immediately out of the box.
Controlling Ads on Mobile
Managing ads through Facebook’s mobile app provides limited options compared to the desktop experience. That’s why dedicated mobile ad blocking apps are recommended for the most effective Facebook ad removal via your smartphone.
The Adguard mobile app available for both iOS and Android devices continues to be an excellent option for blocking ads in all mobile browsers along with native app ad blocking unlike some competitors.
Key features of Adguard for mobile:
- Blocks all banner, video and text ads across mobile browsers and apps
- Prevents ad tracking and hides your data from advertiser networks
- Uses minimal battery life compared to always-on VPN connections
- Slim performance impact even on budget devices
- Easy one-tap way to pause blocking when needed
- No need to root or jailbreak device
For Android mobile devices specifically, apps like Facebook AdBlock offer ad removal directly inside the Facebook app itself using a local VPN connection. Simple enable/disable toggles make it easy to manage.
Are Ad Blockers Right for You?
Before installing an ad blocker for Facebook or beyond, consider a few key points:
- Many sites and services you enjoy rely at least partially on ad revenue – including Facebook itself
- Blocking all ads reduces viability of otherwise free platforms and content
- But allowing all ads provides maximum user data collection and disruption
Finding the right balance depends on your personal preference. Apply ad blocking moderately without cutting off all advertising entirely from sites you wish to support.
Additional Ways to Improve Your Experience
Blocking Facebook ads is a major step to regaining control of your feed. But optimizing other settings can also streamline your overall experience:
Adjust Notifications
Limit notifications to reduce distractions and only surface the interactions most valuable to you.
Organize Friends
Group friends into lists like Close Friends, Acquaintances, Family and so on to filter feed posts appropriately.
Unlike Pages
Be ruthless in unfollowing pages that continuously show irrelevant or low-quality posts. Don‘t feel obligated to keep up with content that doesn‘t interest you.
Limit Data Sharing
Narrow down the user data Facebook leverages to serve you ads under Settings > Your Information > Your Categories and other related options to align with your comfort level.
Key Takeaways
Getting inundated with excessive Facebook ads can really damper your experience but isn‘t an unavoidable reality of using the platform.
You have options – adjust your ad preferences under Facebook settings, leverage browser extensions or mobile apps to block ads or limit how your personal data gets used for ad targeting in the first place.
Strike the right balance for your needs between allowing Facebook to monetize with ads that subsidize its free tools and removing nuisance ads for a more focused experience.
Hopefully this guide provides a menu of effective solutions to finally stop annoying, irrelevant Facebook ads from disrupting your feed! Let me know if you have any other questions.
