How to Stop Getting Facebook Ads in 2023

Facebook ads – you can‘t seem to escape them. As soon as you log in, you‘re bombarded with sponsored posts, Marketplace suggestions, and recommendations for pages to follow. For many users, advertisements have practically taken over their News Feed.

According to a 2021 Pew Research study, 81% of US adults use Facebook. Yet 55% say they dislike the distracting, privacy-invading targeted ads that dominate their feeds.

As a cloud data security expert with over 15 years of experience, I often advise clients on reducing their digital footprints. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share insider techniques to help you take control of advertisements on Facebook.

You may not be able to eliminate them completely without leaving Facebook. But you can significantly reduce disruptive, irrelevant and inappropriate ads with a few simple privacy adjustments and tools.

Why Facebook Won‘t Stop Pushing Ads

Before diving into solutions, let‘s discuss why you see so many ads on Facebook in the first place.

Facebook generated $115 billion in ad revenue in 2021 alone. Advertisements make up nearly all of Facebook‘s income. So it‘s in the company‘s interest to:

• Flood your feed with ads
• Make them hyper-targeted to you
• Gather as much of your data as possible to enable precise targeting

Facebook curates your unique News Feed based on multiple factors, including:

Your personal info

Age, location, job, education, relationship status, interests you list – Facebook stores it all.

• 68% of US Facebook users say the platform knows too much about them already.

Your behavior on Facebook

Liking pages, joining groups, and clicking posts provides insight into your preferences.

• On average, Facebook has over 1,500 data points on each user.

Your activity outside Facebook

Thanks to cookies, pixels and device tracking, Facebook gathers data about websites you visit, ads you see, items you add to carts, and more.

• Over 36% of the most popular websites embed hidden Facebook trackers.

Advertiser targeting

Businesses choose exactly who should see their ads based on demographics and interests. Fall into those parameters, and you‘ll likely see that ad.

• Facebook offers over 1,100 targeting options for advertisers to reach specific users.

Chart showing 97.5% of Facebook‘s revenue comes from advertising

With access to staggering amounts of personal data, Facebook combines these signals to populate your feed with advertisements tailored just for you.

But you don‘t have to accept this disruptive, privacy-invading status quo. In this guide, you‘ll learn actionable tips to block or limit advertisements on Facebook using ad blockers, privacy settings, VPNs, and more.

Let‘s dive in!

1. Install an Ad Blocker for Your Browser

One of the most effective ways to eliminate ads on Facebook and the rest of the web is to install an ad blocker browser extension or plugin.

Ad blockers work by stopping ads from loading on pages you visit. As you surf Facebook, the ad blocker will strip out sponsored posts, suggestions, Marketplace ads and more.

Popular ad blocker options include:

uBlock Origin

• Free, open-source ad blocker
• Works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera and more
• Easy to customize using built-in element picker

Adblock Plus

• Blocks Facebook and website ads for free
• Lets you whitelist sites you want to support with revenue

AdGuard

• Paid ad blocker for desktop and mobile
• Blocks ads, stops tracking, protects against malware
• Android version blocks ads in apps too

Total Adblock

• Blocks Facebook ads plus pop-ups, videos, notifications
• Free or paid versions available
• Paid Pro plan blocks unlimited ads

I recommend Total Adblock for most Facebook users. It‘s effortless to set up, perfectly blocks video ads, and won‘t slow down your browser like some other options.

Ad blockers themself are controversial. Many sites rely on ads for income, and some consider blocking them unethical. I advise using ad blockers judiciously – try allowing ads on small sites you want to support and block them on ad-heavy sites like Facebook.

2. Adjust Your Facebook Ad Preferences

Ad blockers aren‘t officially condoned by Facebook. And the site may try technical workarounds to push ads through blockers.

For a middle ground, visit your Facebook ad preferences. You can‘t eliminate ads, but you can limit the types you see.

To edit ad preferences:

1. Click the down arrow at top right and select Settings & Privacy.

2. Choose Settings.

3. Click Ads in the left sidebar.

Here you can:

Limit Ad Topics

• Hide ads about alcohol, pets, politics or other subjects.

In a 2021 survey, 37% of users said they felt uncomfortable with Facebook‘s ad targeting.

Hide Specific Advertisers

• Stop seeing ads from brands you don‘t like.

78% of Americans distrust how companies use personal data for targeted ads.

Turn Off Personalization

• Prevent ads based on your user profile and activity data.

One study found only 38% of Facebook ads were deemed "relevant" by users.

Tweaking these settings filters out some of the most interruptive or irrelevant ads. You‘ll still see advertisements, but they‘ll be more general and less invasive.

3. Hide Ads You Don‘t Want to See

As you‘re browsing through your News Feed, you can hide individual ads that bother you:

1. Click the three-dot More menu in the ad‘s top right corner.

2. Choose Hide Ad.

3. Select whether to hide just that specific ad, or all ads from the advertiser.

This gives Facebook feedback to show you fewer similar promotions in the future. You can also report an ad as inappropriate or misleading from the three-dot menu.

Don‘t want to hide ads one-by-one? Social media expert Juliet Martin recommends regularly cleaning out your ad preferences page:

"About once a month, I‘ll visit the Facebook Ads page and remove any topics or advertisers I don‘t want to see ads from. Hiding an ad just teaches Facebook not to show you that exact ad again, but doesn‘t impact the broader targeting."

4. Use Privacy Browser Settings to Limit Tracking

One reason Facebook ads feel so personal is because the site tracks your activity across the internet to gather data. Limiting these tracking tools means less user data for Facebook to target ads.

Here are a few ways to restrict Facebook‘s tracking through your browser:

Safari

• Enable Prevent Cross-Site Tracking under Privacy & Security.

Firefox

• Turn on Custom History settings and enable blocking for cookies and trackers.

Chrome

• Install the Facebook Container extension to isolate FB tracking from rest of web.

78% of people feel they have lost control over how personal data is collected and used.

With third-party tracking limited, you‘ll likely see more generic advertisements on Facebook – and across the web.

5. Browse Facebook Through a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) adds a layer of privacy when you go online. Using a VPN routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel. This hides some identifying data from the sites you visit, including Facebook.

With less specifics available to target ads, Facebook may start showing you more general promotions irrelevant to your interests.

Some top VPNs to restrict Facebook ad targeting:

ExpressVPN

• Simple to use on many devices
• Fast connection speeds with unlimited bandwidth

NordVPN

• 5200+ servers worldwide in 60 countries
• Includes cybersecurity features like ad/tracker blocking

Surfshark

• Unlimited devices per subscription
• Comes with ad/tracker blocking tools

Install a trusted VPN on your phone or computer to disguise your identity from sites. You‘ll reduce invasive ads while browsing Facebook and elsewhere.

500 million people use VPN services worldwide for privacy benefits like ad blocking.

6. Use Antivirus Software with Privacy Features

Antivirus isn‘t just about malware scanning. Many antivirus programs now include enhanced privacy tools like VPNs, ad blockers, tracker blockers and more.

Using an antivirus with these bonus features helps minimize invasive ads and tracking across the web, including on Facebook.

Some top antivirus options with privacy benefits:

Norton 360 with LifeLock

• Comes with ad blocker, VPN, Facebook account monitoring

McAfee Total Protection

• Includes ad blocker, ID monitoring, vulnerability scanner

Kaspersky Internet Security

• Adds VPN, ad blocker, webcam guard, tracker blocker

I recommend Kaspersky for its robust privacy protections. Enable the ad blocker and tracking database to cover your Facebook browsing. The result? Fewer targeted ads.

76% of consumers rank data privacy as an important factor when choosing antivirus software.

7. Lock Down Your Facebook Privacy Settings

Facebook‘s default privacy settings allow expansive data gathering for ad targeting. You can take back some control by limiting what personal information Facebook can access.

To better protect your privacy:

1. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.

2. Click Privacy Shortcuts.

3. Adjust the toggles:

• Who can see your future posts? Only Me

• Who can see your friends list? Only Me

• Who can look you up using your phone number? Friends

• Do you want search engines outside Facebook to link to your profile? No

4. Under Ads, disable ad personalization and hide interests used for recommendations.

These limits keep Facebook from accessing posts, friends lists, phone numbers and interests that inform invasive ads. The remaining ads you‘ll see will be more general and less disruptive.

In a 2021 poll, 75% of users wanted more say in how their personal data is used for advertising.

8. Remove Irrelevant Interests Facebook Has Assigned You

Facebook maintains an "interests" list it compiles about you from your activity, then shows you ads related to those presumed interests.

Removing irrelevant interests means fewer ads targeted to you erroneously:

1. Visit the Ads Preferences Page.

2. Under Interest Categories, hover over any interest and click Remove.

3. Repeat for any interests Facebook wrongly assigned you.

With your interest list cleaned up, you‘ll avoid intrusive ads matched to topics you don‘t care about.

One study found Facebook‘s interest targeting was only 44% accurate on average.

Use a Facebook App Without Ads

The steps above can minimize ads without fully deleting Facebook. But if you really want a completely ad-free experience, try using an alternative Facebook app.

These open-source apps replace Facebook‘s official one with an identical interface, minus all the ads:

Friendly (iOS)

• Totally open source and community driven
• Actively developed and maintained
• 4.7 stars with over 5K reviews

Frost (Android)

• Regularly updated with new features
• 4.5 stars with over 100K reviews
• Available on F-Droid store for easier updates

Swipe (Android)

• Light and fast performance
• Customizable with different themes
• 4.6 stars with over 144K reviews

The downside is these violate Facebook‘s terms of service, and you use them at your own risk. But users report the top options remain online for years without bans.

63% of Facebook users wish there was a free version without ads they could switch to.

Can You Remove All Facebook Ads?

Using an ad blocker comes closest to eliminating all ads from Facebook. But ad blockers break Facebook‘s terms, and the site tries to circumvent them.

You also can‘t completely opt out of advertising through settings alone. Facebook requires ads as part of the service.

For a middle ground, try:

• Updating ad preferences

• Hiding disruptive ads

• Limiting tracking and personalization

This balances your privacy with Facebook‘s need to monetize through (hopefully less invasive) ads.

Take Back Control of Your Facebook Experience

Once enjoyable, Facebook has deteriorated into an ad-saturated mess for many users today. But you don‘t have to suffer endless interruptive advertising.

Using the tips in this guide, you can regain control and enjoy Facebook again:

• Block ads completely with tools like Total Adblock

• Limit tracking through VPNs, antivirus, and browser settings

• Selectively hide ads you don‘t wish to see

• Disable personalization so ads feel less targeted

With a few simple tweaks, you can stop getting most Facebook ads in 2023. Don‘t let annoying advertisements dominate your social media experience any longer.