Threads Per-User Notification Mute vs Mute From Feed: Differences

Threads offers two distinct ways to limit interactions with other accounts: per-user notification mute and mute from feed. Many users confuse these features, thinking they do the same thing. Per-user notification mute silences alerts from a specific account while still showing their posts in your main feed. Mute from feed hides the account’s posts entirely from your timeline but still allows notifications. This article explains the exact differences between these two controls, when to use each one, and how to apply them correctly.

How Per-User Notification Mute Works

Per-user notification mute is a granular control that affects only the alerts you receive from a specific Threads account. When you mute notifications for a user, Threads stops sending push notifications, in-app banners, and notification badge counts for that account’s activity. This includes their replies to your posts, their likes on your content, their reposts, and their direct mentions of your handle.

The muted account does not know you have muted their notifications. Their posts continue to appear in your For You and Following feeds exactly as before. You can still see their profile, interact with their posts by liking or replying, and send them direct messages if the account allows DMs. The only change is that your phone and the Threads app will stop alerting you about anything that account does.

This feature is useful when you want to follow someone’s content without being interrupted by frequent updates. For example, if a friend posts dozens of times per day, you can mute their notifications to avoid constant buzz while still seeing their posts when you scroll manually.

Where to Find Per-User Notification Mute

The setting lives on the target account’s profile page. Open the profile, tap the bell icon near the top-right corner, and select Mute notifications from the pop-up menu. The bell icon changes to a crossed-out bell to confirm the mute is active. To unmute, tap the crossed-out bell and select Unmute notifications.

How Mute From Feed Works

Mute from feed is a broader action that removes all posts from a specific account from your main timeline. After you mute an account from the feed, you will no longer see their threads, replies, or reposts in your For You or Following tabs. The account remains followed — you are not unfollowing them — but their content becomes invisible in your scrolling experience.

Unlike per-user notification mute, mute from feed does not stop notifications. If the muted account replies to one of your posts or mentions you, you will still receive a push notification and an in-app alert. You can still visit their profile directly and see all their posts there. The mute only applies to the algorithmic and chronological feeds that Threads displays on the home screen.

This feature is ideal for accounts you want to keep following for occasional direct visits but whose daily posts clutter your feed. For instance, you might mute a brand that posts promotional content every hour but still want to check their profile for product announcements.

Where to Find Mute From Feed

Mute from feed is triggered from any post by the account in your timeline. Tap the three-dot icon on the top-right of the post, then select Mute from the menu. A submenu appears with two options: Mute and Mute account. Choose Mute account. Threads immediately hides all past and future posts from that account in your feed. To unmute, go to your profile, tap the two-line menu icon, select Settings > Privacy > Muted accounts, and tap Unmute next to the account.

Key Differences Between the Two Mute Types

The core difference is what each mute affects. Per-user notification mute targets alerts only. Feed mute targets post visibility only. They operate independently. You can apply both to the same account, one without the other, or neither. The following table summarizes the behavior of each control across four common scenarios.

Scenario	Per-User Notification Mute	Mute From Feed
Posts appear in your feed	Yes	No
Push notifications for replies	No	Yes
In-app alerts for mentions	No	Yes
Account knows they are muted	No	No

When to Use Each Mute

Choose per-user notification mute when you want to keep seeing someone’s content but stop the interruptions. This is the right choice for friends, family, or creators whose posts you enjoy but who post too frequently for real-time alerts.

Choose mute from feed when you want to clean up your timeline without unfollowing. This works well for accounts that post content you do not want to see daily but might want to check on occasion. Examples include former coworkers, old classmates, or brands whose updates are not relevant to your current interests.

Use both mute types together if you want complete silence from an account — no posts in your feed and no notifications. This is effectively a soft block that keeps the follow relationship intact without any visible presence in your Threads experience.

Common Mistakes and Limitations

Muting from feed does not stop notifications

Many users mute an account from the feed expecting notifications to stop. This does not happen. If the muted account replies to your thread, you will still get a push alert. To stop notifications, you must also apply per-user notification mute from the account’s profile page.

Notification mute does not hide posts

Some users mute notifications and then wonder why the account’s posts still appear in their feed. Notification mute has no effect on feed visibility. If you want the posts gone, you must use mute from feed instead.

Both mutes are invisible to the other account

Neither action notifies the muted account. Your follow relationship remains intact, and you can still interact with their posts manually if you visit their profile. However, if you mute from feed and then like one of their posts from their profile, that interaction may still appear in your feed as an activity from you.

Mute from feed does not apply to search or direct links

If you search for the muted account or tap a direct link to their profile, you will see all their posts. The mute only hides posts in the For You and Following tabs. This is by design so that you can still find content you need.

Per-User Notification Mute vs Mute From Feed Compared

Feature	Notification Mute	Feed Mute
Effect on feed	No change	Hides all posts
Effect on notifications	Stops all alerts	No change
Access location	Profile > bell icon	Post three-dot menu
Unmute method	Profile > bell icon	Settings > Privacy > Muted accounts
Account remains followed	Yes	Yes
Account sees your likes	Yes, if you interact	Yes, if you visit profile

You can now distinguish between per-user notification mute and mute from feed on Threads. Use notification mute to silence alerts while keeping posts visible. Use feed mute to hide posts while keeping alerts active. For complete silence from an account, apply both settings. Remember that neither action notifies the other account, and both can be reversed at any time from the Privacy settings or the profile page.