How to Block Boost Notifications on Mastodon Without Muting

Mastodon’s notification feed can become crowded when people you follow boost posts from accounts you do not follow. Each boost generates a separate notification, making it hard to spot direct replies or mentions. The cause is Mastodon’s default notification settings, which treat boosts the same as original posts. This article explains how to disable boost notifications in the Mastodon web interface and mobile apps while keeping all other notifications active.

Why Mastodon Sends Boost Notifications by Default

Mastodon treats a boost as a form of engagement. When someone you follow boosts a post, Mastodon generates a notification to inform you. This is useful for discovering interesting content from outside your immediate circle. However, for users who follow many active accounts, boost notifications can quickly overwhelm the notification panel. The setting is not hidden — it lives in the Notifications section of Preferences. The key point is that you can disable boost notifications without muting the person who boosted. Muting a user hides all their posts and notifications, which is more aggressive than what most people need.

Steps to Disable Boost Notifications in the Mastodon Web Interface

1. Open Mastodon Preferences
   On the Mastodon web interface, click the gear icon in the right column under your profile name. Alternatively, go to Preferences from the user menu in the top-right corner.
2. Navigate to Notifications
   In the left sidebar, click Notifications. This opens the main notification settings page.
3. Locate the Boost Toggle
   Scroll to the section labeled Show notifications from people you follow. You will see a toggle for Boosts.
4. Turn Off the Boost Toggle
   Click the toggle switch so it turns gray. The page saves automatically. You will no longer receive notifications when people you follow boost a post.

Steps to Disable Boost Notifications in the Mastodon Mobile App

The mobile app settings mirror the web interface. The menu path differs slightly between Android and iOS, but the option is the same.

1. Open App Settings
   Tap your profile avatar in the bottom-right corner. Then tap the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Preferences.
2. Tap Notifications
   In the Preferences list, tap Notifications. This opens the same settings page as the web version.
3. Disable Boosts
   Under Show notifications from people you follow, tap the toggle next to Boosts to turn it off. The change takes effect immediately.

How to Block Boosts from a Specific Account Without Muting

If you want to stop seeing boosts from one particular account but still see their original posts, use the per-account boost hiding feature. This method does not affect your global notification settings.

1. Go to the Account’s Profile
   Click or tap the profile picture or name of the account whose boosts you want to hide.
2. Open the Account Menu
   Click the three-dot icon (…) next to the Follow/Unfollow button.
3. Select Mute
   From the dropdown menu, choose Mute. A submenu appears with two options: Mute and Hide boosts.
4. Choose Hide Boosts
   Click Hide boosts. This hides all boosts from that account in your Home timeline. The account’s original posts still appear as normal. No notification settings are changed.

Common Misunderstandings and Limitations

Hiding Boosts Globally Also Hides Direct Replies from Boosts

When you disable boost notifications globally, you will not see notifications for boosts that contain a direct reply to you. If someone boosts a post and adds a reply that mentions you, Mastodon still sends a mention notification — but the boost part is suppressed. Test this by asking a friend to boost a post and reply to you in the same boost. You will see the mention but not the boost notification.

Hiding Boosts from a Specific Account Does Not Affect Notifications

The per-account Hide boosts option only hides the boosted posts from your Home timeline. It does not prevent notification generation. If the account you muted for boosts later boosts a post, you will still receive a boost notification if your global boost notification setting is enabled. To fully stop boost notifications from a specific account, you must both disable boosts globally and hide boosts from that account.

Disabling Boost Notifications Does Not Stop Boosts from Appearing in Your Timeline

The notification setting only controls whether you receive a notification. Boosts will still appear in your Home timeline as usual. To remove boosts from your timeline entirely, you need to mute the account or use a third-party client that filters boosts.

Item	Global Boost Notifications Off	Per-Account Hide Boosts
Effect on notifications	Stops all boost notifications	Does not affect notifications
Effect on Home timeline	No change — boosts still appear	Hides boosts from that specific account
Configuration location	Preferences > Notifications	Account profile > … > Mute > Hide boosts
Requires account mute	No	No — only hides boosts, not original posts

You can now control boost notifications in Mastodon without muting any account. Start by disabling the global boost toggle in Preferences if you want a clean notification feed. For specific accounts that boost too often, use the per-account Hide boosts feature to keep their original posts visible. As an advanced tip, you can combine both methods: disable global boost notifications and then use the per-account hide for accounts whose original posts you still want to see in your timeline.