Question from Cammy: I have a Facebook question for you Rick.
Whenever I’m browsing Facebook on my laptop and I receive a message the message box pops up automatically with the received message displayed inside of it.
I don’t like that because I’m usually using Facebook with other people around and I don’t want anyone accidentally seeing my messages.
How can I prevent those message boxes from popping up until I actually click on the “Messages” icon?
Rick’s answer: I don’t like it when that happens either, Cammy. And neither do most other Facebook users.
This irritating behavior is caused by a feature called “Chat Tabs”.
Luckily, it’s very easy to disable Chat Tabs and prevent those privacy invading message boxes from popping up on their own. Just follow the steps below:
1 – Log into your Facebook account.
2 – Click the Options icon that’s located in the lower-right corner of the Facebook window (it looks like a “gear” or “cog”).
3 – Click Turn Off Chat Tabs.
Note: You should now see a check mark indicating that Chat Tabs are now disabled.
That’s all there is to it. You should still receive a notification every time you receive a message on Facebook, but the message box should remain hidden until you click the “Messages” icon to read them.
I hope this helps, Cammy. Good luck!
Update from Amy: It worked. Thanks!!
Bonus tip #1: If you use Facebook’s Messenger app on your phone or tablet you’ve probably noticed that every time you receive a message (when you aren’t using the app) a tiny photo of that person pops up on your device’s screen.
Those little pop-up photos are called “Chat Heads” and you can easily disable them if you’d rather not have them popping up on the screen. This post explains how.
Bonus tip #2: Want to make sure you never miss one of my tips? It’s easy! Just…
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