Last updated on December 4, 2020

Control your active status:

You can control your friends and contacts seeing you ‘active’ as follows;

Android:

  1. From Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left.
  2. Tap Active Status.
  3. Use the toggle at the top of the screen to turn your Active Status on or off.
  4. Tap Turn On or Turn Off to confirm your choice.

iPhone or iPad:

  1. From Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left.
  2. Tap Active Status.
  3. Use the toggle at the top of the screen to turn your Active Status on or off.
  4. Tap Turn On or Turn Off to confirm your choice.

Control with whom you chat:

You can control the people who can send you messages to your number by changing Messaging Settings:

  1. From Chats, tap your profile photo in the top left.
  2. Tap Messaging Settings.
  3. Tap next to People with your phone number to turn on or off.

Customize who can view your story:

You may choose who can and can’t see your story with the following steps.

  1. In Messenger, tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
  2. Scroll down and tap Story.
  3. Choose Public, Friends and Connections, Friends, or Custom.
  4. Tap Save.

Block, hide or mute people that you don’t want to hear from:

You can control connecting with people by blocking, ignoring / hiding or even muting the notifications as per the steps given below.

To block messages from someone:

iPhone and iPad:

  1. From Chats, open a conversation with the person you want to block.
  2. Tap their name at the top of the conversation.
  3. Scroll down and tap 
  4. Tap Block on Messenger > Block.

Android:

  1. From Chats, open the conversation with the person you want to block.
  2. Tap their name at the top of the conversation and then tap 
  3. Tap Block on Messenger > Block.

To ignore a conversation:

 iPhone and iPad:

  1. From Chats, open the conversation you want to ignore.
  2. Tap the name at the top of the conversation.
  3. Scroll down, tap Ignore Messages, then tap Ignore Messages

 Android:

  1. From Chats, open the conversation you want to ignore.
  2. Tap the name at the top of the conversation.
  3. Scroll down, tap Ignore Messages, then tap Ignore again.

To turn notifications off

iPhone and iPad:

To turn off Messenger notifications for all conversations:

  1. From Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left.
  2. Tap Notifications & Sounds.
  3. Tap next to Do Not Disturb.
  4. Choose how long to turn off notifications.

To turn off notifications for a single conversation:

  1. From Chats, swipe left on a conversation.
  2. Tap and choose how long to turn off notifications.

Android:

To turn off Messenger notification alerts for all conversations:

  1. From Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left.
  2. Tap Notifications & Sounds.
  3. Tap next to On to turn them off.
  4. Choose how long to turn off notifications and tap OK.

To turn off notifications for a single conversation:

  1. From Chats, swipe left on a conversation.
  2. Tap and choose how long to turn off notifications.
  3. Tap OK.

Windows

To turn Messenger notifications on or off:

  1. Click .
  2. Click Notifications.
  3. Click below Do not disturb.

To turn off notifications for a single conversation:

  1. Open the conversation.
  2. Click in the top right.
  3. Select Mute Notifications.
  4. Choose how long you want to mute notifications for, then click Confirm.

References:
https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/1064701417063145/?helpref=hc_fnav&bc[0]=691363354276356