diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/notifications/mentions/extractMentionedUsers.ts b/backend/src/middleware/notifications/mentions/extractMentionedUsers.ts
index ccee18af9..00c2c5351 100644
--- a/backend/src/middleware/notifications/mentions/extractMentionedUsers.ts
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/notifications/mentions/extractMentionedUsers.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,42 @@
 import cheerio from 'cheerio'
 
-export default (content?) => {
+const queryAllUserIds = async (context) => {
+  const allUserIdCypher = `
+    MATCH (user: User)
+    // blocked users are not filtered out
+    RETURN user {.id}
+  `
+  const session = context.driver.session()
+  const writeTxResultPromise = session.readTransaction(async (transaction) => {
+    const transactionResponse = await transaction.run(allUserIdCypher, {})
+    return transactionResponse.records.map((record) => record.get('user').id)
+  })
+  try {
+    const ids = await writeTxResultPromise
+    return ids
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw new Error(error)
+  } finally {
+    session.close()
+  }
+}
+
+export default async (context, content?) => {
   if (!content) return []
+  console.log('extractMentionedUsers – content: ', content)
   const $ = cheerio.load(content)
-  const userIds = $('a.mention[data-mention-id]')
+  let userIds = $('a.mention[data-mention-id]')
     .map((_, el) => {
       return $(el).attr('data-mention-id')
     })
     .get()
-  return userIds
     .map((id) => id.trim())
     .filter((id) => !!id)
     .filter((id, index, allIds) => allIds.indexOf(id) === index)
+  console.log('extractMentionedUsers – userIds: ', userIds)
+  if (userIds.find((id) => id === 'all')) {
+    userIds = await queryAllUserIds(context)
+    console.log('extractMentionedUsers – all userIds: ', userIds)
+  }
+  return userIds
 }
diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/notifications/notificationsMiddleware.ts b/backend/src/middleware/notifications/notificationsMiddleware.ts
index 706e46c51..030a985b7 100644
--- a/backend/src/middleware/notifications/notificationsMiddleware.ts
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/notifications/notificationsMiddleware.ts
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ const handleRemoveUserFromGroup = async (resolve, root, args, context, resolveIn
 }
 
 const handleContentDataOfPost = async (resolve, root, args, context, resolveInfo) => {
-  const idsOfUsers = extractMentionedUsers(args.content)
+  const idsOfUsers = await extractMentionedUsers(context, args.content)
   const post = await resolve(root, args, context, resolveInfo)
   if (post) {
     await publishNotifications(context, [
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ const handleContentDataOfPost = async (resolve, root, args, context, resolveInfo
 
 const handleContentDataOfComment = async (resolve, root, args, context, resolveInfo) => {
   const { content } = args
-  let idsOfUsers = extractMentionedUsers(content)
+  let idsOfUsers = await extractMentionedUsers(context, content)
   const comment = await resolve(root, args, context, resolveInfo)
   const [postAuthor] = await postAuthorOfComment(comment.id, { context })
   idsOfUsers = idsOfUsers.filter((id) => id !== postAuthor.id)