How to Turn Off Notifications on PC or Mac

Last Updated: October 22, 2019 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to disable app notifications in Windows and macOS, and how to use your Mac's Do Not Disturb mode to pause all notifications at once.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Disabling Notifications in Windows

1
Click the
menu. It's usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
2
Click
Settings. It's near the bottom-left corner of the menu.

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3
Click System. It's the first icon in the list.
4
Click Notifications & actions. It's near the top of the left column.
5
Scroll down to the “Notifications” section. A list of notifications types and their switches will appear.
- On
  means that notifications of this type are enabled.
- Off
  means that you do not currently receive this type of notification.
6
Disable all app notifications. To stop all Windows app notifications, slide the “Get notifications from apps and other senders” to Off
.
7
Disable notifications from specific apps. If you want to receive notifications from some apps but not others:
- Leave “Get notifications from apps and other senders” On
  .
- Scroll down to the “Get notifications from these senders” section.
- Use each app's own switch to turn notifications on or off for that app.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Disabling App Notifications in macOS

1
Click the
menu. It's at the top-left corner of the screen.
2
Click System Preferences.
3
Click Notifications. It's the gray square with a red circle at its top-right corner.
4
Select the app for which you want to disable notifications. Apps are listed in the menu on the left side of the window.
5
Select Nonefor “App Alert.” It's under the “Alert style” header on the right side of the window.
6
Remove the check marks from each notification option. Make sure these boxes are unchecked:
- Show notification on lock screenshot
- Show in Notification Center
- Badge app icon
- Play sound for notifications
7
Repeat these steps for other apps on your Mac. Your new notification settings will take effect immediately.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Do Not Disturb Mode in macOS

1
Click the Notification Center button. If you want to disable the notifications for all apps at once, you can enable Do Not Disturb mode.
- DND mode is ideal for when you only want to disable notifications temporarily.
2
Click the Notifications Center button. It's the three horizontal lines (each beginning with a dot) at the top-right corner of the screen. This expands your notifications.
3
Swipe up on the Notifications Center until you see “DO NOT DISTURB.” Use two fingers on the trackpad or Magic Mouse to do this.
4
Slide the “DO NOT DISTURB” switch On
. As long as your Mac is in Do Not Disturb mode, you will not receive notifications from any apps.
- The Notification Center icon turns gray when it's in Do Not Disturb mode.^{[1]
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- To turn this mode off, return to this screen and slide the switch back to the Off position.