How to customize notification settings on Windows 11

Notifications can be a hugely important feature on our laptops, just like they are on our smartphones. They let us know when something needs our attention, or remind us if we need to get something done. However, as we install more and more apps, things get a bit noisy, and you may want to turn some notifications off. If you want to regain some peace, here’s how to customize notification settings in Windows 11.

How to turn notifications off or on

1. Right-click the notification area on your taskbar (where the time is shown).
2. Choose Notification settings.

   

3. To turn off notifications:
   1. To turn off all notifications, click the Notifications toggle at the top to switch it to Off.

      

      1. To just turn off notification sounds, expand the Notifications option and uncheck the box labeled Allow notifications to play sounds. You can also turn off lock screen notifications.

         

   2. To turn off notifications for a specific app, scroll down and click the toggle next to the app you want to change to switch it to Off.

      

   3. To turn off Windows system notifications, scroll down and expand the Additional settings option. Clear the boxes for the notifications you want to disable.

      

4. To turn on notifications, follow the same steps, but ensure the toggle is set to On or make sure the checkbox is enabled.

How to turn Do not disturb on or off

If you don’t want to disable notifications outright but you don’t want them to distract you with pop-ups and sound, you can use Do not disturb (previously called Focus assist).

1. Click the notification area of the taskbar.
2. Click the button with a bell and two Zs at the top of the notification area so that it’s colored to turn on Do not disturb.

   

3. To turn it off, click the icon again so that it’s discolored.

How to customize Do not disturb automatic rules

Do not disturb in Windows 11 can be enabled by default in certain situations. To change that behavior, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the notification area of the taskbar
2. Choose Notification settings.
3. Expand the Turn on do not disturb automatically option.

   

4. There are multiple rules available here, and you can turn them off or on to your liking:
   1. During these times enables Do not disturb based on the time of day.
   2. When duplicating your screen.
   3. When playing a game.
   4. When using an app in full-screen mode.
   5. For the first hour after a Windows feature update

Out of these, only option 1 is disabled by default, and you may want to turn some others off.

How to customize priority notifications in Windows 11

Certain notifications and apps can be marked as a priority, meaning they will still be shown on screen when do not disturb is enabled. Here’s how to change which apps can do this:

1. Right-click the notification area of the taskbar
2. Choose Notification settings.
3. Click Set priority notifications.

   

4. The Calls and reminders group is for notifications from calls on apps like Teams or alarms from any app. You can clear these boxes to prevent these notifications from being shown during Do not disturb.

   

5. To add apps to the priority list, click Add apps then choose the app you want to break through do not disturb.

   

6. To remove an app from the priority list, click the ellipsis button then choose Remove.

   

How to customize notifications for each app

Windows lets you change the way notifications are displayed for individual apps. Here’s how to change these settings:

1. Right-click the notification area in the taskbar.
2. Choose Notification settings.
3. Scroll down to see your apps.
4. Click on the app you want to customize (don’t click the toggle on the right).

   

5. Here, you can change these settings:

   

   1. Show notification banners: Disable this to prevent notifications from popping up on screen.
   2. Show notifications in the notification center: Controls if notifications are visible when you click the notification area on the taskbar
   3. Hide content when notifications are on lock screen: If enabled, notifications displayed on the lock screen won’t show their content
   4. Allow app to send important notifications when do not disturb is on: If enabled, this allows the app to send important notifications that break through Do not disturb.
   5. Play a sound when a notification arrives: This one is fairly self-explanatory.
   6. Priority of notifications in notification center: Allows you to set what position notifications will be shown in relative to notifications from other apps.

Take back your time and focus by customizing notifications

That’s all you need to know about how to customize notification settings on your Windows 11 PC. These options should help you stay focused when you need to by turning off potential distractions. If you want to explore this topic further, you may want to check out our deep dive on the Clock app in Windows 11, which includes focus sessions, a feature that ties with do not disturb to help you focus even better. If you’re keen on learning more about Windows 11, we have a few other guides for you. We have a general guide on how to use Windows 11 as a whole, which is a great starting point for new users.