How to Enable or Disable Notifications on Your Computer

Edited 1 day ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Notifications are an essential aspect of our daily digital lives. They provide timely updates and alerts about emails, messages, app updates, system alerts, and more. However, sometimes, they can be overwhelming and distracting, especially when trying to concentrate or during important activities. Therefore, knowing how to enable or disable notifications on your computer is important to efficiently manage your work and personal life balance.

The process of managing notifications may differ slightly depending on your computer's operating system. Here, we will explore in detail the steps to enable or disable notifications for Windows and macOS. Each platform offers different controls and settings to effectively manage your notifications.

Understanding notifications across platforms

First, let's understand how notifications generally work. Notifications can be triggered by applications, system events, or other services. They can appear as banners, pop-ups, or sounds. Different systems have different ways of handling them.

Windows

Windows notifications are usually managed through the Action Center, where you can see notifications organized by importance. They can alert you about system updates, application alerts, emails, and more.

Mac OS

On a Mac, notifications are typically managed through Notification Center. Like Windows, macOS notifications keep you updated on different activities. They can appear as banners or alerts, and you can view them in Notification Center.

Enable or disable notifications on Windows

Windows provides a simple way to manage your notifications. Follow the instructions below to control notifications on Windows PC.

Step 1: Access the Notifications & Actions settings

1. Click the Start menu at the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. Select Settings. It's the gear icon in the Start menu.
3. In the Settings window, click System.
4. From the left-hand menu, select Notifications & actions.

Step 2: Managing Notifications

Under Notifications & actions, you'll find several switches and settings you can modify:

• Receive notifications from apps and other senders: Toggle this switch to enable or disable all notifications.
• Show notifications on lock screen: Enable or disable whether notifications should be shown when the computer is locked.
• Show reminders and incoming VoIP calls on lock screen: Toggle to view reminders and calls.
• Allow notifications to play sound: You can enable or disable the sound for notifications.
• Show me the Windows Welcome experience after updates and at sign-in: Control whether Windows Welcome notifications are allowed.
• Get tips, tricks, and suggestions while using Windows: This controls the tips notifications you receive from Microsoft.

Step 3: Manage notifications from individual apps

To manage notifications from specific apps, scroll down to the section titled Get notifications from these senders.

1. Find the app you want to manage notifications for.
2. Toggle the switch on or off to enable or disable notifications for that app.
3. For more specific settings, click on the app name. This will open additional options where you can fine-tune the notification sound, banners, lock screen appearance, and more.

Using these settings, you can ensure that only the most important notifications reach you, allowing you to focus without unnecessary distractions.

Enable or disable notifications on macOS

Controlling notifications on a Mac is also an easy process. Let's take a look at the steps to enable or disable notifications on a macOS device.

Step 1: Accessing Notification Preferences

1. Click the Apple logo at the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
3. Find and select Notifications.

Step 2: Manage notifications

In the Notifications preferences panel, you'll see a list of apps on the left. Selecting an app will show the notification settings available for that app.

• Allow notifications from: Check this box to receive notifications for the app or uncheck to disable it.
• Alert style: Choose between None, Banners, and Alerts to decide how notifications are presented. Banners are temporary and slide away, while alerts require interaction.
• Show notifications on lock screen: Enable or disable notifications when the screen is locked.
• Play sound for notifications: If enabled, a sound will play when a notification is received.
• Badge app icon: If enabled, the app's icon in the Dock will show a badge with the number of notifications.

Step 3: Do Not Disturb

macOS has a feature called Do Not Disturb that helps avoid distractions during specific periods of time.

To activate this feature:

1. In the Notifications preferences panel, click Do Not Disturb.
2. Set the time frame during which notifications will automatically turn off.
3. You may also see options to silence the display when it's idle, or when mirroring to TVs and compatible devices.

This feature is useful when you need deep focus, such as during a meeting or while working on a project.

General tips for managing notifications

Although specific steps may vary between operating systems and devices, some general methods can help you manage notifications effectively.

• Review regularly: Review your notification settings regularly to make sure they're still relevant and necessary. As apps are updated, they may add new types of notifications, so it's important to keep checking these.
• Limit apps: Limit notification permissions to apps that are critical to your tasks. Not every app needs permission to send you alerts.
• Take advantage of Do Not Disturb: Use the Do Not Disturb feature or similar features to automatically block notifications during important times or at night.
• Consider privacy: Be mindful of your privacy and security settings. Some notifications may contain sensitive information that you may not want to make public.
• Snooze or Silence: Use the snooze or silent features in apps to temporarily disable notifications without directly adjusting settings. Ideal for temporary needs.

Conclusion

By gaining control over your computer's notification settings, you can significantly increase productivity and reduce stress and distraction. Whether Windows or macOS, configuring notifications is a straightforward process. It's worth taking the time to customize these settings to suit your personal and professional life.

With the knowledge of how to change these settings, you can ensure you stay in control and set limits that work for you. Whether you need peace at leisure or focus at work, managing notifications helps you maintain the balance you want.

The steps below will help you take full advantage of your device's notification systems, and fine-tune them to your changing needs.

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