Mac notifications can pile up fast when apps, websites, Messages, Slack, Teams, and iPhone alerts all compete for your attention. Start with Do Not Disturb for instant silence, then tighten the app, website, and Focus settings that keep letting noise through. You can mute everything for a while, silence one source, or build a Focus that only lets chosen people and apps interrupt you.
Turn On Do Not Disturb Now
This silences the notifications that run through macOS, the moment you turn it on. Microsoft Teams is the exception worth knowing: Microsoft says Teams calls, requests to join, and meeting-start notifications do not depend on Focus or Do Not Disturb, so switch those off in Teams itself.
Open Control Centre from the menu bar.
Choose the Focus section.
Click Do Not Disturb.
Pick an ending point such as For 1 hour or Until the end of this event when you do not want it to stay on indefinitely.
Quiet One Noisy App or Website
The most common cause of repeated notification interruptions is one app or website that still has permission to alert you.
Open the Apple menu, go to System Settings, then choose Notifications.
In Application Notifications, click the app or website that keeps interrupting you.
Turn off Allow notifications to stop alerts from that source.
For a lighter touch, leave Allow notifications on and change quieter options such as Alert Style, Badge application icon, Play sound for notification, Show previews, or Notification grouping.
Build a Focus for Work or Downtime
Use a custom Focus when you want silence with exceptions.
- 1.Open the Apple menu, then go to System Settings and Focus.
- 2.Click Add Focus.
- 3.Choose a provided Focus such as Gaming or Work, or choose Custom.
- 4.Enter a name, select a colour and icon, then click OK.
- 5.Turn Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing off when you do not want Apple Intelligence deciding that other notifications are important enough to interrupt you.
- 6.Configure allowed notifications so only the people and apps you choose can get through, then set Time Sensitive Notifications and Allow calls from so those exceptions match what you want.
Silence Specific People or Apps Inside a Focus
Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then click Focus.
Select the Focus you want to adjust.
To silence people, open Allowed People, use the Notifications pop-up menu, choose Silence Some People, click Add People, select contacts, then click Done.
To silence apps, open Allowed Apps, use the Notifications pop-up menu, choose Silence Some Apps, click Add, select apps, click Add, then click Done.
Keep one Focus for deep work and another for personal time so you do not have to rebuild the same rules later.
Schedule Notification Silence Automatically
A schedule turns that Focus on during predictable times, places, or app use, and the Focus then silences notifications according to its own allowed people and apps.
Open the Apple menu, go to System Settings, then choose Focus.
Click the Focus you want to automate, then choose Set a Schedule.
Select Add Schedule, choose Time, Location, or App, configure the trigger, then click Done.
Location schedules need Location Services enabled.
If the schedule fails, turn the Focus on manually from Control Centre and check the schedule trigger again.
Use Faster Shortcuts for Do Not Disturb
These shortcuts are handy when you want silence without opening Settings.
- 1.Press and hold Option while clicking the date and time in the menu bar to turn Do Not Disturb on or off.
- 2.Press the Do Not Disturb key in the function-key row when your Mac keyboard includes one.
- 3.Open Spotlight, search for the action to turn on Do Not Disturb, then run that action.
- 4.If the Focus icon is set to always show in the menu bar, click it and choose a Focus such as Do Not Disturb, Personal, or Work.
Stop Website Notification Pop Ups
The most common browser-related interruption is a website that already has notification permission or keeps asking for it.
For Safari website alerts, open the Apple menu, go to System Settings, choose Notifications, click the website under Application Notifications, then turn off Allow Notifications.
To stop Safari sites from asking, open Safari, choose Safari, then Settings, go to Websites, select Notifications, and deselect Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications.
In Chrome, go to More, Settings, Privacy and security, Site Settings, and Notifications. Add blocked sites under Not allowed to send notifications, or use Use quieter messaging for quieter prompts.
In Firefox, open Settings or Preferences, go to Privacy & Security, find Permissions, open Notifications and Settings…, then set a site to Block, remove websites, or enable Block new requests asking to allow notifications.
Turn Off iPhone Notifications on Your Mac
This fixes Mac alerts that are actually coming from iPhone Mirroring.
On your Mac, open the Apple menu, go to System Settings, then choose Notifications.
Open Allow notifications from iPhone. This setting appears only after iPhone Mirroring has been set up successfully on that Mac, which needs a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip running macOS Sequoia 15 or later, an iPhone on iOS 18 or later, and both devices signed in to the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication. Apple lists iPhone Mirroring as unavailable in the European Union.
Turn off Allow notifications from iPhone, or leave it on and control each iPhone app individually.
On your iPhone, open Settings, choose Notifications, then tap the app name.
Turn off Show on Mac. Turning off Allow Notifications stops that app’s notifications on both iPhone and Mac.
Check Other Places That Can Still Make Noise
For Messages, select a conversation, click the contact or group icon at the top, then turn on Hide Alerts. To stop Messages completely, open System Settings, choose Notifications, click Messages, and turn off Allow notifications.
Slack has its own controls under your profile picture and Notifications, including pause options, custom time frames, notification schedules, and Mute all sounds from Slack. Teams controls live under Settings and more, Settings, and Notifications and activity, where you can turn off categories such as chats, channels, meetings, calendar, presence, and apps.
If you only need sound silence, use the keyboard volume controls, the mute volume key, or open Sound in Control Center and drag the slider down. This mutes notification sounds but leaves visual banners, badges, and Notification Center entries in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Do Not Disturb stop all Mac notifications forever?
No. Do Not Disturb silences notifications while the Focus is on. You can choose a duration such as For 1 hour or Until the end of this event.
Can I hide notification text without turning notifications off?
Yes. In System Settings > Notifications, set Show previews to Never globally, or open one app or website and set its Show previews option to Never.
Why do iPhone notifications show up on my Mac?
iPhone Mirroring can send iPhone notifications to your Mac. Turn off Allow notifications from iPhone on the Mac, or turn off Show on Mac for individual iPhone apps.
Can a work or school Mac block notification changes?
Yes. Managed Macs can have notification settings enforced by an administrator, so some options may be controlled by your organization.