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Notifications and Focus Modes

How to manage notifications, Do Not Disturb, and Focus modes on your device

Every operating system has a way to silence notifications when you need to focus and control which apps can interrupt you. Here's how to set up Do Not Disturb, schedule Focus modes, manage per-app notifications, and fix notifications that stopped working.

Run the Notification Test

Turn on Do Not Disturb

  1. Click the Control Center icon in the top-right corner of the menu bar (the two-toggle icon)
  2. Click Focus
  3. Click Do Not Disturb to enable it

You can also hold Option and click the clock/date in the menu bar to quickly toggle DND.

Set up and schedule Focus modes

  1. Open System Settings > Focus
  2. Click an existing Focus (like Do Not Disturb) or click the + button to create a new one
  3. Under Schedule, click Add Schedule to set automatic activation times, locations, or app triggers
  4. Under Allowed People, choose who can still reach you during this Focus
  5. Under Allowed Apps, choose which apps can send notifications

You can create separate Focus modes for Work, Personal, Sleep, and more. Each one remembers its own allowed contacts and apps.

Per-app notification settings

  1. Open System Settings > Notifications
  2. Click any app in the list
  3. Toggle Allow Notifications on or off
  4. Choose the alert style: Banners (disappear automatically), Alerts (stay until dismissed), or None
  5. Configure whether notifications appear on the lock screen, in Notification Center, or as badge counts

Fix notifications that stopped working

  • Check Focus mode – If DND or another Focus is active, most notifications are silenced. Check Control Center.
  • Check the app's settings – Make sure the app has notifications enabled in System Settings > Notifications > [App]
  • Check in-app settings – Some apps (like Slack and Teams) have their own notification preferences separate from macOS
  • Restart Notification Center – Open Terminal and run killall NotificationCenter to restart the service

View notification history

Click the date/time in the top-right of the menu bar to open Notification Center. Recent notifications appear in a scrollable list. You can clear them individually or click Clear All at the top of each group.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Do Not Disturb and Focus modes?▾

Do Not Disturb silences everything. Focus modes (on macOS, iOS, and Windows) are more granular – you can choose which people and apps are still allowed to notify you. Think of DND as a Focus mode with everything blocked.

Will alarms still work during Do Not Disturb?▾

Yes, on all platforms. Alarms are treated as exceptions to DND by default. Phone calls from repeated callers (calling twice within 3 minutes) can also break through on iOS and Android.

Why did my notifications stop working after an OS update?▾

Updates sometimes reset notification permissions or change default settings. Go to your notification settings and check that your important apps still have notifications enabled. On Android, also check that battery optimization hasn't been re-enabled for those apps.

Can I allow calls from certain people during Focus mode?▾

Yes. On iOS and macOS, go to Settings > Focus > [mode] > Allowed People to pick specific contacts or groups. On Android, go to Do Not Disturb > People to allow calls from favorites or specific contacts. On Windows, use the priority notifications list.

How do I see notifications I missed while DND was on?▾

On macOS, open Notification Center (click the date/time). On Windows, press Win + N. On iOS, swipe down from the top-left of the lock screen. On Android, swipe down from the top. Missed notifications are queued and appear when DND is turned off, though some time-sensitive notifications may be discarded if they're too old.