Today, all applications are installed on our mobile devices and computers, so it is difficult to keep abreast of all updates, messages and new features To make matters worse, each app comes with its own set of notifications, which tend to pop up when we least expect them.
When you need to get something done on a tight deadline, these notifications can be distracting. You find yourself in a rabbit hole with nothing to show at the end of the day.
You’ve probably even tried the best productivity apps to help you relax and focus, but notifications don’t stop. The good news is that you can turn off these annoying notifications in Windows 10 and respond to them during your next break.
How to turn off notifications in Windows 10
If you keep getting random notifications or pop-ups on your Windows 10 computer even when you are not using your browser, turning off notifications is the best way to avoid them.
Learn how to turn off notifications in various areas of Windows 10. These areas include Windows 10 Action Center, Windows 10 Lock Screen, and push notifications.
Turn off notifications in Windows 10 Action Center
The Action Center in Windows 10 displays quick actions as well as your app’s notifications. Quick Actions give you access to commonly used apps and settings like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Nearby Sharing, Focus Assist, and more.
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- You can change your settings in the Notification Center at any time from the Settings app. To do this, click Start> Settings> System.
- Click Notifications & Actions.
- Then you can check the boxes next to the following Action Center settings:
- The quick actions you want to see in the Action Center
- Turn off notifications, banners and sounds.
- Select if you want to see notifications about your lock screen or not.
- Choose if you want to be notified when your screen expands / duplicates.
- Disable Windows Tips, Tricks, and Suggestions.
- If you want to change the settings for quick actions that appear in the Action Center, click Change Quick Actions.
- A sidebar will appear on the right side of the screen where you can customize the displayed alerts.
How to customize app notifications
Windows 10 allows you to choose whether you want to hear or view a combination of banner notifications. These notifications consist of pop-ups in the lower right corner of the screen and sounds. You can also customize app settings so that notifications appear only in the Action Center and turn off pop-up notifications on the screen while working or playing.
To do this, tap Start> Settings> System> Notifications & Actions and scroll down to the “Receive notifications from these senders” section.
Tap on the app you want to change the settings for and the extended notification menu will open.
In the menu, turn on / off the switches depending on your preference and whether you want to receive sounds or notifications. Some of the options you can configure in the app’s notifications section include:
- Turn on / off notifications.
- Enable / disable notification banners.
- Choose whether to keep the privacy of notifications on your PC’s lock screen private.
- Enable or disable notifications in the Action Center
- Select whether to play sound or not for app notifications.
- Select the number of notifications to display in the Action Center (1, 3, 5, or 20).
- Select the priority of notifications, which app’s notifications should be displayed before other apps.
How to temporarily turn off notifications in Windows 10
If you don’t want to completely disable notifications in Windows 10, you can temporarily hide them. To do this, you’ll use the Focus Assist feature in Notification Center, which helps you temporarily turn off notifications so you can continue your work.
- You can use a keyboard shortcut to open Action Center by pressing the Windows logo key + A or by clicking the Notifications icon on the Windows taskbar.
- Then click the Focus Assist icon (moon icon). When it’s off, the tile turns gray, and when you click to turn it on, it turns blue (depending on the accent color selected for the desktop). Choose either Priority Alerts or Alerts Only for Focus Assist, whichever suits you best.
- You can also set up automatic rules for the Focus Assist feature in the settings. This way, you can change the priority levels and the time when you want to enable or disable notifications. For example, if you are attending a Zoom meeting, working on a project, or playing a game. To access these rules, click Start> Settings> System> Focus Assist
- Change the focus assist settings in the right pane as needed.
How to reject and permanently silence alerts in Windows 10
If you get extra notifications from every app that pops up while using your Windows PC, you can close each of them.
- To do this, click the Action Center icon on the taskbar and hover over the notification you want to dismiss. To close all notifications and close all notifications for all apps, tap Clear All Notifications.
Note. You can also click the X button in the list of app groups to close all notifications for any app.
- Sometimes you may want to turn off notification sounds permanently so you can focus on what you are doing and let things appear in silence. You can turn off notifications permanently by going to Start> Settings> System.
- Click Notifications & Actions and uncheck each of the Allow Notifications to Play Sounds check box.
Your notifications will no longer make noise when they appear. If you want the notification sounds to sound again, just go back to the same setting and check the box again for each notification.
Turn off annoying notifications in Windows 10
Whether you’re working on our laptop or playing a game, notifications can be distracting. By following the steps above, you can turn off notifications and save time you wasted paying attention to each notification as it comes in.
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