Enable or Disable Notifications in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to turn notification banners and sounds on or off in Windows 10, either for all apps at once or for individual apps. You can also set quiet hours, hide notifications from the lock screen, and stop apps from suggesting notifications. No administrator rights are needed for most settings—just a standard user account works fine.

What You’ll Need

A PC running Windows 10 (version 1607 or later for full notification settings)
Access to the Settings app (Win + I opens it)

Step-by-Step

Open Settings. Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard, or click the Start button and then the gear icon.
Go to System > Notifications & actions. In the Settings window, click System, then select Notifications & actions from the left sidebar.
Turn off all notifications (master switch). At the top of the right pane, you’ll see Notifications. Toggle the switch to Off to disable every notification banner, sound, and badge from all apps and from Windows itself. Toggle it back to On to re-enable everything.
Disable or enable individual apps. Scroll down to the Get notifications from these senders list. Each app has its own toggle. Turn off the toggle next to an app to stop its notifications entirely. Turn it back on to allow them again.
Customize a specific app’s notifications. Click on any app name in that list to expand its options. You can then toggle Show notification banners (the pop-up in the lower right), Play a sound when a notification arrives, and Show notifications in action center (the slide-out panel on the right). You can also set the Number of notifications visible in action center (between 1 and 20).
Hide notifications from the lock screen. Still in the Notifications & actions page, scroll to the Show notifications on the lock screen toggle and turn it Off. This prevents message previews from appearing when your PC is locked.
Suppress reminders and calls during quiet hours. Windows 10 has a Focus assist feature (formerly called Quiet hours). You can access it from the same page by clicking Focus assist in the left sidebar, or by right-clicking the action center icon in the taskbar and choosing Focus assist. Choose Off to receive everything, Priority only to see only notifications from your priority list, or Alarms only to hide everything except alarms. You can also set automatic rules, such as during certain hours of the day or when you’re duplicating your display.
Stop apps from suggesting notifications. In the Notifications & actions page, scroll down and uncheck Suggest ways I can get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this PC to reduce promotional or tip notifications from Microsoft.
Use the quick toggle in Action Center. Click the speech-bubble icon in the taskbar (bottom right), then click the Focus assist tile to cycle through Off, Priority only, and Alarms only. This is the fastest way to temporarily silence everything without opening Settings.

Common Mistakes

Turning off the master switch and expecting per-app settings to remain. When you turn off Notifications at the top, it disables everything. When you turn it back on, your per-app toggles are still as you left them—they aren’t reset.
Confusing “notification banners” with “notifications in action center.” You can disable the pop-up banner but still keep the notification in the action center, or vice versa. If you want zero trace of an app’s notifications, turn off the main toggle for that app.
Forgetting that some apps manage their own notifications. Apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or web browsers have their own in-app notification settings. If you turn off notifications in Windows but the app still shows them, check the app’s own settings—it may be using its own notification system (e.g., in-app pop-ups) that Windows doesn’t control.
Thinking Focus assist “Off” means all notifications are off. It’s the opposite: Focus assist Off means you receive everything. Alarms only is the most restrictive setting.

Tips

Use Focus assist’s automatic rules. Set it to turn on automatically during your work hours or when you’re presenting. Go to Settings > System > Focus assist, then under Automatic rules, toggle on During these hours and pick a start and end time.
Create a priority list. In Focus assist settings, click Customize priority list to choose which apps and contacts can still send notifications when Priority only is active. You can also allow alarms and calls from specific people.
Use the Action Center to catch up. If you disable banners but keep action center notifications, you can still review everything by clicking the speech-bubble icon in the taskbar. Notifications stay there until you dismiss them.
Disable notification sounds without losing banners. In the per-app settings, turn off Play a sound when a notification arrives while keeping Show notification banners on. This is great for quiet work environments.
Restart apps after changing settings. Some apps read notification settings only at launch. If a change doesn’t take effect immediately, close and reopen the app.

Troubleshooting

Notifications still appear after you turned them off. First, confirm you turned off the right app’s toggle in the list. Then check the app’s own settings—many apps have a separate “show desktop notifications” option. Also, restart the app. If the problem persists, restart Windows Explorer: right-click the taskbar, select Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and choose Restart.
The Notifications & actions page is grayed out or missing. This can happen if you’re using a Windows 10 version older than 1607, or if a group policy is enforced on a work or school PC. Check your Windows version by pressing Win + R, typing winver, and pressing Enter. If you’re on a managed device, contact your IT administrator.
Focus assist doesn’t turn off. If you set it to Alarms only and can’t switch back, check if an automatic rule is forcing it. Go to Settings > System > Focus assist and turn off any active automatic rules. Also check the Action Center tile—sometimes it’s stuck; click it to cycle through the modes.
Notifications work but there’s no sound. Check the per-app sound toggle (Step 5). Also verify your system volume isn’t muted and that the default notification sound is set: right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar, choose Sounds, go to the Sounds tab, and under Program Events, select Notification and pick a sound.
Action Center isn’t showing any notifications. Make sure you haven’t turned off Show notifications in action center for the apps you care about. Also, check that the Action Center itself isn’t disabled—right-click the taskbar, select Taskbar settings, and under Notification area, click Turn system icons on or off and ensure Action Center is set to On.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I disable notifications for only one app without affecting others?
A: Yes. In Settings > System > Notifications & actions, scroll to the app list and toggle off the specific app. Other apps remain unaffected.

Q: What is the difference between turning off notifications and using Focus assist?
A: Turning off notifications (the master switch) disables all banners and sounds globally. Focus assist is a temporary mode that suppresses notifications according to rules you set, and you can allow a priority list through.

Q: Will disabling notifications stop Windows Update from notifying me?
A: It will stop the banner and sound, but Windows Update may still show a badge or a reminder in the Action Center. Critical system alerts, like low battery or storage warnings, generally still appear regardless of your settings.

Q: How do I stop notifications from appearing on the lock screen?
A: Go to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and toggle Show notifications on the lock screen to Off. You can also hide specific apps from the lock screen by expanding their settings and unchecking the lock screen option if present.

Q: Can I schedule quiet hours automatically?
A: Yes. In Focus assist settings, enable the During these hours automatic rule and set your preferred start and end times. You can also choose to enable it automatically when you’re duplicating your display (for presentations).

Q: Why do some apps still show notifications even after I disabled them in Windows?
A: The app may have its own in-app notification system that bypasses Windows notifications. Check the app’s settings for “desktop notifications,” “pop-ups,” or “banners” and disable them there. Some apps also need to be restarted after you change Windows settings.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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