Turn off notifications without losing important alerts

You can silence notifications in two ways: turn off all notifications from a specific app, or mute just the sound and vibration while keeping the alerts visible on your screen. Most people want the second option — you see that a message arrived, but your phone stops buzzing every thirty seconds. The steps differ slightly between iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac, but the principle is the same in all of them.

The fastest route is usually to find the app in your notification settings and toggle off the sound and vibration there. If you only want to silence notifications during work or sleep, most devices also have a "Do Not Disturb" or "Focus" mode that you can turn on and off with one tap, and you can set it to allow calls from certain people even when it is active.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and turn off "Sounds" and "Badges" while leaving "Allow Notifications" on so you still see alerts.
  • On Android, open Settings > Apps > Notifications, select the app, and toggle off "Show notifications" or turn off the notification channel for that app.
  • On Windows, go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn off notifications for individual apps or disable the notification sound entirely.
  • On Mac, open System Settings > Notifications, find the app, and uncheck "Sound" and "Badge" while leaving notifications visible.
  • All devices have a Do Not Disturb or Focus mode that silences everything at once and can be scheduled to turn on automatically at set times.

Silence notifications on iPhone

Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down to find the app you want to silence — the list shows every app that sends notifications. Tap the app name.

You will see several toggles. Leave "Allow Notifications" on if you want to see the alerts on your lock screen and in Notification Center. Turn off "Sounds" to stop the sound and vibration. You can also turn off "Badges" (the red number on the app icon) if you do not want to see how many unread messages you have.

If you want to silence all notifications at once, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center, then tap the bell icon with a line through it. This turns on Focus mode, which you can customize to allow calls from certain contacts even when it is active.

Silence notifications on Android

Open Settings and go to Apps (or Applications, depending on your phone). Find the app you want to silence and tap it. Look for Notifications or App Notifications.

You will see a toggle for "Show notifications" — turn it off to hide all alerts from that app. If you want to keep seeing notifications but just remove the sound, look for "Notification sounds" or a specific channel name (like "Messages" or "Alerts") and turn off the sound for that channel only.

To silence everything at once, swipe down twice from the top of your screen to open Quick Settings, then tap "Do Not Disturb" or look for a bell icon. You can hold down the button to set how long it stays on, or go to Settings > Sound and Vibration > Do Not Disturb to schedule it automatically.

Silence notifications on Windows

Open Settings and go to System > Notifications. You will see a list of every app that sends notifications. Find the one you want to silence and toggle it off. The notification will no longer appear on your screen.

If you want to keep seeing notifications but remove the sound, scroll down to "Advanced" and turn off "Play notification sounds." This silences the sound for all notifications at once. You can also turn off "Show notifications on the lock screen" if you do not want alerts visible when your computer is locked.

To silence everything temporarily, press Windows key + A to open Quick Settings, then click "Focus information" and choose "Priority only" or "Alarms only." This stops all notifications except the ones you mark as important.

Silence notifications on Mac

Open System Settings and click Notifications in the sidebar. You will see a list of apps. Find the one you want to silence and click it.

Uncheck "Sound" to remove the notification sound. Uncheck "Badge" to hide the red number on the app icon. Leave "Allow notifications" checked if you want to see alerts in Notification Center — they will just arrive silently.

To silence everything at once, click the Control Center icon in the top-right corner, then click "Focus." Choose "Do Not Disturb" or create a custom focus that allows only certain people to reach you. You can set it to turn on and off automatically at specific times.

Schedule Do Not Disturb or Focus mode to turn on automatically

All devices let you schedule a time when notifications automatically silence. On iPhone, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, tap "Add Schedule," and choose the time you want it to start and end. On Android, go to Settings > Sound and Vibration > Do Not Disturb > Schedule and set your times.

On Windows, open Settings > System > Focus information > Automatic rules and create a rule that turns on Focus information at a certain time or when you are using a specific app. On Mac, open System Settings > Focus, click the focus you want to schedule, and click "Add Schedule."

You can also set your device to silence notifications when you are in a meeting or using a specific app. For example, you can tell your iPhone to enable Focus automatically when you open Outlook, or tell Android to silence notifications when you launch a game.

Allow important contacts to reach you even when notifications are silenced

When you turn on Do Not Disturb or Focus mode, you can still allow calls and messages from certain people. On iPhone, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > People, tap "Add," and choose the contacts you want to allow through. On Android, open Settings > Do Not Disturb > Exceptions and toggle on "Calls" or "Messages," then choose which contacts can reach you.

This is useful if you want to silence work notifications during the evening but still receive calls from family. You can create separate Focus modes for different times of day — for example, a "Work" focus that silences personal apps, and a "Sleep" focus that silences everything except emergency calls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I still see notifications if I turn off the sound?

Yes. Turning off sound and vibration only removes the noise and buzz — the notification still appears on your screen and in your notification center. If you want to hide the notification completely, you need to turn off "Allow Notifications" or "Show Notifications" for that app instead.

Can I silence notifications from one app but not others?

Yes. Go to your notification settings, find the specific app, and turn off its sound or notifications. Other apps will continue to send alerts normally. You can do this for as many apps as you want.

What is the difference between Do Not Disturb and turning off notifications?

Do Not Disturb silences all notifications at once for a set period of time, then turns them back on automatically. Turning off notifications for a specific app removes them permanently until you turn them back on. Do Not Disturb is better for temporary breaks; turning off notifications is better for apps you never want to hear from.

If I silence notifications, will I miss important messages?

You will still see the notification on your screen — you just will not hear a sound or feel a vibration. If you are worried about missing something, you can allow certain contacts through Do Not Disturb, or check your notification center periodically to see what arrived while you were busy.

Can I silence notifications during specific hours automatically?

Yes. All devices let you schedule Do Not Disturb or Focus mode to turn on at a set time each day. You can also set it to turn on automatically when you open certain apps, like a work email client or a game.