Where notifications come from and how to shut them off

Notifications arrive through three separate channels: your operating system (the software that runs your device), individual apps, and your web browser. To stop them completely, you need to turn them off in all three places, because blocking one source does not block the others. The fastest approach is to disable notifications at the device level first, then handle specific apps that you want to keep.

Most people find that turning off notifications entirely, then re-enabling only the ones that genuinely matter, takes less time than hunting through dozens of app settings one by one. This approach also prevents new apps from pestering you automatically — they arrive silenced until you choose otherwise.

Key Takeaways

  • Notifications come from three places — your device's operating system, individual apps, and your web browser — and you must disable them separately in each location.
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications and turn off Allow Notifications; on Android, go to Settings > Apps > Notifications and toggle off Show Notifications.
  • On Windows, open Settings > System > Notifications and turn off all notification types; on Mac, go to System Settings > Notifications and disable alerts for each app.
  • In your web browser, visit Settings > Privacy and Security > Notifications and remove all websites from the allowed list.
  • If you want to keep notifications from a few important apps, turn off the device-wide setting, then enable notifications only for those specific apps in their individual settings.

Stopping notifications on iPhone

Open the Settings app and tap Notifications. At the top of the screen, you will see a toggle for Allow Notifications. Turn it off. This disables all notifications from every app at once.

If you want to keep notifications from certain apps — your messaging app, your calendar, or your banking app, for example — leave the Allow Notifications toggle on, then scroll down and tap each app individually. For each one, toggle off Allow Notifications for that app. Only the apps you leave enabled will send you alerts.

Some apps also have notification settings inside the app itself. If an app continues to notify you after you have disabled it in Settings, open the app, look for Settings or Preferences (usually a gear icon), and search for notification options there. Turning it off in both places ensures it stays quiet.

Stopping notifications on Android

Open Settings and go to Apps (or process Manager, depending on your phone brand). At the top or bottom of the screen, look for a menu icon or three dots and tap Show system or All apps to see every process. Scroll to the top and look for an app called Notifications or Notification Manager — tap it and toggle off Show Notifications.

If your phone does not have a dedicated Notifications app, go back to Settings and search for Notifications directly. You should see an option to manage notifications system-wide. Tap it and turn off all notification types listed there.

To silence individual apps instead of all notifications, go back to Settings > Apps, tap each app you want to silence, tap Notifications, and toggle off Allow Notifications for that app. Repeat for each app you want to quiet.

Stopping notifications on Windows

Open Settings by pressing the Windows key and typing Settings, then press Enter. Click System on the left side, then click Notifications. You will see several toggles: turn off Notifications at the very top, then scroll down and turn off Toast notifications, Lock screen notifications, and Priority notifications.

Below those toggles, you will see a list of apps that are allowed to send notifications. Click each app and toggle off its notification permission. If you want to keep notifications from one or two apps, leave the main Notifications toggle on, but turn off every app in the list except the ones you want to hear from.

Stopping notifications on Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and select System Settings. Click Notifications in the sidebar. You will see a list of every app on your computer. Click each app and toggle off Allow notifications for that app. There is no master switch to disable all notifications at once on Mac, so you must go through the list.

To speed this up, scroll through the list and disable the apps you recognize as notification sources — messaging apps, email clients, calendar apps, and social media apps are the most common culprits. You can leave system apps like Mail and Calendar enabled if you want their alerts, or disable them too.

Stopping notifications in your web browser

Websites can ask permission to send you notifications, and many do. These appear as pop-ups asking "Allow notifications from this site?" If you have already said yes to some websites, you need to remove them from your browser's allowed list.

In Chrome: Click the three-dot menu in the top right, go to Settings, click Privacy and Security, then click Site Settings. Click Notifications. Under "Allowed", you will see every website that can notify you. Click the three dots next to each one and select Remove.

In Firefox: Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right, go to Settings, click Privacy and Security, scroll down to Permissions, and click Notifications. Click Remove All to clear the entire list, or click the X next to individual websites to remove them one at a time.

In Safari: Click Safari in the top menu bar, go to Settings, click Websites, then click Notifications in the left sidebar. Select each website in the list and change the dropdown from Allow to Deny.

What to do if notifications keep coming back

Some apps re-enable notifications after a system update or when you restart your device. If you have turned off notifications but they return, go back to the same settings location and disable them again. This time, look for an option that says Do Not Disturb or Focus Mode (on iPhone and Mac) or Do Not Disturb (on Android and Windows) and turn that on as well. This adds a second layer that silences notifications even if an app tries to turn them back on.

If a specific app keeps sending notifications despite being disabled in settings, uninstall the app and reinstall it fresh. During reinstallation, when the app asks for permission to send notifications, tap Don't Allow. The app will not ask again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications stop me from getting important calls or messages?

No. Disabling notifications only stops the alerts and sounds — calls and messages still arrive on your device. You will see them when you open the app or unlock your phone. If you need to be reachable for emergencies, keep notifications on for your phone app and messaging app, and disable everything else.

Can I turn off notifications for just one app without turning them off everywhere?

Yes. Go to that app's individual notification settings (not the device-wide settings) and disable notifications only for that app. All other apps will continue to notify you normally. On iPhone and Android, this is usually in Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Notifications.

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

Turning off notifications prevents apps from sending alerts at all. Do Not Disturb silences alerts that do come through, but the notifications still arrive in the background. Use Do Not Disturb when you want to keep notifications enabled but need a quiet period — it is temporary. Turn off notifications when you want them gone permanently.

Why do websites keep asking me to allow notifications even after I said no?

Some websites ask again after a certain amount of time, or after you clear your browser's cookies and site data. Each time you see the pop-up, click Block or Don't Allow. If a website is particularly persistent, you can block it permanently by going to your browser's notification settings and adding that website to the blocked list.

Will I still get notifications if I have my phone on silent?

Silent mode mutes the sound and vibration, but notifications still appear on your screen and in your notification center. To stop them from appearing at all, you must disable notifications in settings. Silent mode is useful if you want to see notifications but do not want the sound — notifications in settings is what stops them entirely.