The fastest way to silence everything at once

The quickest path is Focus mode, which turns off all notifications when ready and keeps them off until you turn the Focus back off. Open Settings, tap Focus, then tap the plus sign to create a new Focus. Name it "Silent" or "Do Not Disturb" — the name does not matter. On the next screen, tap "Don't Allow" under Notifications. Save it. Now whenever you need silence, swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open Control Center, press and hold the Focus icon (it looks like a circle with lines), and tap your new Focus. Every notification stops when ready.

If you want notifications silenced permanently rather than temporarily, you can turn off notifications for every app one at a time, but that takes much longer. Focus mode is the method most people use because it works in seconds and you can turn notifications back on just as fast.

Key Takeaways

  • Focus mode silences all notifications with one tap in Control Center and turns them back on the same way.
  • Do Not Disturb (the built-in Focus) silences calls and notifications but still allows alarms and timers to sound.
  • You can customize any Focus to allow notifications from specific people or apps while blocking everything else.
  • Turning off notifications app-by-app in Settings is permanent but takes longer than using Focus mode.
  • Scheduled Focus modes can silence notifications automatically at set times each day without you having to remember.

Using Do Not Disturb for when ready silence

Do Not Disturb is a built-in Focus that comes on every iPhone. Swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center, then tap the moon icon. Your iPhone will silence all calls and notifications when ready. The lock screen will show a moon symbol so you know it is active. Tap the moon icon again to turn it off.

Do Not Disturb differs from a custom Focus in one way: alarms and timers still sound even when it is on. If you need complete silence including alarms, use a custom Focus instead. Do Not Disturb is best when you want to block interruptions but still need your alarm to wake you in the morning.

Creating a custom Focus that blocks everything

Open Settings and tap Focus. Tap the plus sign in the top right. Choose a name like "Complete Silence" or "No Interruptions." On the next screen, you will see "Allow Notifications From" — tap "Don't Allow" so nothing gets through. Scroll down and tap "Allowed During Focus" and turn off Alarms, Timers, and Siri Suggestions. This Focus will now block every single notification and sound.

Once you save it, open Control Center, press and hold the Focus icon, and tap your new Focus to turn it on. The icon will show which Focus is active. To turn it off, open Control Center again and tap the Focus icon once.

You can create multiple Focuses for different situations — one for sleep, one for work, one for exercise. Each one remembers its own settings, so you can switch between them without reconfiguring anything.

Scheduling Focus modes to turn on automatically

If you want notifications silenced at the same time every day without remembering to do it manually, you can schedule a Focus. Open Settings, tap Focus, and tap the Focus you want to schedule. Scroll down and tap "Turn On Automatically." Choose "Time of Day" and set the start and end times. Your Focus will now turn on and off at those times every single day.

This works well for sleep schedules — create a Focus called "Sleep," set it to turn on at 10 p.m. and off at 7 a.m., and your iPhone will silence notifications automatically every night. You can also schedule a Focus to turn on when you arrive at a location, like your workplace, or when you open a specific app.

Turning off notifications for individual apps

If you want to keep most notifications but silence just one or two apps, you do not need Focus mode. Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down and find the app you want to silence. Tap it, then toggle off "Allow Notifications." That app will never send you a notification again.

You can also keep notifications but change how they appear. In that same app settings, you can toggle off "Sounds" to stop the sound without removing the notification badge, or toggle off "Badges" to stop the red number without any other change. This gives you fine control if you want some apps silent but others still active.

Silencing notifications on your lock screen only

If you want notifications to arrive but not show on your lock screen, open Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and tap it. Scroll down to "Lock Screen" and toggle it off. The notification will still come through in Notification Center (swipe down from the top), but it will not appear on your lock screen where anyone can see it.

This is useful for apps like banking or messaging where you want the notification but do not want it visible to someone looking at your phone. The notification still makes a sound and shows a badge on the app icon unless you turn those off separately.

Turning off notification sounds without hiding the notifications

Open Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and tap it. Toggle off "Sounds" under the Notification section. The notification will still arrive and show a badge on the app icon, but your phone will not make a sound. This is different from Do Not Disturb or Focus mode, which silences everything — this silences only one app.

You can also change the sound itself rather than turning it off completely. In the same app settings, tap "Sound" and choose a different notification sound, or choose "None" to disable it. Some people use this to give different apps different sounds so they can tell which app is notifying them without looking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I miss important calls if I turn on Do Not Disturb?

Do Not Disturb blocks notifications but you can allow calls from specific people. Open Settings, tap Focus, tap Do Not Disturb, and under "Allow Calls From" choose "Favorites" or a specific contact group. Those people can still reach you even when Do Not Disturb is on.

Can I silence notifications from one person but not others?

Yes, using Focus mode. Create a Focus, tap "Allow Notifications From," and add only the people or apps you want to hear from. Everyone else will be silenced. You can have different Focuses for different situations — one that allows family calls, another that allows work emails only.

What happens to notifications when a Focus is on?

They still arrive on your iPhone, but they do not make a sound or light up your screen. You can see them later by opening Notification Center (swipe down from the top). When you turn off the Focus, you will see all the notifications that came in while it was active.

Can I silence notifications at night automatically?

Yes. Open Settings, tap Focus, create a new Focus called "Sleep," tap "Turn On Automatically," choose "Time of Day," and set your bedtime. Your iPhone will silence all notifications at that time every night and turn them back on when you wake up.

If I turn off notifications for an app, can I turn them back on later?

Yes. Open Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and toggle "Allow Notifications" back on. You can change notification settings for any app at any time without losing anything.