Turn off notifications in System Settings

The fastest way to silence notifications on a Mac is through System Settings. Open System Settings (the gear icon in your dock or Applications folder), then click Notifications in the sidebar. You will see a list of every app that sends notifications.

Click any app name to open its settings. You have three choices: turn notifications off entirely by unchecking Allow notifications, keep notifications but hide the badge number on the app icon, or keep notifications but turn off sound and banners. Most people choose to keep notifications but turn off the sound — that way you still see what happened, but your Mac stays quiet.

If an app is not in the list, it does not send notifications, so you cannot silence it here. Some built-in apps like Mail, Messages, and Calendar are always listed.

Key Takeaways

  • System Settings is where you control which apps can send notifications and whether they make sound or show banners.
  • You can turn off notifications entirely for an app, or keep them silent by unchecking Sound and Banner Style.
  • Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications for a set time without changing individual app settings.
  • Focus modes let you silence notifications from specific apps while keeping others active, useful for work or sleep hours.
  • Notification Center (the panel on the right side of your screen) shows past notifications and can be cleared without affecting future ones.

Use Do Not Disturb to silence everything temporarily

Do Not Disturb is the quickest way to silence your Mac for a set period. Click the Control Center icon (usually in the top-right corner of your screen), then click Do Not Disturb. Your Mac will stop showing notifications and sounds until you turn it off again.

To set a time limit, click and hold the Do Not Disturb button, then choose how long you want it on — for one hour, until the end of the day, or until you leave your current location. When the time runs out, notifications turn back on automatically. This is useful during meetings, calls, or focused work when you do not want interruptions but plan to check messages later.

Do Not Disturb does not change your app settings — it just pauses all notifications temporarily. When you turn it off, your Mac goes back to showing notifications the way you set them up in System Settings.

Set up Focus modes to silence specific apps

Focus modes let you create custom notification rules for different parts of your day. Open System Settings, click Focus, then click the + button to create a new Focus. Name it something clear like "Work" or "Sleep".

In the Focus settings, you can choose which apps and people are allowed to send notifications while that Focus is on. For example, your Work Focus might allow notifications from Mail and Slack but silence everything else. Your Sleep Focus might allow only calls from family members and silence everything else.

Once you set up a Focus, turn it on from Control Center the same way you would Do Not Disturb. You can also set a Focus to turn on automatically at a certain time each day — for instance, Sleep Focus could turn on at 10 p.m. and turn off at 7 a.m. This is more powerful than Do Not Disturb because you can be selective about which apps stay active.

Mute notifications from a single app without opening Settings

When a notification appears on your screen, you can silence that app right from the notification itself. Look for the notification banner or alert, then click the X or Options button (depending on the notification style). You will see a choice to turn off notifications from that app.

This method is faster than opening System Settings if you only want to silence one app in the moment. The change sticks — future notifications from that app will be off until you turn them back on in System Settings.

Clear old notifications from Notification Center

Notification Center is the panel that slides in from the right side of your screen when you click the time in the top-right corner. It shows notifications from the past few hours or days, depending on your settings. Clearing old notifications here does not affect future ones — it just cleans up what you see.

To clear all notifications at once, scroll to the top of Notification Center and click Clear all. To remove a single notification, hover over it and click the X. You can also click Keep on a notification to pin it so it stays visible.

Notification Center is just a display of past events. Silencing notifications here does not change whether your Mac will send them in the future — that is controlled in System Settings or through Do Not Disturb and Focus modes.

Turn off notification sounds without hiding the notifications

If you want to see notifications but do not want the sound, go to System Settings, click Notifications, then click the app you want to adjust. Uncheck the Sound box. The app will still send notifications and show banners on your screen — they just will not make a noise.

You can also uncheck Banner Style if you want notifications to appear only in Notification Center (the right-side panel) and not pop up on your screen. This is useful for apps you want to check later but do not need to interrupt you right now.

Silence notifications during video calls and screen sharing

When you are on a video call or sharing your screen, notifications still appear on your Mac — and if your screen is being shared, other people see them too. The easiest fix is to turn on Do Not Disturb before the call starts. Click Control Center and toggle Do Not Disturb on.

Some apps like Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Meet can automatically turn on Do Not Disturb while a call is active. Check the app's settings to see if this option exists. If it does, turn it on so you do not have to remember to silence your Mac before every call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications in System Settings delete them?

No. Turning off notifications just stops your Mac from sending them. Any notifications that already appeared are still in Notification Center until you clear them manually. If you turn notifications back on later, your Mac will resume sending them the same way.

Can I silence notifications from one contact but not others?

Yes, through Focus modes. Open System Settings, click Focus, then edit the Focus you want to change. Under Allowed Notifications, you can choose specific people whose calls and messages come through while everything else is silent. This works best for Messages and Phone calls.

Why do some apps not appear in the Notifications list?

Apps that do not send notifications will not appear in System Settings. If an app you use does send notifications but is not listed, it may not have permission to do so. Check the app's own settings to see if notifications are turned on there first.

Does Do Not Disturb affect my alarms?

No. Do Not Disturb silences notifications and sounds from apps, but alarms set in the Clock app will still go off. If you want to silence alarms too, you need to turn off the alarm itself in the Clock app before turning on Do Not Disturb.

Can I silence notifications on my Mac but keep them on my iPhone?

Yes. Notification settings are separate on each device. Turning off notifications on your Mac does not affect your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Each device has its own System Settings where you control notifications independently.