Where to find notification settings on your Mac
Open System Settings (called System Preferences on older Macs) and click Notifications in the left sidebar. You will see a list of every app installed on your Mac that sends notifications. Each app has its own row with an on/off toggle. Click the toggle next to any app name to turn its notifications off entirely, or click the app name itself to fine-tune what that specific app is allowed to do.
If you do not see Notifications in the sidebar, your Mac is running an older version of macOS. On those machines, go to System Preferences > Notifications & Focus instead. The layout is slightly different but the controls work the same way.
Key Takeaways
- Turn off all notifications from one app by opening System Settings > Notifications, finding the app, and clicking its toggle to off.
- Control what kind of notifications each app sends by clicking the app name to see options like alerts, banners, or sounds.
- Use Focus modes to silence notifications during work, sleep, or other times without turning them off permanently.
- Notifications that appear on your lock screen can be hidden separately from notifications that appear while your Mac is unlocked.
- Some apps like Mail and Calendar let you silence notifications from specific folders or calendars rather than the whole app.
Turning off notifications for a single app
Click the app name in the Notifications list to open its settings. At the top, you will see a toggle labeled Allow Notifications. Click it to turn off all notifications from that app. The toggle will turn gray, and that app will stop sending you alerts, banners, and sounds.
If you want to keep notifications but change how they behave, leave that toggle on and adjust the options below it. You can choose whether notifications appear as Alerts (which stay on screen until you dismiss them), Banners (which appear briefly and disappear on their own), or None (which means the notification arrives but you do not see it). You can also turn off sounds, badges on the app icon, and notifications on your lock screen.
Silencing notifications without turning them off
If you want to keep notifications but stop them from interrupting you right now, use Focus modes instead of turning notifications off. Click the Control Center icon (four squares) in the top right corner of your screen, then click Focus. Choose a preset like Do Not Disturb, Work, or Sleep, or create your own.
When a Focus mode is on, notifications still arrive in the background, but they do not make sounds, vibrations, or pop-ups on your screen. You can check them later by opening Notification Center (click the time in the top right corner). This is useful when you need quiet for a few hours but do not want to permanently silence an app.
Controlling notifications on your lock screen
Your Mac can show notifications in two places: on your lock screen (when your Mac is asleep or locked) and in Notification Center (when you are using it). You can turn off one without turning off the other. In the Notifications settings for any app, scroll down to find Show on Lock Screen and toggle it off if you do not want that app's notifications visible when your Mac is locked.
This is useful for apps like Messages or Mail that you want to check during the day but do not want announcing themselves on your lock screen at night or when someone else is nearby.
Turning off notifications for specific folders or conversations
Some apps let you silence notifications from certain parts of the app rather than the whole thing. In Mail, you can mute notifications from a specific folder or sender. Right-click the folder in the sidebar, select Mute, and choose whether to mute it for an hour, until tomorrow, or permanently. In Calendar, right-click a calendar in the sidebar and choose Mute Notifications.
In Messages, you can mute a conversation by swiping left on it in the message list (on trackpad, use two-finger swipe), then clicking the bell icon. The conversation will still appear in your inbox, but you will not get notifications when new messages arrive. This is helpful when you want to stay in a group chat but do not need every message to interrupt you.
Resetting notifications to default settings
If you have changed notification settings for many apps and want to start fresh, there is no single reset button. Instead, go back through the Notifications list and adjust each app individually. However, you can turn off notifications for all apps at once by using Do Not Disturb focus mode, which silences everything without changing your settings.
If an app is not showing up in your Notifications list at all, it either does not send notifications or it has never sent one yet. Once an app sends its first notification, it will appear in the list automatically.
Why some notifications keep coming back
If you turned off notifications for an app but they are still appearing, the app may have been updated and reset its notification settings. Open Notifications again and turn off that app. Some apps also send notifications through different channels — for example, Slack can send notifications through both the Slack app and through email. Turning off the app notification does not stop email notifications.
Another reason notifications may persist is if you have multiple user accounts on your Mac. Notification settings are separate for each account, so turning off notifications in one account does not affect the others. Make sure you are logged into the account where you want to change the settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off notifications for just one person or group chat?
Yes, in Messages you can mute individual conversations. Swipe left on the conversation (or use two-finger trackpad swipe), click the bell icon, and choose how long to mute it. In Mail, right-click a sender or folder and select Mute. Other apps like Slack let you mute specific channels or direct messages through the app itself, not through System Settings.
Will turning off notifications delete the messages or alerts?
No. Turning off notifications only stops you from seeing alerts and sounds. The messages, emails, and other content still arrive and stay in the app. You can open the app anytime to see what you missed. Notification Center also keeps a history of recent notifications you can review.
How do I turn off notifications just at night?
Use the Sleep focus mode. Open Control Center, click Focus, and select Sleep. You can set it to turn on automatically at a specific time each night. Notifications will be silenced during sleep hours but will work normally during the day. You can also create a custom Focus mode for any time period you choose.
Why is my Mac still making notification sounds even though I turned them off?
Check that you turned off the sound toggle in that app's notification settings, not just the Allow Notifications toggle. Also check your Mac's overall volume in Control Center — if the volume is muted, no notification sounds will play. Some apps also have their own sound settings inside the app itself, separate from System Settings.
Can I turn off notifications for all apps at once?
There is no single button to turn off all app notifications permanently. However, you can use Do Not Disturb focus mode to silence all notifications when ready. If you want to permanently turn off notifications from many apps, you will need to go through the Notifications list and toggle each one off individually.