Where Mac Notifications Come From and How to Control Them

Notifications on Mac come from three places: apps you installed, system alerts from macOS itself, and web browser notifications. Each one has its own off switch, and you control them through System Settings rather than hunting through individual apps. The fastest way is to silence everything at once using Focus modes, but if you want to keep some notifications and block others, you'll need to visit the Notifications settings panel.

Most people find they need different notification rules at different times — no alerts during work, some alerts during evening, all alerts off at night. Mac's Focus feature handles this automatically once you set it up the first time. If you just want notifications gone permanently, that takes about two minutes.

Key Takeaways

  • Open System Settings, click Notifications, and turn off notifications app by app — you don't have to disable them all at once.
  • Focus modes let you create rules like "silence everything except Messages" that turn on automatically at certain times or when you open specific apps.
  • Browser notifications (from websites) are controlled inside your browser settings, not in macOS, and each browser has its own panel.
  • Do Not Disturb is a quick temporary silence, but Focus modes are better for ongoing rules because they let you allow certain apps through.

Turn Off Notifications for Individual Apps

Open System Settings by clicking the Apple menu in the top left, then select System Settings. Click Notifications in the sidebar — you'll see a list of every app that has ever sent you a notification. Click the app you want to silence, then toggle off "Allow notifications" at the top of the panel. That app will stop sending alerts when ready.

If you want to keep notifications but change how they appear, you have options below the toggle: you can choose whether they show in Notification Center (the panel that slides in from the right), whether they make a sound, whether they show a badge on the app icon, or whether they appear as banners on your screen. Most people turn off the sound and banner but keep them in Notification Center so they can check them later without being interrupted.

The order of apps in the list matters — the ones at the top are "Recent", meaning they've sent notifications recently. Scroll down to find apps you haven't heard from in a while. If an app isn't in the list, it hasn't sent a notification yet, so there's nothing to turn off.

Use Focus Modes to Silence Notifications on a Schedule

Focus modes let you create rules that turn on automatically. For example, you can set up a "Work" focus that silences all notifications except Slack and email, then have it turn on automatically when you open your work calendar. Or create a "Sleep" focus that blocks everything except emergency calls, then have it turn on at 10 p.m. every night.

To create a Focus mode, open System Settings and click Focus in the sidebar. Click the plus sign to create a new focus, give it a name like "Do Not Disturb" or "Meetings", then toggle on "Allow notifications from" and choose which apps can still send alerts. Below that, click "Customize" to set when this focus turns on automatically — you can choose a time of day, a location, or a specific app you're using.

Once you've set up a Focus, it appears in Control Center (swipe down from the top right of your screen). You can turn it on or off manually anytime, or let it run on the schedule you created. The Focus you're currently using shows at the top of your screen so you know which rules are active.

Turn Off Notifications from macOS System Alerts

System alerts are notifications from macOS itself — things like "Your battery is low" or "An app wants to access your camera". These come from the "System Notifications" entry at the top of your Notifications list in System Settings. Click it and toggle off "Allow notifications" to silence all system alerts at once.

If you want to keep some system alerts but silence others, you can't do that in Notifications settings — system alerts are all or nothing. Your alternative is to create a Focus mode that blocks system notifications but allows the apps you care about, then use that Focus during times when you don't want interruptions.

Turn Off Browser Notifications from Websites

Website notifications (the popups that ask "Allow notifications from this site?") are controlled inside your browser, not in macOS. In Safari, open Preferences, click Websites, then click Notifications in the left sidebar. You'll see a list of every website that has asked for permission. Click each one and change the dropdown from "Allow" to "Deny", or select a website and click "Remove" to delete it entirely.

In Chrome, click the three dots in the top right, select Settings, click Privacy and Security, then Site Settings, then Notifications. You'll see two lists: sites you've allowed and sites you've blocked. Click any allowed site and change it to "Block", or click the trash icon to remove it.

If a website asks for notification permission and you don't want it, click "Don't Allow" in the popup. If you accidentally clicked "Allow" and want to undo it, use the steps above to change it to "Deny".

Use Do Not Disturb for Quick Temporary Silence

Do Not Disturb is the fastest way to silence everything right now without setting up rules. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top right of your screen, then click the Do Not Disturb icon (it looks like a crescent moon). Your Mac will silence all notifications until you turn it off again or until a time you set.

Do Not Disturb is temporary and manual — you have to remember to turn it off. If you find yourself using it every day at the same time, that's a sign you should create a Focus mode instead, because a Focus can turn on and off automatically. Do Not Disturb is best for "I need quiet for the next hour" situations, not for ongoing rules.

What Happens When You Turn Off Notifications

When you turn off notifications for an app, you won't see alerts, sounds, badges, or banners from that app. The app itself keeps running normally — turning off notifications doesn't slow down your Mac or stop the app from working. You can still open the app and see what's happening inside it; you just won't be interrupted by alerts.

If you turn off notifications and later realize you need them back, you can turn them on again in the same Notifications panel. There's no penalty for changing your mind, and you can adjust settings as many times as you want. Most people end up with a mix: some apps silenced completely, some with sound off but badges on, and some with full notifications during work hours but silenced at night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off notifications for just one person in Messages?

Not directly in Notifications settings. Instead, open Messages, find the conversation, right-click it, and select "Hide Alerts". That conversation will stay in your list but won't send notifications. You can unhide alerts the same way anytime.

Will turning off notifications stop me from seeing missed calls?

It depends on the app. Phone calls from your contacts will still come through even if you silence notifications, because calls are treated differently than regular alerts. However, if you use a Focus mode that blocks Phone notifications, incoming calls won't ring through — so be careful with Focus modes if you need to receive calls.

How do I know if a Focus mode is currently on?

Look at the top of your screen — if a Focus is active, you'll see its name and a small icon next to the time. You can also open Control Center (swipe down from the top right) and see which Focus is currently on. The active Focus will be highlighted.

Can I set up a Focus that allows notifications only from certain people?

Yes, but only for Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. When you create or edit a Focus, click "Allowed Notifications" and then click the app (like Messages). You'll see an option to "Customize" — click that and you can choose specific contacts whose messages will come through while everyone else is silenced.

What's the difference between turning off notifications and blocking an app?

Turning off notifications just silences alerts — the app still works normally and you can use it anytime. Blocking an app (which you do in Screen Time settings, not Notifications) actually prevents you from opening the app during certain times. They're different tools for different problems.