Turn off notifications in System Settings

The fastest way to silence notifications is through System Settings. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner, then select System Settings. Navigate to Notifications in the left sidebar — you'll see a list of every app that sends notifications to your Mac.

From here you have two choices: turn off notifications for a specific app, or adjust how each app notifies you. Click any app name to see its notification options. You can toggle notifications off entirely, or keep them but remove the sound, badges, and banners that appear on screen.

If you want to silence notifications from all apps at once, use Focus modes instead — this is faster than changing each app individually and lets you turn notifications back on with one click when you're ready.

Key Takeaways

  • System Settings > Notifications lets you turn off notifications for individual apps or adjust how each one alerts you.
  • Focus modes silence all notifications except from people and apps you choose, and you can switch between modes with one click.
  • Do Not Disturb mode silences everything but still lets calls from your Favorites come through.
  • You can schedule Focus modes to turn on and off automatically at set times or locations.
  • Notification Center in the top-right corner shows recent alerts and lets you clear them without opening System Settings.

Use Focus modes to silence everything except what matters

Focus modes let you create custom notification profiles. Click the Notification Center icon in the top-right corner of your menu bar (it looks like three horizontal lines), then click the Focus button at the bottom. You'll see preset options like Do Not Disturb, Work, and Personal — or you can create your own.

When you turn on a Focus mode, all notifications silence except from people and apps you've added to an allowlist. For example, you could create a Work focus that only lets through messages from your boss and calendar alerts, while silencing everything else. Switch between modes by clicking the Notification Center icon again and selecting a different Focus.

To set up a custom Focus, click the plus icon in the Notification Center, name it, then add specific people and apps. You can also schedule a Focus to turn on automatically — for instance, a Sleep focus that activates every night at 10 p.m. and turns off at 7 a.m.

Adjust notification settings for individual apps

Some apps send too many notifications while others send too few. Open System Settings > Notifications and click the app you want to change. You'll see several toggles: turn off Notifications entirely to silence the app completely, or keep notifications on but disable specific alert types.

Most apps let you control whether they show banners (alerts that appear in the corner), badges (red numbers on the app icon), or sounds. You can also choose whether notifications appear in Notification Center, the list that slides down from the top-right corner. Turning off Notification Center keeps the app from cluttering that list while still allowing sounds and banners if you want them.

Some apps like Mail and Messages have additional options — for instance, Mail lets you silence notifications from certain senders or mailboxes. Check the app's notification settings to see what's available.

Use Do Not Disturb for immediate silence

Do Not Disturb is the quickest way to silence your Mac right now. Click the Notification Center icon in the top-right corner and toggle Do Not Disturb on. All notifications silence immediately, though calls from people in your Favorites list still come through.

You can schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically during specific hours. Open System Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, then click Add Schedule. Choose a time range — for example, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. — and Do Not Disturb will activate and deactivate on its own every day.

Do Not Disturb is simpler than custom Focus modes because it doesn't require you to choose which apps or people can notify you. Everything silences except Favorites calls. If you need more control over which notifications come through, use a Focus mode instead.

Silence notifications from the menu bar

The menu bar at the top of your screen shows notification icons for apps like Mail, Messages, and Calendar. You can click these icons directly to see recent notifications without opening the full Notification Center. To clear a notification, hover over it and click the X that appears.

Some apps also let you silence notifications by right-clicking their icon in the menu bar. For example, Mail shows a menu with options to silence notifications for that mailbox or sender. Check each app's menu to see what controls are available.

If the menu bar feels cluttered with notification icons, you can hide some by opening System Settings > Control Center and toggling off the apps you don't want to see there. This doesn't stop notifications — it just removes the icon from the menu bar.

Turn off notification sounds without silencing alerts

If you want to see notifications but don't want to hear them, open System Settings > Notifications and click the app you want to adjust. Toggle off Sound, and the app will still send banners and badges but won't play an alert noise.

You can also mute your Mac's entire system volume by pressing the volume keys on your keyboard or clicking the volume icon in the menu bar. This silences notification sounds along with everything else — music, videos, and app sounds. When you're ready to hear notifications again, turn the volume back up.

For a middle ground, use a Focus mode and allow only certain apps to notify you. This way you hear from what matters and silence the rest, without having to adjust individual app settings.

Manage notifications from Lock Screen and login screen

Notifications can appear on your Mac's Lock Screen and login screen before you unlock your computer. Open System Settings > Notifications and scroll to the bottom. Toggle Show Notifications on Lock Screen off if you don't want alerts visible before you log in.

This setting applies to all apps at once — you can't hide notifications from specific apps on the Lock Screen while showing others. If you want some notifications visible but others hidden, use a Focus mode instead, which lets you choose exactly which apps and people can notify you.

Turning off Lock Screen notifications is useful if you share your Mac or want privacy when it's unattended. Notifications will still arrive and appear in Notification Center once you unlock, so you won't miss anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I silence notifications from one app but not others?

Yes. Open System Settings > Notifications, click the app you want to silence, and toggle Notifications off. Other apps will continue sending alerts normally. You can also keep notifications on for an app but turn off just the sound, badges, or banners.

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

Calls from people in your Favorites list still come through when Do Not Disturb is on. For other notifications, they'll arrive and wait in Notification Center — you'll see them when you turn Do Not Disturb off or unlock your Mac. Use a Focus mode if you want specific apps or people to notify you while silencing everything else.

How do I stop notifications from appearing on my Lock Screen?

Open System Settings > Notifications and scroll to the bottom. Toggle Show Notifications on Lock Screen off. This hides all notifications from your Lock Screen, though they'll still appear in Notification Center once you unlock your Mac.

Can I schedule notifications to turn off at night automatically?

Yes, using Focus modes. Open Notification Center, click Focus, select or create a Sleep focus, then click Add Schedule. Set the time range — for example, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. — and that Focus will activate and deactivate automatically every day.

What's the difference between turning off notifications and turning off sounds?

Turning off notifications stops all alerts from an app — no banners, sounds, or badges. Turning off sounds keeps notifications visible but removes the alert noise. Choose based on whether you want to see the alert at all or just don't want to hear it.