Turn off Discord notification sounds in three places

Discord sends notification sounds from three separate locations, and you may need to change settings in more than one to silence them completely. The main control is in Discord's own settings, but your operating system also has notification controls that can override Discord's choices. Start with Discord itself, then check your system settings if sounds persist.

On Windows and Mac, the process is nearly identical. Open Discord, click your username in the bottom left corner, select User Settings, then go to Notifications. From there you can turn off sounds for direct messages, server messages, or both. If you want to keep notifications but just remove the sound, you can also mute individual servers or channels without touching your global settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Discord's notification sounds are controlled in User Settings under Notifications, where you can turn sounds off for direct messages, mentions, or all messages.
  • You can mute individual servers or channels by right-clicking them and selecting Mute, which silences notifications without changing your account settings.
  • Windows and Mac both have system-level notification settings that can override Discord's choices, so check those if sounds continue after changing Discord settings.
  • Do Not Disturb mode in Discord silences all notifications and sounds until you turn it off, useful for temporary quiet periods without permanent setting changes.

Disable sounds in Discord's notification settings

Open Discord and look for your username or avatar in the bottom left corner of the screen. Click it to open a menu, then select User Settings. In the left sidebar, click Notifications. You will see a list of notification types: Messages, Mentions, Replies, and others depending on your account type.

For each notification type, Discord shows a dropdown menu. Click the dropdown next to the notification you want to silence. The options are usually "All Messages", "Only @mentions", "Nothing", or similar variations. Select "Nothing" to turn off that notification entirely, or select a less frequent option if you want to keep some notifications but reduce them. The sound will stop once you make the change — Discord saves automatically.

If you want to keep notifications but remove only the sound, look for a toggle or checkbox labeled "Sound" or "Play sound" next to each notification type. Some Discord versions show this as a separate control. Toggle it off to mute the sound while keeping visual notifications.

Mute specific servers or channels instead of changing global settings

If you want notifications from most of Discord but need to silence one particular server or channel, muting is faster than changing your account settings. Right-click the server name in your server list on the left side. A menu appears with options including Mute Server. Click it.

A submenu shows mute duration options: 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or Until I turn it back on. Select your preferred duration. The server icon will show a muted speaker symbol, and you will not hear notification sounds from that server until the mute expires or you manually unmute it. To unmute, right-click the server again and select Unmute Server.

You can also mute individual channels within a server. Right-click the channel name and select Mute Channel. This works the same way as muting a server — you choose a duration, and the channel goes silent until the time expires or you unmute it manually.

Use Do Not Disturb mode for temporary silence

Do Not Disturb mode silences all Discord notifications and sounds without changing any settings. Click your username in the bottom left, then look for your status indicator — usually a green dot, yellow crescent, or red circle next to your name. Click it to open status options. Select Do Not Disturb.

Your status changes to a red circle with a line through it, and Discord stops sending notification sounds. You will still receive messages, but you will not hear or see notifications until you change your status back to Online or Idle. This is useful when you need temporary quiet — for a meeting, sleep, or focused work — without permanently changing your notification settings.

Check Windows or Mac notification settings if Discord sounds continue

If you have turned off sounds in Discord but still hear notifications, your operating system may be overriding Discord's settings. On Windows, right-click the Discord icon in your system tray (bottom right corner of the taskbar) and select App notification settings. This opens Windows Settings focused on Discord's notifications. Make sure the toggle for "Show notifications" is off, or adjust the notification type to "Banners" or "Quiet" instead of "Alert".

On Mac, open System Preferences and go to Notifications. Find Discord in the list on the left. Make sure the toggle for "Allow notifications" is off, or uncheck "Play sound for notifications" if you want to keep visual notifications but remove the sound.

Windows 11 users can also access this through Settings > System > Notifications. Look for Discord in the list and toggle off "Notifications" or adjust the notification type. Mac users on newer versions can find the same controls in System Settings > Notifications instead of System Preferences.

Adjust notification sounds for different message types

Discord lets you set different notification rules for direct messages versus server messages. In User Settings > Notifications, you will see separate controls for "Direct Messages" and "Server Messages" (or similar labels depending on your version). You can turn off sounds for one type while keeping them for the other.

For example, you might want to hear sounds when someone sends you a direct message but not when someone mentions you in a large server. Set Direct Messages to a sound-enabled option and Server Messages to "Nothing". This gives you control over which types of notifications matter most to you without silencing everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will muting a server stop all notifications or just the sound?

Muting a server stops both the sound and visual notifications. If you want to keep seeing notifications but remove only the sound, change the notification setting in User Settings instead of muting the server. That way you will still see the notification badge on the server icon but hear nothing.

Does Do Not Disturb mode affect only me or do other users see it?

Other users can see your Do Not Disturb status — it shows as a red circle with a line through it next to your name. They can still send you messages, but they will know you are in quiet mode. Your messages will not be affected; you can still type and send normally.

What if I turn off notification sounds but still want to know when someone messages me?

Keep notifications turned on in Discord's settings but toggle off the sound specifically. You will see a notification badge on the Discord icon and on the server or channel name, but you will not hear a sound. This works on both Windows and Mac.

Can I set different notification sounds for different servers?

Discord does not allow custom notification sounds for individual servers on Windows or Mac. You can only choose to turn sounds on or off globally, or mute specific servers entirely. If you need different sounds for different servers, that level of customization is not available in the standard Discord app.

Why do I still hear Discord sounds after turning them off?

Check your operating system's notification settings — Windows and Mac can override app-level controls. Also verify that you are not in a voice channel, where Discord may play different audio cues. If you have multiple Discord windows or accounts open, make sure you changed settings in the correct one.