How to turn off notifications in Windows 10

Windows 10 notifications driving you crazy? Here's how to get them under control

Notifications are the heart and soul of the Action Center in Windows 10, from the first version to the latest. but receiving a barrage of notifications isn’t always welcome. That’s especially true if you have multiple apps pushing out notifications every time anything happens. The good news is you can easily turn notifications on and off in Windows 10 Settings, so long as you’ve already received a notification from it.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to disable notifications for any installed app, as well as how to control the types of notifications you see.

TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS IN WINDOWS 10

Step 1: Open the Windows Settings menu by pressing the Windows Key and I or alternatively search for Settings in the Windows search bar and click the corresponding result.

Step 2: Click Notifications & Actions in the left-hand menu. This will take you to a screen providing access to all of the settings related to notifications and the Action Center.

Step 3: Click the System icon, then select Notifications and actions from the left-hand menu.

Step 4: The first section allows you to change quick actions or all the actions that appear in your action center, the control panel that Windows 10 provides for quick settings changes. These aren’t technically notifications, but you can choose to remove them to clear up space on your action center and keep only the abilities that you really use. To change what quick actions you see, select add or remove quick actions.

Step 5: Look for the Notifications subheading, where you will see a number of toggles for various types of notifications. The following is a list of the settings you can toggle on this screen:

• Get notifications from apps and other senders

• Show notifications on the lock screen

• Show alarms, reminders, and incoming VoIP calls on the lock screen

• Hide notifications when duplicating my screen

• Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows

Turn them off as you need. If you don’t want any, just make sure they are all toggled off. You’ll need to install the particular app you want to view notifications for if it’s not already built into your system, and you can receive a notification first before an app will show up in the list.

TEMPORARILY MUTE NOTIFICATIONS IN WINDOWS 10

If you want to hide notifications without turning them off entirely, you can always temporarily mute them using Focus Assist.

Step 1: Open up the Action Center by pressing on the Notification icon on the far right-hand side of the Windows taskbar, or by pressing the Windows key + A

Step 2: Click on the moon icon, to enable Focus Assist. This will hide all notifications by default between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.

Step 3: You can further customize by right-clicking on the moon icon and going to Settings. This will let you change times and priority levels for when you do and don’t want notifications enabled, be it during a more specific time or even when you’re playing a game.

BONUS TIP: HOW TO DISMISS NOTIFICATIONS

Notifications are a phenomenal tool for keeping up with the hustle and bustle of our digital lives. However, an excess of notifications — especially ones you’ve previously seen — can clutter the Action Center and prevent you from seeing important notifications as they arrive.

To dismiss individual notifications, click the Action Center icon located on the right-hand side of the Windows taskbar and mouse over the notification that you’d like to dismiss. Then, click the X button directly to the right of the notification. You can also swipe a notification to the right to dismiss it quickly with either touch or by clicking and dragging with the mouse.

You can dismiss all of the notifications for a given app by clicking on the X button to the right of the app group listing. You can also click Clear all to close every notification for all apps.

Note: In the spirit of being better connected, Windows 10 notifications will dismiss on other Windows devices when you dismiss them in the Action Center on your desktop.

IN-DEPTH: HOW TO CUSTOMIZE NOTIFICATIONS FOR EACH APP

In Windows 10, you can choose to view or hear a combination of banner notifications, which comprise a pop-up in the lower-right corner of your display and sounds. You can also configure various apps to only show notifications within the Action Center, with no other indication on arrival. A number of notification options are available for each app that supports them.

To access these settings, open the Notifications section in Settings, as before. Scroll down and click the name of the particular app you want to adjust the notifications to access a more advanced notification menu. Then simply toggle on and off whichever preferences you choose, whether you want to receive banner notifications, sounds, or neither. Here are the settings you can configure for most app’s notifications:

• Turn notifications on or off

• Turn notification banners — the boxes that show up for each notification and then disappear — on or off

• Determine whether to keep notifications private on the lock screen

• Turn notifications on or off in the Action Center

• Determine whether a sound plays for that app’s notifications

• Indicate how many notifications are visible in the Action Center before the drop-down show more menu appears — either one, three, five, 10, or 20 notifications

• Determine the priority of notifications, allowing an app’s notifications to show up on top of other less-important app notifications