How to Control Notifications with Focus in Windows 11 and 10

Windows notifications keep interrupting you while you work, study, or present from your laptop. Start with Do not disturb to quiet them immediately.

Fix #1: Turn on Do not disturb in Windows 11

1. Open Start > Settings > System > Notifications. You should see Do not disturb near the top of the page.
2. Turn on Do not disturb. Ordinary notification banners stop appearing; allowed priority alerts can still appear. Muted notifications remain in Notification Center. To receive banners again, switch Do not disturb off on this page.
3. Open the priority notification settings and choose which calls, reminders, or apps can still interrupt you. The available exceptions will appear there.

For regular quiet hours, set an automatic schedule on the same Notifications page. Check its rules if Do not disturb turns on when you didn’t expect it.

Fix #2: Start a timed Focus session in Windows 11

Use Focus when you want a defined work period instead of an ongoing notification schedule.

1. Open Start > Settings > System > Focus. You should see the session-length control.
2. Set how long you want to focus. The selected duration will appear on the page.
3. Select Start focus session. Your session timer begins. To end it early, return to Settings > System > Focus and select Stop focus session. If Do not disturb was already on before the session, turn it off separately when you want alerts again.

Fix #3: Turn off notifications from one app

If one app keeps breaking your concentration, change its notification settings directly.

1. Open Start > Settings > System > Notifications. Your apps should appear below the main notification controls.
2. Select the noisy app. Its banner and sound options should appear.
3. Turn off the alerts you don’t want. You can leave other apps’ notifications on.

If Microsoft Teams or a website is still interrupting you, check its own notification settings too.

Windows 10 Focus assist

Windows 10 calls its notification filter Focus assist. It still works on Windows 10 version 22H2, but standard Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Extended Security Updates are a separate enrollment option for eligible devices, not a continuation of ordinary support. Plan an upgrade to Windows 11 if your PC supports it.

Fix #4: Switch Focus assist on quickly

1. Press Windows + A to open Action Center. Its quick actions should appear.
2. Select Expand if you don’t see Focus assist. More quick actions should appear.
3. Select Focus assist to cycle through Off, Priority only, and Alarms only. The tile should show the selected mode.

Priority only allows notifications from your priority list. Alarms only suppresses ordinary notifications while allowing alarms.

Fix #5: Choose which notifications get through

1. Open Start and search for Focus assist. You should see its system settings result.

2. Open that result. The Focus assist page should show Off, Priority only, and Alarms only.

3. Select Priority only. The priority-list option should be available.
4. Select Customize your priority list and choose the people or apps allowed to interrupt you. Your selections should appear on the list.

Fix #6: Set or stop automatic Focus assist rules

Focus assist can turn on during scheduled hours, games, full-screen apps, or presentations. That last rule is useful when you’re duplicating your display for a presentation.

1. Open Start > Settings > System > Focus assist. You should see Automatic rules below the mode choices.
2. Select a rule you want to change. Its schedule or activity options should appear.
3. Set the rule’s mode, or turn the rule off. The Automatic rules list should reflect your choice.

If you don’t want a recap afterward, turn off Show me a summary of what I missed while Focus assist was on on the same page.

Conclusion

For Windows 11, Do not disturb is the quickest fix for unwanted notification banners. If one app still interrupts you, change that app’s notification settings; on Windows 10, check the Automatic rules when Focus assist turns on by itself.