Delete notifications one at a time or clear them all at once

You can remove notifications from your iPhone in two ways: swipe left on a single notification to delete it, or open the Notification Center and tap "Clear" to remove all notifications at once. The Notification Center is the list that appears when you swipe down from the top of your screen. Neither action stops future notifications from that app — it only removes the ones already there.

If you want to stop an app from sending notifications entirely, that requires a separate step in Settings. Deleting a notification and turning off notifications for an app are different things, and this guide covers both.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe left on any notification in your Notification Center and tap the trash icon to delete it individually.
  • Tap "Clear" at the top right of your Notification Center to delete all notifications at once.
  • Deleting a notification does not stop that app from sending more notifications in the future.
  • To prevent an app from sending notifications, go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle off "Allow Notifications".
  • You can customize which notifications appear on your lock screen, in your Notification Center, or as banners without deleting them.

Swipe left to delete one notification

Open your Notification Center by swiping down from the top of your screen. Find the notification you want to remove. Press and hold on it, or swipe left across it — the notification will reveal a trash icon on the right side.

Tap the trash icon. The notification disappears immediately. This works for notifications from any app, including Messages, Mail, Calendar, and third-party apps like social media or news services.

If you swipe left but do not see the trash icon right away, swipe a bit further to the left. On some notifications, you may need to swipe more deliberately.

Clear all notifications at once

Open your Notification Center by swiping down from the top of your screen. Look at the top right corner — you will see the word "Clear" in blue text. Tap it.

All notifications in your Notification Center will disappear. This removes everything that has accumulated since the last time you cleared them, regardless of which apps sent them. The action cannot be undone, so use this only when you are sure you do not need to see any of those notifications again.

If you have multiple notification groups (for example, separate sections for Messages and Mail), tapping "Clear" removes all of them at once.

Turn off notifications from a specific app

Deleting a notification removes it from your screen, but the app will keep sending new ones. To stop notifications from an app entirely, open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down and find the app whose notifications you want to turn off.

Tap the app name. At the top of the screen, you will see "Allow Notifications" with a toggle switch next to it. If the toggle is green, notifications are on. Tap it to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, and that app will no longer send notifications to your phone.

You can turn notifications back on the same way — go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle "Allow Notifications" back on.

Customize where notifications appear without deleting them

Instead of deleting notifications or turning them off completely, you can change where they show up. Go to Settings > Notifications and select an app. You will see options for "Lock Screen", "Notification Center", and "Banners".

Toggle each one on or off depending on where you want to see that app's notifications. For example, you might want Messages to appear on your lock screen and as a banner, but not in your Notification Center. Or you might want Mail notifications only in your Notification Center, not interrupting you with a banner.

This approach keeps notifications available without cluttering your screen or interrupting you as often.

Manage notification badges and sounds

A red badge with a number on an app icon shows how many unread notifications you have. You can turn off badges for specific apps in Settings > Notifications. Find the app, scroll down, and toggle off "Badges".

You can also control whether an app makes a sound when it sends a notification. In the same app's notification settings, look for "Sounds and Haptics" and toggle it off if you want silent notifications. This is useful for apps you want to keep track of without hearing a sound every time.

What happens when you delete a notification

Deleting a notification removes it from your Notification Center and lock screen, but it does not affect the app itself. If someone sends you a message, deleting the notification does not delete the message — it only removes the alert telling you about it.

The app's own data remains unchanged. You can still open the app and see all your messages, emails, calendar events, or whatever the notification was about. Deleting the notification is purely about clearing your screen, not about losing information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete notifications from the lock screen?

Yes. Press and hold on a notification on your lock screen, then swipe left. Tap the trash icon to delete it. You can also swipe up on the notification to dismiss it temporarily, but swiping left and tapping trash removes it completely.

If I delete a notification, will the sender know?

No. Deleting a notification is something only you see on your phone. The person who sent you a message, email, or other alert has no way of knowing whether you deleted the notification.

How do I stop notifications from waking my screen at night?

Go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and look for "Time Sensitive Notifications" or "Critical Alerts". Toggle these off. You can also use Focus modes — go to Settings > Focus and create a custom Focus that silences notifications during specific hours.

Will clearing all notifications delete my messages or emails?

No. Clearing notifications only removes the alerts from your Notification Center. All your actual messages, emails, and other data stay in their apps. You can still read everything by opening the app itself.

Can I delete notifications from multiple apps at once?

You can clear all notifications at once by tapping "Clear" in your Notification Center, but you cannot select specific apps to clear while leaving others. If you want to delete notifications from only certain apps, you will need to swipe left on each one individually or clear everything and accept that.