Where to find notification settings on your Mac
Notifications on your Mac live in System Settings, not scattered across different menus. Open System Settings by clicking the Apple menu in the top-left corner, then select "System Settings" from the dropdown. Once inside, look for "Notifications" in the left sidebar — it's usually near the top of the list.
When you click Notifications, you'll see a list of every app that sends you alerts. This is where you control what pops up on your screen, what sounds play, and what appears in your notification center. Each app has its own settings, so you can turn off notifications from Mail but keep them on for Messages, for example.
Key Takeaways
- Open System Settings, click Notifications in the left sidebar, and you'll see every app that sends alerts to your Mac.
- Turn off notifications for a single app by clicking its name and toggling "Allow notifications" to off.
- You can keep notifications on but silence the sound, remove the banner, or send alerts only to your notification center instead of your screen.
- Focus modes let you pause all notifications during specific times or activities without changing individual app settings.
- If an app doesn't appear in the Notifications list, it either doesn't send notifications or hasn't been launched yet.
Turn off notifications for a single app
Click the app name in the Notifications list — for example, "Mail" or "Slack" — and you'll see its notification options. At the top, you'll see a toggle for "Allow notifications." Click it to turn it off. That app will stop sending you alerts immediately.
If you want to keep notifications on but change how they appear, leave "Allow notifications" toggled on and adjust the options below it. You can turn off the sound, hide the banner that pops up on your screen, or send notifications only to your notification center (the panel that slides in from the right side when you click the time in the top-right corner).
Turn off all notifications at once with Focus modes
If you want to silence everything without changing individual app settings, use Focus modes. These are built-in profiles that pause notifications during specific times or activities. Click "Focus" in the System Settings sidebar — it's just below Notifications — and you'll see options like "Do Not Disturb," "Work," "Personal," and "Sleep."
Click any Focus mode and toggle it on. Your Mac will stop showing notifications while that mode is active. You can set a Focus mode to turn on automatically at a certain time, when you open a specific app, or when you connect to a particular Wi-Fi network. For example, you could set "Sleep" to turn on automatically at 10 p.m. and turn off at 7 a.m., so you don't get woken by alerts.
Apps that don't appear in the Notifications list
If you're looking for an app in the Notifications list and it's not there, the app either doesn't send notifications or hasn't been launched yet. Some older or simpler apps don't use the notification system at all. Others won't show up in the list until you've opened them at least once.
If you've opened an app and it still doesn't appear, launch it again and check back. The app should show up in the Notifications list within a few seconds. If it never appears, that app simply doesn't have notifications to control.
Control how notifications look and sound
Below the "Allow notifications" toggle, you'll find options to change the notification style. "Banners" are the alerts that slide down from the top of your screen and disappear after a few seconds. "Alerts" stay on your screen until you click them. "None" sends notifications only to your notification center, where they sit until you dismiss them.
You can also turn off the sound that plays when a notification arrives, turn off the notification badge (the red number that appears on the app icon), and control whether notifications appear on your lock screen. These settings let you keep notifications without the interruption — useful if you want to check them later but don't want constant alerts.
Notifications from websites and calendar invites
Websites can send notifications too, usually through your web browser. If you're getting alerts from websites, open your browser settings instead of System Settings. In Safari, go to Safari menu > Settings > Websites > Notifications, and you'll see a list of sites that have asked for permission. Click any site and change its setting from "Allow" to "Deny."
Calendar invites work differently — they're controlled through the Calendar app itself, not System Settings. Open Calendar, go to Calendar menu > Settings, click the "Notifications" tab, and adjust when you want to be reminded about events. You can set reminders for 15 minutes before, one hour before, or any interval you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off notifications stop the app from working?
No. Turning off notifications only stops the alerts. The app itself runs normally and does everything it's supposed to do. You just won't see pop-ups or hear sounds when something happens in that app.
Can I turn off notifications for just one contact in Messages?
Not directly through System Settings. You can mute a conversation in Messages itself by opening the conversation, clicking the info icon in the top-right, and toggling "Hide Alerts" on. That conversation will stay muted until you turn it back off.
What's the difference between a banner and an alert?
A banner slides down from the top of your screen and disappears after a few seconds, so it doesn't interrupt your work. An alert stays on your screen until you click it, which forces you to respond. Choose banners if you want to notice notifications without being interrupted, or alerts if you want to make sure you see them.
Can I schedule notifications to turn off at night automatically?
Yes, use the Sleep Focus mode. Open System Settings > Focus, click "Sleep," and toggle it on. Then scroll down to "Turn on automatically" and set a schedule — for example, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Your Mac will pause notifications during those hours.
Why am I still getting notifications after I turned them off?
Check that you toggled off the right app — the list is long and easy to scroll past. Also check if a Focus mode is on; if it is, notifications are paused but not permanently turned off. If you're getting notifications from a website, you'll need to change the setting in your browser, not in System Settings.