How to enable ‘Do Not Disturb’ to stop notifications on Windows 11

Windows 11 22H2 now has a Do Not Disturb feature to silence notifications while actively using the computer.

Windows 11 Do Not Disturb
Windows 11 Do Not Disturb
  • To turn off “Do Not Disturb” on Windows 11, open Settings > System > Notifications and turn on the “Do not disturb” toggle switch.
  • You can also turn off the “Do not disturb” toggle switch to re-enable the feature.
  • It’s also possible to enable the feature on schedule by clicking the “Turn on do not disturb automatically” setting and configuring the “During these times” setting.

Alongside all the new features and changes, Windows 11 22H2 also comes with “Do Not Disturb,” which makes it easier to silence notification banners on the desktop to help you concentrate without breaking your workflow.

You can also set up rules to automatically turn on Do Not Disturb in the Notifications settings, control priority, and more.

Technically, the feature isn’t new. It was previously known as “Focus assist,” but in version 22H2, Microsoft changed the name, tweaked the interface, and added new settings.

This guide will teach you the steps to turn on or off the Do Not Disturb feature on Windows 11.

Enable Do Not Disturb on Windows 11

The easiest way to enable Do Not Disturb is to use the “Windows key + N” keyboard shortcut to open Notification Center and click the “Bell” icon in the top-right corner. However, you can use the Settings app to enable, disable, and manage various aspects of the feature.

To enable Do Not Disturb on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on System.

  3. Click the Notifications tab.

  4. Turn on the “Do not disturb” toggle switch to stop distractions on Windows 11.

    Enable Do Not Disturb

Once you complete the steps, the system will silence all notification banners. However, all the alerts will continue to appear in Notification Center.

Schedule Do Not Disturb on Windows 11

To turn on or off Do Not Disturb automatically, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on System.

  3. Click the Notifications tab.

  4. Turn on the “Do not disturb” toggle switch.

  5. Click the “Turn on do not disturb automatically” setting.

  6. Check the During these times option.

  7. Set the on and off time to silence notifications.

    Automatic Do Not Disturb

  8. Choose the repeat setting.

After you complete the steps, the Do Not Disturb feature will enable and disable automatically, depending on your configuration.

In addition to setting up a schedule, you can decide whether to stop notifications banners at certain times, such as when duplicating the display, playing games or apps in full-screen mode, and for the first hours after a feature update installation.

Disable Do Not Disturb on Windows 11

To disable Do Not Disturb, use the “Windows key + N” keyboard shortcut to open Notifications Center and click the Bell icon in the top-right corner to turn off the feature.

To disable Do Not Disturb to resume getting notifications, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on System.

  3. Click the Notifications tab.

  4. Turn off the “Do not disturb” toggle switch to allow notifications on Windows 11.

    Disable Do Not Disturb

After you complete the steps, notifications and sounds will resume on Windows 11.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].