MAC
How to hide notification previews on a Mac
Real screenshot · MacBook Pro, macOS 26In short
Open System Settings, click Notifications, and set Show previews to Never, or to When Unlocked. The menu decides when previews are shown: Always, When Unlocked or Never.
It is a strange feeling when a message pops up in the corner and the person walking past your desk reads it before you do. Apple explains that a preview shows in the notification itself: if you receive an email, a preview of the email is shown in the Mail notification. The good news is that the Show previews menu decides when they are shown at all.
The screenshots show System Settings on macOS Tahoe 26.
4 of 4 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Pro.
Steps
- 1
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.
- 2
Click Notifications in the sidebar
Notifications is in the group with Sound and Focus.
- 3
Set Show previews
It is the first row under Notification Center. In the picture it is set to When Unlocked.
- 4
Decide about the locked and sleeping screen
Two switches below it allow or stop notifications when the display is sleeping and when the screen is locked. Both are on in the picture.
If you do not see this option
- There is a Summarize notifications switch Apple says this switch appears when Apple Intelligence is turned on. Source: Change Notifications settings on Mac
- Show previews already reads When Unlocked That is how it was set on our Mac. Choose Never to hide previews all the time.
If this does not work
- Notifications still show on the locked screen Apple says to switch off when screen is locked under Notification Center.
- Notifications appear while you present Apple says to choose Notifications Off for when mirroring or sharing the display. It was already set that way on our Mac.
- Someone at your desk still sees messages? Apple says When Unlocked shows previews only when you're logged in to your user account. Choose Never, and previews are never shown.
- One app still shows too much? Each app has its own entry in Notifications settings. Apple says you can turn Allow notifications off for an app, which stops its notifications altogether.
- Notifications stopped arriving at all? Check whether a Focus is on. Apple says a Focus can pause and silence all notifications or allow only certain ones.
Good to know
During a presentation: the last row of the group, when mirroring or sharing the display, is set to Notifications Off in the picture. Apple explains that others then cannot see your notifications while you present.
To switch notifications off for single apps: how to turn off notifications on a Mac.
With Never, Apple says previews are never shown. To show previews again, set the menu back to Always or When Unlocked.
Hidden previews only help if the screen itself is protected. A quick lock keeps the whole desktop private: how to lock the screen on a Mac.
About this guide
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro)
- App
- System Settings
- Path
- System Settings › Notifications › Show previews: Never
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 3 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
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