How to use Do not disturb and Focus on Windows 11

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Do not disturb holds back notification banners and sounds, so they collect quietly in the notification center. A focus session adds a timer and also stops taskbar icons from flashing. Both are meant for work that needs concentration, presentations and games.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams, not screenshots.

Step by step

1. Turn on Do not disturb

   Open the notification center with a click on the clock or with Windows + N. Click the bell icon with zZ at the top. Click it again to switch it off.

   Done

2. Start a focus session

   In the same panel, set the number of minutes with the plus and minus buttons and click Focus. You can also start one under Settings, System, Focus, Start focus session, or in the Clock app under Focus sessions.

   Done

3. Know what a session changes

   A timer appears on the screen, Do not disturb switches on, and the flashing and the badges of apps on the taskbar are turned off. When the time is up, Windows tells you. You can end the session early.

   Done

4. Let Windows switch it on by itself

   Open Settings, System, Notifications and expand Turn on do not disturb automatically. Choose from: during certain times, when duplicating your display, when playing a game, when using an app in full screen, and for the first hour after a Windows feature update.

   Done

5. Let important things through

   On the same page, open Set priority notifications. Tick calls and reminders if they should still appear, and click Add apps for apps whose notifications are always allowed.

   Done

6. Adjust what a session does

   Under Settings, System, Focus you choose the default length and whether the timer, the badges, the flashing and Do not disturb are part of a session.

   Done

Good to know

Notifications are not lost. They wait in the notification center.

To silence one noisy app for good, use the app list under Settings, System, Notifications: how to turn off notifications on Windows 11.

The Clock app can link a focus session to a task list in Microsoft To Do and to music.

The same idea on a Mac: how to use Focus and Do Not Disturb on a Mac.

In short: Windows + N, bell icon with zZ for Do not disturb, minutes and Focus for a session. Automatic rules and priority apps under Settings, System, Notifications.