How to Turn On Do Not Disturb on Mac

Follow these steps to turn on Do Not Disturb on a Mac:

1. Click on the Control Center icon in the menu bar.
2. Find the Do Not Disturb feature and click on the arrow inside it.
3. Now set your Do Not Disturb preferences by choosing the amount of time you want to enjoy uninterrupted.

What is Do Not Disturb on Mac?

The Do Not Disturb feature on Mac helps you manage notifications that may interrupt you while you work or focus on an important task. It temporarily silences notifications, banners, and alerts without disconnecting from apps or networks. You can always access these messages later in the Notification Center.

A note from our experts: 

 

Do Not Disturb temporarily pauses system and app notifications (like third-party app banners, Mail, and Calendar alerts). But it doesn’t block push notifications or pop-up ads in your browser. That’s where MacKeeper’s StopAd comes in. It reduces disturbances by blocking annoying trackers that lead to spam messages and ads, improving your Mac experience.

 

Follow the steps below to manage website pop-ups with MacKeeper’s StopAd tool:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your MacBook Pro or Air computer or laptop.
2. Choose the StopAd option from the sidebar.
3. Pick a browser between Chrome and Safari and hit the Install or Enable button.

Also, we’re proud to say that StopAd is a great tool if you want to stop Chrome notifications that can be distracting when you’re busy. Use it alongside Do Not Disturb to disable browser alerts that can disturb your browsing experience and disrupt your workflow.

How to put Mac on Do Not Disturb

Mac’s Do Not Disturb (DND) feature is available whenever you need it. Depending on your macOS version, you can access it via the Control Center, in System Preferences, or by customizing your DND settings.

1. Using Control Center

When we want to quickly silence all notifications, we enable Do Not Disturb on Mac from the Control Center menu in macOS Big Sur and newer macOS versions.

Here’s how to switch on Do Not Disturb on Mac via the Control Center:

1. Click on the Control Center icon in the menu bar, followed by Do Not Disturb.
2. Set the amount of time you want notifications to be muted.

A tip from our team: 

 

If you’re using macOS Ventura or later, you’ll notice that Do Not Disturb falls under Focus Mode. Mac’s Focus Mode minimizes distractions by allowing you to manage which apps and contacts can reach you while you’re busy, giving you more granular control over app notifications than Do Not Disturb. Find out where Control Center is on Mac, so you can access Focus mode and other handy features within seconds.

2. Enabling via System Preferences

When overwhelmed with a lot of system or app notifications, we like to quickly disable them using Focus mode in System Settings (or System Preferences).

To activate Do Not Disturb on Mac via System Settings, do this:

1. Click on the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and select System Settings.
2. Choose the Focus option from the sidebar, head to Set a Schedule > Add Schedule, and choose the times when you want to be undisturbed.

A productivity lifehack from us: If you have specific preferences for different scenarios, you can create multiple Focus profiles for each one—like Deep Focus, Work, and Sleep. Each Focus mode can be customized uniquely, like deciding who can reach out to you and activating when specific conditions are met, like connecting to the Wi-Fi at your workplace.

3. Customizing your DND settings

Thanks to DND being customizable on a Mac, we can set rules like who can call us and whether to allow repeated call alerts, giving us full control over how we receive notifications.  

Here’s how to personalize your DND settings on your Mac:

1. Select Do Not Disturb from the Control Center and choose Notifications Preferences. This will open the Notifications window in System Preferences.
2. Customize your settings by selecting the appropriate options.

How to schedule automatic Do Not Disturb mode on Mac

Here’s how to set a schedule to enable DND:

1. Select Do Not Disturb in the Control Center.
2. Pick a schedule from the listed options.

Did you know you can sync your Do Not Disturb settings with your iPhone or iPad? Apple allows you to standardize your DND settings across all your devices, provided you use the same iCloud account. Simply choose the option to Share Across Devices in your Focus settings, and you’re good to go.

Stay focused with Do Not Disturb on a Mac

Whether you need a few hours of deep work or want to enjoy a good movie undisturbed, you can enable Mac’s Do Not Disturb on Mac for some peace of mind. Simply enable it via the Control Center, System Settings (or Preferences), or customize it for full control.

But your job isn’t done until you’ve limited pop-up ads. MacKeeper’s StopAd tool significantly reduces the number of ads you receive in your browser, limiting annoying ads and trackers that dampen your browsing experience.

For more expert guides like this, follow our blog for fresh advice. We encourage you to check out how to turn off iMessage on Mac, as this article also relates to resolving your pain of being snowed under multiple notifications on your Apple laptop. Practice healthy cyber hygiene habits and enjoy mindfulness!