How to Turn Off Do Not Disturb on a Mac

Managing Focus Modes in macOS

In an effort to help users concentrate during the workday, Apple introduced Focus Modes to macOS. These modes act as an advanced, customisable version of the traditional “Do Not Disturb” feature. When activated, they silence incoming notifications, hide specific applications, and stop your computer from pinging every time you receive an email or an iMessage.

While incredibly useful for deep work, Do Not Disturb can also be a significant source of frustration. It is very easy to accidentally activate the feature using a keyboard shortcut or by accidentally clicking the menu bar. Because Focus Modes automatically synchronise across all your Apple devices via iCloud, turning on Do Not Disturb on your iPhone will silently activate it on your Mac as well. If you are wondering why you are missing important Slack messages or calendar reminders, a forgotten Do Not Disturb setting is almost always the culprit.

If you need to restore your notifications, you can quickly turn off Do Not Disturb directly from the macOS menu bar.

How to Turn Off Do Not Disturb (macOS Ventura and Newer)

If your Mac is running a modern version of macOS (such as Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia), the control centre is the fastest way to manage your notifications.

1. Look at the top-right corner of your screen, in the menu bar next to the clock.
2. Click the Control Centre icon (it looks like two small toggle switches).
3. In the Control Centre drop-down menu, look for the section labelled Focus or Do Not Disturb. If it is currently active, the icon will be highlighted in blue or purple (usually displaying a crescent moon icon).
4. Click anywhere on the highlighted button to instantly turn it off.
5. The icon will turn grey, and the crescent moon symbol will disappear from your main menu bar. All your notifications will immediately resume.

How to Stop Do Not Disturb from Turning On Automatically

If you keep turning Do Not Disturb off, only to find it mysteriously activated again the next day, it is likely running on an automated schedule. macOS allows you to set Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically during specific hours (such as from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM) or when you open specific applications.

Here is how to find and delete those automated schedules:

1. Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your menu bar.
2. Select System Settings.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Focus.
4. On the right side of the window, you will see a list of all your available Focus modes. Click on Do Not Disturb (or whichever mode is causing the issue).
5. Scroll down to the section labelled Set a Schedule.
6. You will see a list of triggers (e.g., “From 22:00 to 07:00” or “When using [App Name]”).
7. Click on the schedule you wish to remove.
8. A small window will pop up. Click the Delete Schedule button in the bottom-left corner.

Your Mac will no longer silence your notifications automatically based on the time of day.

How to Stop Your iPhone from Controlling Your Mac

As mentioned earlier, the most common reason users experience unexpected notification silencing on their Mac is because they activated Do Not Disturb on their iPhone or Apple Watch. By default, Apple links these devices together under a feature called “Share Across Devices.”

If you want to be able to silence your iPhone while leaving your Mac’s notifications active, you must sever this link.

1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
2. Click on Focus in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Look near the bottom of the right-hand window for a toggle switch labelled Share across devices.
4. Click the toggle to turn it Off (it will turn grey).

From now on, activating Do Not Disturb on your iPhone will only affect your iPhone. Your Mac will remain entirely independent, ensuring you never miss a desktop notification just because you put your phone on silent.