Windows 11 features a “Do Not Disturb” system (previously known as Focus Assist) designed to silence notifications so you can concentrate. By default, Windows 11 sets up several Automatic Rules to govern this system. For example, it will automatically enable Do Not Disturb when you are playing a full-screen game, duplicating your display to a projector, or using a specific app.
While useful for presentations, these automatic rules can cause you to miss critical emails, Slack messages, or calendar reminders simply because you happened to make a YouTube video full-screen for five minutes. If you want to ensure you always receive your notifications, and only enter Do Not Disturb mode when you manually choose to do so, you can disable these automatic triggers.
How to Turn Off Automatic Do Not Disturb Rules in Windows 11
You can delete the automatic triggers directly from the System Notification settings.
- Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press Windows Key + I).
- In the left-hand navigation pane, ensure you are on the System tab.
- Click on Notifications at the top of the main window.
- Click on the Turn on do not disturb automatically section to expand its menu.
- You will see a list of checkboxes for various scenarios (e.g., “During these times,” “When duplicating my display,” “When playing a game,” “When using an app in full-screen mode”).
- Uncheck every single box in this list.
Windows 11 will no longer attempt to guess when you want peace and quiet. Your notifications will always appear in the corner of your screen regardless of whether you are gaming or projecting. If you ever want to silence your PC, you must now manually toggle Do Not Disturb on from the notification center in your taskbar.