How to Turn On and Off Do Not Disturb on Mac (macOS Sequoia Guide)

Turn on and Off Do Not Disturb on Mac to work peacefully without unwanted notifications. This feature mutes alerts without deleting them. You can choose which apps or people still contact you. It is helpful for work, study, or rest. 

Here, I will explain everything you need to know to enable, schedule, customize, and disable Do Not Disturb on your Mac easily.

What is Do Not Disturb on Mac

Do Not Disturb is a Focus Mode on Mac. It temporarily hides all notifications, banners, and sounds. The alerts are still saved in Notification Center for later viewing. You can check them anytime without interruptions during work or relaxation.

It works differently from turning off notifications completely. You can allow selected apps or contacts to reach you. With macOS Sequoia, it now has Apple Intelligence. This smart system decides which alerts are urgent. For example, important calendar events or time-sensitive reminders will still notify you.

Do Not Disturb is useful for work, study, leisure, and sleep. You can set it for certain times, locations, or apps. The setting can sync with your iPhone or iPad. Others can also see your Focus status, so they know you might not reply instantly.

If you also use an iPhone, you can check our guide on How to Manage Notifications on iOS to sync settings across devices

How to Turn On Do Not Disturb on Mac

Turn On from Control Center

1. Click the Control Center icon in the top-right menu bar.
2. Select the Focus section.
3. Choose Do Not Disturb and pick a duration like “For 1 hour” or “Until tomorrow morning.”

Turn On from Menu Bar

1. Click the Apple logo on the top-left corner.
2. Go to System Settings.
3. Open Control Center from the left panel.
4. Find Focus and select Always Show in Menu Bar.
5. Click the moon icon on the menu bar and choose Do Not Disturb.

Turn On Using Keyboard Shortcuts

• Press F6 to enable Do Not Disturb instantly.
• Hold Option and click the date and time area.
• To create your own shortcut:
  1. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts.
  2. Under Mission Control, enable Turn Do Not Disturb On/Off.
  3. Assign your preferred key combination.

Turn On Using Siri

Say, “Hey Siri, turn on Do Not Disturb.” Siri can also turn it on automatically during events like meetings. You just need to allow it the first time it asks.

How to Schedule Do Not Disturb on Mac

You can set Do Not Disturb to activate automatically based on time, location, or apps.

Schedule by Time

1. Open System Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb.
2. Click Add Schedule.
3. Choose a start and end time.
4. Select days for the schedule and save.

Schedule by Location

You can activate it when you arrive at certain places.

• Add a location like home or office.
• Set the radius for the location.
• Save the schedule.

Schedule by App

Some apps require complete attention.

• Select an app to trigger Do Not Disturb automatically when opened.
• Save the changes.

How to Customize Do Not Disturb on Mac

Enable Intelligent Silencing

macOS Sequoia can show only urgent alerts.

1. Go to System Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb.
2. Turn on Intelligent Breakthrough and Silencing.
3. Important alerts will appear with sound, while regular notifications stay muted.

Allow Notifications from Certain Apps

• Go to Allowed Apps.
• Click Add and choose the app.
• Repeat to add more apps.
• You can also enable Time-Sensitive Notifications for urgent updates.

Allow Notifications from Certain People

• Go to Allowed People.
• Click Add People and select contacts.
• You can allow calls from your Favorites list.

Add Focus Filters

Focus filters control what information you see during Do Not Disturb:

• Calendar: Choose which calendar events to show.
• Mail: Select which email account to display.
• Messages: Show messages only from allowed contacts.
• Safari: Choose profiles or tab groups for browsing.

Extra Ways to Use Do Not Disturb on Mac

• Shortcuts App: Create automation to start Do Not Disturb when watching Netflix or using specific programs.
• Work-Life Balance: Schedule it after work hours and end it in the morning.
• Sync Across Devices: Keep the same Do Not Disturb settings on your iPhone and iPad.

How to Turn Off Do Not Disturb on Mac

Turn Off Temporarily

• Click the moon icon in the Menu Bar and unselect Do Not Disturb.
• Press F6 to turn it off quickly.

Turn Off Scheduled DND

1. Open System Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb.
2. Find the active schedule.
3. Toggle it off or click Delete Schedule.
4. Confirm by selecting the Delete Schedule again.

Once turned off, all notifications, sounds, and banners will return to normal.

Troubleshooting Do Not Disturb on Mac

If Do Not Disturb is not working:

• Check all Focus and schedule settings.
• Update your Mac to the latest macOS version.
• Restart your Mac to fix temporary glitches.
• Turn off Share Across Devices to see if syncing is causing issues.

The Bottom Corner 

Turn on and Off Do Not Disturb on Mac to enjoy focused and distraction-free time. You can enable it quickly, schedule it smartly, and customize it for your needs. 

Use Intelligent Silencing to keep urgent alerts while muting others. When your task is done, turn it off and stay connected again. This way, your Mac supports your productivity and peace.