Manage notifications in Microsoft 365
Notifications help you stay on top of your tasks and communicate with your team. However, too many notifications can cause unnecessary distractions and even stress.
This page explains how you can personalise several of your Microsoft 365 notification settings.
How to manage notifications in Microsoft Teams
Managing notifications in Microsoft Teams allows you to customize how and when you receive notifications for various activities such as mentions, meetings, calls, etc.
You can manage your Desktop notifications by selecting the ellipses (…) in the top right of Teams > Settings > Notifications.
You can manage your mobile notifications by selecting your Profile image > Notifications.
For more information on managing notifications in Teams, including how to change your mobile app settings, visit Microsoft’s ‘Manage notifications in Teams’ webpage. Alternatively, you can watch their video guide on YouTube.
What is ‘Quiet time’ in Microsoft Teams?
Quiet time is a feature available only on the mobile application of Microsoft Teams that allows you to specify the hours and days you want to be notified of new messages. This feature aids work / life balance by preventing work notification interrupting you during non-work hours.
You can manage your quiet time settings in the Microsoft Teams application by selecting your Profile image > Notifications > During quiet time. For more information on Notifications in Teams, watch Microsoft’s How to manage Teams mobile app notifications video.
How can I change my notification settings in Windows 11?
Beyond Microsoft Teams, Windows 11 allows you to manage notifications at an operating system level, meaning users can configure which notifications from all applications are displayed.
You can change your notification settings at any time from the Settings app by selecting Start > Settings > System > Notifications. For more information, visit Microsoft’s Change notification settings in Windows webpage.
What is ‘Focus’ in Windows 11?
Focus is Windows 11 feature that simplifies the process of disabling non-critical notifications. This is useful when completing intensive tasks that require sustained concentration.
You can start a focus session by clicking the Notification Centre – for most users, this is the time and date at the bottom right of the screen. Then, set the amount of time for your focus session and select Focus to begin.
For more ways to use focus, including personalising which notifications are allowed and which are disabled, visit Microsoft’s How to use focus in Windows 11 webpage.
If you use a Mac, Apple has introduced a similar Focus feature – visit the Turn a Focus on or off on Mac for more information.