While you can completely disable notifications when presenting, it can be laborious to turn them off and back on again each time. Also, you may become busy and simply forget to re-enable your notifications which can result in missing an important one.
Instead, you can use the Focus or Do Not Disturb features available on both Windows and Mac to pause notifications.
To eliminate distractions (and even possible embarrassment), here’s how to stop receiving notifications during presentations on your computer.
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Use Focus Assist or Do Not Disturb on Windows
Depending on if you use Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can use Focus Assist or Do Not Disturb to manage notifications when you’re presenting. Windows also offers a Focus Session feature that integrates with the Clock application to silence alerts.
Focus Assist on Windows 10
To access the Focus Assist settings, follow these steps:
- Go to Start > Settings and choose System.
- Select Focus Assist on the left.
- On the right side, you can customize the Focus Assist options:some text
- At the top, you can pick Priority only or Alarms only to see only those notifications.
- Beneath, you can set a time frame for notifications to be disabled which is handy if you present at a certain time each day.
- You can also set automatic rules to silence notifications when you’re duplicating your display or using an app in full screen mode. These are the handiest options for when you’re presenting.
Do Not Disturb on Windows 11
To access the Do Not Disturb settings, follow these steps:
- Go to Start > Settings and choose System.
- Select Notifications on the left.
- Choose On for Do Not Disturb.
- You can also turn the feature on automatically to run at certain times.
Focus Sessions
On both Windows versions, you can take advantage of the built-in Focus Session feature for presentations as well. This tool turns off notifications and app alerts during the session.
- Go to Start > Clock.
- Select Focus sessions on the left.
- Set the timer for the amount of time you’re taking for your presentation.
- Click Start focus session to begin.
Tip: Learn how to add a timer to your presentation! We have how-tos for timers in both PowerPoint and Google Slides.
Use Do Not Disturb or Focus on Mac
If you’re a Mac user, you can take advantage of either Do Not Disturb or Focus. Do Not Disturb gives you a quick and easy way to silence notifications on macOS while Focus lets you create custom modes to allow only certain alerts when enabled.
Do Not Disturb
Open the Control Center in the menu bar and choose Focus. Select Do Not Disturb and pick how long you’d like the feature enabled.
You can also click Focus to turn on Do Not Disturb immediately for the default time which is convenient when you start presenting.
Focus
To set up a Focus mode instead or in addition to Do Not Disturb, select Focus Settings.
- You can then customize a preset Focus like Work or use Add Focus to create one from scratch specifically for presentation time.
- Choose which People or Apps you want to allow notifications from, if any.
- Optionally set a Schedule or create Filters.
Remember, you can quickly access your Focus modes in the Control Center, just like Do Not Disturb. And you can customize Do Not Disturb in the Focus Settings as well.
Pump up presentations with Plus AI
If you’re in the business of creating presentations regularly, you already know that it’s a time-consuming task. To speed up the preparation process and make your slideshows more engaging, consider using Plus AI.
With Plus, you can build presentations using PowerPoint or Google Slides. Just enter a descriptive prompt, upload a file, or paste in text and you’ll have a slideshow in minutes. And, you can choose from an attractive collection of templates for sprucing up your presentation.
Along with setting up new slideshows, you can use Plus AI to edit them too. Whether you want to add a new slide, rewrite content, or pick a different slide layout, Plus is an ideal presentation editing tool.
Ready to learn more? Visit the Plus website for a list of features, template gallery, and details on starting your free trial.
Conclusion
No matter what kind of notification you receive while you’re presenting a professional slideshow, it’s a distraction. And not just for you, but for your audience as well. Make sure you silence those alerts when you’re displaying your slides and speaking to your audience so you can all stay on track.
And remember that Plus AI for PowerPoint and Google Slides can help you prepare presentation slides and edit existing slideshows for optimal results.
FAQs
How do I stop Messages from popping up on my MacBook screen?
You can turn off notifications for Message altogether or stop showing a banner or alert. Go to System Settings > Notifications and choose Messages. To turn off notifications, disable to Allow notifications toggle or to stop the pop-up notification, choose None.
How do I get Windows notifications to stay on screen?
You can make your notifications stay on the screen for up to five minutes on Windows. Go to Settings > Ease of Access and use the drop-down box below Show notifications for to pick the timing.
How do I stop Teams notifications popping up on screen when presenting?
You can adjust a simple setting to stop notifications when you present in Microsoft Teams. Open the application, choose Settings and more (three dots), and pick Settings. Select Notifications and activity on the left and uncheck the box below Display for Show notifications during calls and meetings.
