do_not_disturb_mac_mode.md

Yes — Do Not Disturb (DND) on macOS prevents notifications from popping up for almost all apps, but with a few important nuances.

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What DND does block

When DND is ON:

• ❌ No notification banners or alerts
• ❌ No notification sounds
• ❌ No lock-screen notifications
• ❌ No pop-ups stealing focus

This applies to nearly all apps: Mail, Slack, Teams, Messages, Calendar, browsers, etc.

Notifications are still delivered silently to Notification Center so you can review them later.

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What DND does not block (important)

Depending on your settings, these may still get through:

1. Allowed notifications

   • Contacts or apps you explicitly allow
   • Repeated calls (if enabled)
   • Emergency alerts

2. Critical Alerts

   • Some system or health alerts (rare)
   • Must be explicitly granted by the app

3. Scheduled Focus rules

   • If you’re using a Focus mode (Work, Personal, etc.), its rules apply

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DND vs Focus modes (macOS terminology)

On newer macOS versions:

• Do Not Disturb is just a Focus mode

• Focus modes can:

  • Allow specific apps/people
  • Filter notifications by time/location
  • Sync across devices

So behavior depends on how your Focus is configured.

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How to make it block everything

To silence all pop-ups:

1. Open System Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb

2. Set:

   • Allow Notifications From: No one
   • Allow Time Sensitive Notifications: OFF
   • Allow Repeated Calls: OFF

3. Turn DND ON

This is the “hard mute” setting.

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Quick toggle

• Control Center (top-right) → Focus → Do Not Disturb
• Or set a keyboard shortcut in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Focus

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TL;DR

• ✅ Yes, DND stops notification pop-ups
• 🔕 Notifications are still delivered silently
• ⚠️ Some alerts can bypass if allowed
• 🔧 You can configure DND to block everything

If you want, tell me:

• macOS version
• whether you want per-app exceptions
• or a one-click “deep focus” setup

I can walk you through the exact settings.