Windows · Display & Sound
Manage Focus Assist
Focus Assist (formerly Quiet Hours) automatically silences notification banners and sounds so alerts don't interrupt you during focused work, gaming, or presentations. You can trigger it manually or set automatic rules for specific times, duplicated displays, or full-screen games, and choose whether only alarms or also priority contacts still get through.
How to open Focus Assist
- Open Settings → System → Focus assist.
- Choose Off, Priority only, or Alarms only.
- Click 'Customize your priority list' to add apps and contacts.
- Scroll to 'Automatic rules' and enable the ones that fit your schedule.
What you should know
- Choose between 'Priority only' (lets selected apps/contacts through) or 'Alarms only' (blocks everything else).
- Build a priority list of specific apps, and optionally specific contacts for calls and texts.
- Set automatic rules for time windows, duplicate display detection, or full-screen games.
- Missed notifications are still logged and appear in Notification Center once Focus Assist turns off.
Turning Focus Assist on manually from Quick Settings (Win+A) overrides your automatic rules until you turn it off yourself, so a manually enabled session doesn't end just because a scheduled rule's time window passes.
Why it matters
Focus Assist is the difference between deep, uninterrupted work and constantly glancing at banner popups from chat apps, games, and background software. Because it can trigger automatically based on real signals like a presentation (duplicated display) or a full-screen game, you don't have to remember to turn it on before every meeting. For anyone who works from a laptop that also handles personal chat apps, it's the cleanest way to keep an important calendar reminder visible while muting everything else. Left unconfigured, most people either get too many interruptions or accidentally silence something they actually needed to see.
Best practices
- Add your calendar and video-calling apps to the priority list so meeting reminders always break through.
- Turn on the 'When I'm playing a game' automatic rule if you use a PC for gaming, since full-screen games generate the most interruption-prone notification spam.
- Set a recurring automatic rule for standard working hours rather than remembering to toggle Focus Assist manually every morning.
- Review your priority list after installing new communication apps, since new apps default to not being on it.
Common problems and fixes
- An important call or reminder was silenced during Focus Assist.
- Add that specific app or contact to the priority list under 'Customize your priority list' so it always gets through regardless of the active rule.
- Focus Assist won't turn off automatically after a scheduled meeting ends.
- Check whether it was enabled manually from Quick Settings; manual activation stays on until you turn it off yourself, independent of any automatic rule's end time.
- The 'When I'm playing a game' rule never seems to trigger.
- Confirm the game is actually running in true full-screen (not borderless windowed) mode, since Windows detects this rule based on full-screen exclusive mode.
Tips and tricks
- Open Quick Settings with Win+A for a one-click toggle between Off, Priority only, and Alarms only without opening the full Settings app.
- Combine the 'duplicate my display' automatic rule with presentation software so Focus Assist turns on the moment you start screen-sharing.
Frequently asked questions
Does Focus Assist block sound as well as visual notifications?
Yes, both the banner and the notification sound are suppressed for anything not on your priority list or set to Alarms only.
Will I lose notifications permanently while Focus Assist is on?
No, they're stored and shown in a summary in Notification Center as soon as Focus Assist turns off, so nothing is deleted.
Can I let just one specific contact's calls through during Focus Assist?
Yes, under 'Customize your priority list' you can add specific contacts so their calls and texts still notify you even on Priority only mode.
Related settings
- NotificationsNotification settings let you control which apps can send alerts, how they appear, and when Do Not Disturb (Focus Assist) is active to reduce interruptions.
- Sound SettingsSound Settings allow you to select input and output devices, adjust volume levels per app, and troubleshoot audio issues such as no sound or distorted playback.
- Display SettingsDisplay settings allow you to adjust screen resolution, brightness, scaling, and multiple monitor configurations. Proper display configuration improves visual clarity and productivity.
More Display & Sound guides for Windows
- Game ModeGame Mode prioritizes system resources for the game you're actively playing, preventing Windows Update from installing updates or restarting the PC mid-session, and reducing background activity that could interrupt gameplay. It's a single toggle designed to squeeze more consistent performance out of the same hardware during full-screen gaming.
- Night LightNight light shifts your display's color temperature to warmer tones at scheduled times, reducing blue light exposure that can interfere with sleep and cause eye strain in the evening.
- HDR SettingsHDR settings let you turn on high dynamic range on a supported display, adjust HDR brightness balance, and stream HDR video content for a wider range of colors and contrast.
- Volume MixerVolume mixer lets you control the output volume of individual running apps independently, and assign specific apps to different output or input devices.
- Advanced Display SettingsAdvanced display settings show detailed information about each connected display, including exact resolution, refresh rate, bit depth, and color format, with options to change them individually.
- Multiple DisplaysMultiple displays settings let you arrange, extend, duplicate, or switch between several connected monitors, and configure how your desktop spans across them.