How do I open focus settings?

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and choose "System Settings." Click "Focus" in the left sidebar. You will see the built-in Focus modes listed: Do Not Disturb, Personal, Work, Sleep, and others. Click a Focus to customize it, or click the "+" button to create a new one.

How do I choose which apps can notify you?

Click a Focus mode — for example, "Work." Click "Apps" under "Allowed Notifications." Click "Add Apps" and check off the apps that should be allowed to send you notifications during this focus. Leave out social media, games, and news apps to reduce distractions. All other apps will be silenced.

How do I choose which people can reach you?

In the same Focus settings, click "People." Click "Add People" and select contacts who should always be able to reach you during this focus — family members, close colleagues, or your doctor. Anyone not on the list will be silenced.

How do I set up automatic activation?

Click "Add Schedule" at the bottom of the Focus settings page. You can choose "Time" to set specific hours and days — for example, 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday. You can also choose "Location" (activates at a specific address) or "App" (activates when you open a particular app).

How do I turn a focus on or off manually?

Click the Control Center icon in the top-right corner of the menu bar (it looks like two sliders). Click "Focus" and then click the Focus you want to activate. A checkmark appears when it is on. Click it again to turn it off. You can also turn it off automatically with a timer by clicking "For an hour" or "Until this evening."

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Focus modes on Mac let you control which notifications you see — and when you see them. Instead of every app interrupting you with a banner throughout the day, you can set up a "Work" focus that only allows important notifications during work hours, or a "Sleep" focus that silences everything at night.

Focus modes were introduced in macOS Monterey and work across all Apple devices. If you use an iPhone with the same Apple ID, turning on a Focus on your Mac can automatically turn it on your iPhone too.

The built-in Focus presets

Apple provides several pre-made Focus modes: Do Not Disturb (silences everything), Personal, Work, Sleep, and Fitness. Each one starts with sensible defaults. You can customize what each one allows or blocks.

Setting up a Work focus

The idea behind a Work focus is that during work hours you want to receive work-related notifications — your email app, calendar reminders, messaging from colleagues — but not social media, games, or news. In Work focus settings you choose which apps and which people can send you notifications.

Automating Focus modes

The most powerful part of Focus is automation. You can tell Mac to turn on your Work focus automatically from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, and turn it off otherwise. You can also trigger it based on your location (automatically activates when you arrive at your office) or when a specific app is open.

Allowed apps and people

For each Focus mode you can create two lists: allowed apps (only these apps can notify you) and allowed people (only these contacts can reach you). Everyone else is silenced until you check the notification center manually.

Quick Tip: On Mac, you can share your Focus status with contacts in Messages. They will see "Bailey has notifications silenced" instead of wondering why you are not responding.

Mac Focus Modes: Block Distracting Notifications During Work or Sleep

Open Focus settings

Choose which apps can notify you

Choose which people can reach you

Set up automatic activation

Turn a Focus on or off manually

The built-in Focus presets

Setting up a Work focus

Automating Focus modes

Allowed apps and people

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