How to Turn Off/On Focus Assist in Windows 11

Focus Assist is a feature on Windows 11 that helps reduce distractions by disabling notifications. However, not everybody wants that.

If you want to keep track of your notifications, it’s important to turn off the Focus Assist feature. Find below a few ways to do just that.

How can I turn off Focus Assist in Windows 11?

1. Via Quick Settings

1. Press Windows + A key to open the Quick Settings menu.
2. Tap on the Focus Assist button from the menu to turn it Off.
3. Close Quick Settings by clicking anywhere on your desktop.

Turning off the Focus Assist mode from Quick Settings will revive notifications and other restrictions on your device.

2. Via Windows Settings

1. Press Windows + I key to open the Settings app.
2. Select System from the left sidebar. Click on Focus on the right side.
    
3. Then, tap on the Stop focus session button.
   
4. Close Settings.

Once you end the session, you will have disabled the focus sessions feature, which will no longer show when you open the Clock app.

You can read about what to do if Focus Assist is missing from the Settings app on Windows 11.

3. Via Group Policy Editor

1. Press the Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to the following path: User configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\Notifications
    
3. Go to the Settings column, find the Turn off Quiet Hours policy, and double-click to open it.
   
4. Choose to Enable it to turn off Focus Assist and save changes.
   

Disabling the Focus Assist feature from the Group Policy Editor will remove the feature from the Settings app and stop it from functioning.

Check our guide about how to fix Group Policy errors in the Windows operating system.

On recent Windows versions, Focus Assist can get rid of distracting notifications. It is a productivity and efficiency feature that allows you to choose which notifications you want to hide and receive while the feature is enabled.

Furthermore, the hidden notifications will appear in your Notification Center. Then, you can check them whenever you’re ready to disable Focus Assist. Also, there are other options you can set in the feature to suit your needs.

Further, you may be interested in our review of the best productivity apps to boost performance on Windows 11. Also, you may be intrigued to check how to change notification sounds on a Windows PC.

If you have further questions or suggestions, kindly drop them in the comments section.