Manage notifications from Messages on Mac
You can choose to get notifications for every new message, each time your name is mentioned or when you receive a message from an unknown person. You can also turn notifications off altogether.
Manage notifications by conversation
Go to the Messages app
on your Mac.Select a conversation, click the contact or group icon at the top, then do either of the following:
Stop notifications: Turn on Hide Alerts.
If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, you can also swipe left with two fingers on the conversation in the sidebar, then click
.Tip: To hide alerts for several conversations at the same time, select the conversations in the sidebar, Control-click, then choose Hide Alerts.
Let someone know when you turn on a Focus (individual conversations only): Click Share Focus Status. The person knows that you have notifications silenced because you turned on a Focus and can still choose to notify you if necessary.
Play a sound for new messages
Go to the Messages app
on your Mac.Choose Messages > Settings, then click General.
Select “Play sound effects”.
Choose the default sound from the “Message received sound” pop-up menu.
Get notified when your name is mentioned
Go to the Messages app
on your Mac.Choose Messages > Settings, then click General.
Select “Notify me when my name is mentioned”.
You’re notified when your name is mentioned (even if Hide Alerts is turned on for a conversation).
Change or turn off all notifications from Messages
Go to the System Settings app
on your Mac.Click Notifications
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)Go to Application Notifications, click Messages, then do one of the following:
Change notifications: Set options, such as the style of notifications or where to show them. To learn about the options, click
at the bottom of the window.Turn off all notifications from Messages: Turn off “Allow notifications”.