What Is Focus Assist Windows 10

While notifications are useful in some cases, sometimes you but want your reckoner to keep repose. This is why Windows 10 includes the Focus assist feature, assuasive you to block all or some notifications when you lot need to concentrate or share your screen with others.

Let'south look at how Focus assistance works and how to customize information technology so you tin can properly utilise this feature.

What Is Focus Assistance?

Focus assist is the name for the Do Non Disturb mode in Windows 10. In older versions of Windows ten, Focus assist was chosen "tranquillity hours."

It allows you to hide all incoming notifications so they don't grab your attending with a visual banner or sound effect. Instead of alerting y'all, they'll go to the action centre so you tin can review them on your own fourth dimension.

Yous tin can enable focus assist manually or using certain rules, as nosotros'll run across below.

How to Enable Focus Assist in Windows 10

The easiest way to toggle Focus aid in Windows 10 is using the shortcut in the action center. You tin practice this past correct-clicking on the activity middle icon, which looks similar a dialog bubble, at the bottom-right of your screen. From there, highlight Focus assist and pickPriority only or Alarms only.

Alarms only is the strictest mode and silences all notifications except alarms from the Clock app. Priority just hides all notifications except ones you deem every bit important. We'll discuss how to tweak priority notifications in a moment.

For an alternative method of toggling Focus assistance, open up the activity middle by clicking its icon or hit Win + A. Find the Focus help tile in the bottom panel of shortcuts and click it to toggle across the three modes.

If you don't meet this panel, click Aggrandize to show more icons. In case information technology's still not there, right-click an empty surface area, choose Edit, click Add together, and add the tile for Focus assist.

How to Customize Focus Aid in Windows ten

To get the most out of Focus assist, you lot should set it up to work for your needs. To practice this, open the Settings app by clicking the gear icon on the Start carte du jour, or with the Win + I shortcut. Go to System > Focus assist to find the relevant options.

Here, y'all'll observe toggles to activate Focus assist'south three modes, as explained in a higher place. This isn't every bit user-friendly every bit using the activeness center, and so y'all don't need to visit this carte du jour to switch modes. However, you should click Customize your priority list nether Priority only to configure it.

Customizing Priority Only Way

In the Priority list options, y'all can bank check the boxes to Show incoming calls and Show reminders if desired. These make certain you lot don't miss alerts for calls on services like Skype, every bit well as reminders from apps similar Microsoft To Do.

Next is the People department. Here, you tin can designate sure contacts every bit priority, so their communication e'er gets through. However, this only works with a handful of Windows 10 apps, such equally Postal service and Skype. Microsoft mentions "a few others," but this won't piece of work with every app on your system, so information technology's pretty limited.

If you check Show notifications from pinned contacts on taskbar, anyone you've added to the People tab in the taskbar is treated as priority. Y'all can likewise select Add together contacts to prepare additional priority people here.

Finally, under Apps, click Add an app and option all the apps on your organization that you want to all the same ship notifications in this mode. To go rid of an existing app, select it and choose Remove.

Speaking of this, yous should also know how to manage app notifications in Windows 10 outside of Focus help. This will help you close off notifications you don't care about and tweak how they arrive.

Setting Up Automatic Rules

While you can become into Focus assist on your own anytime, the settings page likewise allows you to enable it automatically under certain weather condition. Use the slider to toggle each of the conditions on or off; click the name of the rule to modify its options.

In each one, yous'll see two common settings. Focus level lets you choose whether the automatic rule will use Priority only or Alarms simply style. And if you check Show a notification in action center when focus assist is turned on automatically, Windows will alert yous that the way has switched on. This tin exist handy as a reminder, but might become abrasive if it happens often.

During these times lets you schedule Focus assist during certain hours of the twenty-four hour period. Yous can gear up the First time and End time down to the minute, and choose if it should be active every twenty-four hours, merely on weekdays, or just on weekends.

When I'm duplicating my display turns Focus assist on whenever y'all're mirroring your screen, such as when giving a presentation. This won't turn on when you lot're using multiple monitors and extending them across your screens. Use Win + P to toggle which project mode Windows is using.

When I'thousand playing a game is a handy way to hide notifications while gaming. Because Windows doesn't provide whatsoever information on how it determines what a "game" is, this might not work with all titles. It also but works when playing games in full screen.

Finally, When I'g using an app in full screen fashion is like the above, but extends to all software. It's useful if you often go full screen when working on a projection and don't want to be bothered.

Beneath these toggles, yous tin also enable Testify me a summary of what I missed while focus assistance was on. With this, you'll see a notification explaining what alerts were hidden while the automated rule was in place.

Focus Assist Silences Distractions

At present you lot know how to take full advantage of Focus assist in Windows x. Too many notifications tin harm your productivity, then it's important to suppress them at the right times. Bated from these benefits, Focus assist can also help y'all from the embarrassment of personal alerts popping upward during a presentation or screen-sharing session.

Information technology's just one of the many tricks lurking in Windows 10 that will boost your focus.

x Tiny Tweaks to Stay More Focused While Using Windows 10