Microsoft has redesigned Windows 11 to enhance both productivity and ease of use. For example, its focus assist feature (previously called "quiet hours") is a handy feature that allows you to focus on what’s important and keeps you free of unwanted distracting notifications. You can easily configure focus assist to turn on automatically at a specific time, choose what apps are allowed to notify you, and much more.

So, let's explore how to enable and configure focus assist on Windows 11.

How to Enable Focus Assist on Windows 11

You can enable or disable focus assist on Windows 11 PC and tablet in a couple of ways. You can either go through the new and shiny Settings app or go through the Action Center.

1. Enable Focus Assist Using the Windows 11 Settings App

To enable or disable focus assist on Windows 11 through Settings:

focus assist in windows 11
  1. First, search for Settings in the Start menu, and click on the Best match to launch the Settings app.
  2. Click on System from the sidebar and then click on Focus assist.
  3. In the Focus assist tab, select one of the available modes (Off, Priority only, Alarms only)
  4. Check the checkbox to see a summary of missed notifications.

The Priority only mode allows selected apps to notify you, whereas the Alarms only mode blocks all notifications except alarms. To choose a list of allowed apps and people, click on Customize priority list.

2. Enable Focus Assist Using the Action Center

You can also enable or disable focus assist on the fly using the Action Center:

action center windows-11
  1. Launch the Action Center flyout by clicking on the system tray icons in the Taskbar.
  2. Cycle through the different focus assist modes by repeatedly clicking on the Focus assist icon.

Related: How to Take Screenshots in Windows 11 Using Snip and Sketch

If you do not see the Focus assist icon in the Action Center, you can add it by clicking on the pencil icon.

How to Automatically Block Notifications on Windows 11

You can set up rules to block notifications automatically with focus assist on Windows 11. Here’s how you can set up Automatic rules on Windows 11 to block notifications:

Block Notifications Automatically for a Specific Time Period

To set up focus assist to turn on and block notifications during the day automatically:

focus assist rules
  1. Search for Settings in the Start menu, and click on the Best match to launch the Settings app.
  2. Click on System and then Focus assist.
  3. Under the Automatic rules tab, toggle During these times to automatically turn on focus assist at a specific time.
  4. Click on the During these times tab and choose a specific Start time and End time.
  5. If you want focus assist to enable during these hours repeatedly, select an appropriate option (Daily, Weekends, or Weekdays) from the Repeats dropdown menu.
  6. Set a Focus level by choosing a suitable option from the dropdown menu (Alarms only or Priority only).

Other Focus Assist Rules

To automate focus assist to turn on when you launch a game, connect a second screen or use an app in the full-screen mode:

  1. Search for Settings in the Start menu, and click on the Best match to launch the Settings app.
  2. Select System from the sidebar, and then click on Focus settings.
  3. Toggle the required rule and click on it to customize its settings.
  4. Finally, choose the required Focus level from the dropdown menu (Alarms only or Priority only).

If you want Windows 11 to notify you once Focus assist is automatically turned on, you can tick the Show a notification in the action center when focus assist is turned on automatically checkbox.

Windows 11 Boosts Productivity

Windows 11 prioritizes your productivity thanks to an improved Focus assist. You can easily block notifications during work hours to avoid getting distracted, and automatic rules improve your experience tenfold.

Microsoft has finally given its users a powerful OS that offers unprecedented ease of use and creative freedom, and we're very excited to see what's next.