Manage and Mute Microsoft Teams Notifications

This article explains how to manage notification settings in Microsoft Teams, including adjusting general preferences, controlling banner and sound alerts, and customizing notifications for chats, channels, and specific posts. It also describes how to mute individual conversations or channels and reduce unnecessary alerts to stay focused on important messages.

Questions

• How do I change my notification settings in Microsoft Teams?
• Can I mute a specific chat or channel in Teams?
• How do I control which Teams notifications show banners or play sounds?
• What’s the difference between chat notifications and channel notifications in Teams?
• How do I stop getting too many alerts without missing important messages?

Environment

This article applies to Microsoft Teams for work or school accounts on Windows, macOS, and the web. Notification options may look slightly different depending on your device, but the main settings are found in the same place within Teams.

Resolution

1. Open notification settings.
   In Teams, click Settings and more (three dots) in the top right corner, then click Settings. Select Notifications and activity. 
2. Adjust general notification preferences.
   In the “General” section, choose whether to:
   • Play sounds with notifications
   • Show message previews
   • Show notifications during meetings or calls
   • Mute all notifications (Windows only, except calls and meetings)
   You can also use the Test notification option to preview your changes. 
3. Customize chat and channel notifications.
   Still under Notifications and activity, select Chats and channels. For each type (such as mentions, replies, or reactions), use the dropdown menu to choose where notifications appear:
   • “Banner and feed” (pop-up and Activity feed)
   • “Only show in feed”
   • “Off”
   This lets you control how you’re alerted for chats and channel activity.
4. Mute a specific chat.
   Go to Chat in the left menu. Hover over the conversation you want to mute, click More options (three dots), and choose Mute. You will stop receiving notifications for that conversation unless you are directly mentioned.
5. Manage notifications for a specific channel.
   Go to Teams. Hover over the channel name, click More options (three dots), and select Channel notifications. From there, choose:
   • All new posts
   • Replies to posts I started
   • Channel mentions
   • Off
   You can decide whether notifications appear as banners and in your Activity feed, or only in the feed. 
6. Turn notifications on or off for a specific post.
   In some versions of Teams, you can control notifications for individual channel posts by selecting More options on the post and choosing to turn notifications on or off for that conversation.
7. Reduce noise from less active channels.
   If a channel is not active, Teams may automatically suggest hiding it. Hidden channels are removed from your main list and most notifications are muted, helping you focus on what matters most.

For detailed guidance directly from Microsoft, review Microsoft’s guide to managing notifications in Teams. 

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you can chat with Bowdoin Bot of contact the Bowdoin College Service Desk by phone at (207) 725-3030 or in person at the Tech Hub in Smith Union.