Manage and Mute Microsoft Teams Notifications

Instructions for controlling Microsoft Teams notifications, including general preferences such as sounds and previews, chat and channel notification settings, muting a specific chat, managing notifications for a channel, and reducing noise from less active channels. Applies to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff using Teams on Windows, macOS, or the web.

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 is the difference between chat notifications and channel notifications in Teams?
• How do I stop getting too many alerts without missing important messages?
• How do I turn off notifications for a channel that is not active?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff using Microsoft Teams for work or school accounts on Windows 11, macOS Sequoia (15) or Tahoe (26), and the web. Notification options may look slightly different depending on the device, but the main settings are found in the same place within Teams.

Resolution

1. Open notification settings. In Teams, select Settings and more (three dots) in the top-right corner, then select 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)
   Use the Test notification option to preview the 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 controls how alerts arrive for chats and channel activity.
4. Mute a specific chat. Go to Chat in the left menu. Hover over the conversation to mute, select More options (three dots), and choose Mute. Notifications stop for that conversation unless you are directly mentioned.
5. Manage notifications for a specific channel. Go to Teams. Hover over the channel name, select More options (three dots), and select Channel notifications. From there, choose:
   • All new posts
   • Replies to posts I started
   • Channel mentions
   • Off
   Decide whether notifications appear as banners and in the Activity feed, or only in the feed.
6. Turn notifications on or off for a specific post. In some versions of Teams, notifications for individual channel posts can be controlled 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 the main list and most notifications are muted, helping you focus on what matters most.

For detailed guidance directly from Microsoft, see Manage notifications in Microsoft Teams in the Additional Resources section.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

• Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
• Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
• In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
• Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

• Manage notifications in Microsoft Teams