5 Ways to Fix Do Not Disturb Turning on Itself on Windows 11

Quick Fixes

• Open Windows Settings > select System > Notifications > disable all do not disturb schedules.
• Toggle off the Windows Game Mode under Settings > Gaming > Game Mode.
• Turn off the Quiet Hours policy using the Group Policy Editor app.

Common Fixes

• Disable Do Not Disturb from the Notification Shade: Select the Notification bell at the rightmost end of the Windows Taskbar and click the blue Do Not Disturb button at the top right to disable it.
• Update Windows 11: Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings, select Windows Update in the left sidebar, and install available system updates.

Fix 1: Turn off the Do Not Disturb Schedule

A pre-configured schedule is a common culprit behind Do Not Disturb turning on itself on Windows 11. Tweak the Windows Settings to disable it.

Step 1: Open Windows Settings (press the Windows + I keys), click System in the left sidebar, and select Notifications.

Step 2: Expand Turn on do not disturb automatically and disable all check marks besides enabled conditions.

Fix 2: Disable All Automatic Rules in Focus Settings

An active focus session can automatically turn on Do Not Disturb on Windows 11 to suppress notifications. Turn it off from Windows settings and disable all its automatic rules.

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings app, click System in the sidebar, and select Focus.

Step 2: Stop the current focus session (if active) and uncheck all its automatic rules, including the Turn on do not disturb.

Fix 3: Disable the Windows Game Mode

The Game Mode on Windows 11 automatically blocks incoming notifications (like Do Not Disturb) to prevent disruptions during gameplay. Disable it to continue receiving new system alerts while playing a game.

Step 1: Open Windows Settings > click Gaming in the left sidebar > select Game Mode.

Step 2: Turn off the Game Mode toggle to disable it.

Fix 4: Turn off Quiet Hours in the Group Policy Editor

If adjusting the Do Not Disturb and Focus settings didn’t work, you can tweak Windows policy rules using the Group Policy Editor to stop Do Not Disturb from turning on by itself.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Notifications, and open the Turn off Quiet Hours policy.

Step 3: Set policy to Enabled and click Apply to save changes.

Fix 5: Disable Auto-DND With Command Prompt

Lastly, you can edit Windows registry values using Command Prompt to stop Do Not Disturb from turning on by itself on Windows 11.

Note: Ensure to back up Windows Registry before making changes. Open Registry Editor, click File > Export > select All under Export range.

Step 1: Press the Windows key, search Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

Step 2: Copy-paste the below command, hit Enter, and reboot your PC.

reg add “HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QuietHours” /v “Enabled” /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Alternative: Enable Priority Notifications

If nothing works and you continue to miss important app notifications, enable priority notifications for the desired apps to get alerts even when DND is active.

Step 1: Select System under the Windows Settings app (check the above steps) and click Notifications.

Step 2: Select Set priority notifications.

Step 3: Click Add Apps and pick your desired apps in the popup menu.