Set MacOS Do Not Disturb Mode to “Always On” Quickly from Control Center

Mar 4, 2021 - 4 Comments

How to enable Perpetual Do Not Disturb mode on Mac easily and quickly

Modern macOS versions make it easier than ever to place Do Not Disturb mode to be “Always On”, thereby helping to eliminate distractions, alerts, and notifications on the Mac without having to turn them all off.

This is a great feature for many reasons, whether you just want to keep focused on your Mac, or if you just don’t like the notifications and alerts pelting the computer.


Because this uses Control Center on the Mac, you’ll need macOS Big Sur 11 or later to have this feature.

How to Enable Perpetual Do Not Disturb Mode on Mac via Control Center

Ready for some “Always On” peace of mind? Here’s how to put Do Not Disturb mode on the Mac so that notifications and alerts are always leaving you alone:

  1. Click on the Control Center option in the Mac menu bar
  2. Select “Do Not Disturb” from the Control Center options
  3. Control Center Do Not Disturb options on Mac

  4. Choose “Always On” from the Do Not Disturb options
  5. How to enable Perpetual Do Not Disturb mode into Always On on Mac easily and quickly

For what it’s worth, you can still option+click the Notifications / Widget panel in macOS 11 onward to quickly enable Do Not Disturb too, just like in past versions, but that only sets the feature on for 24 hours.

This Control Center approach makes having Do Not Disturb mode always on easier than ever, without having to use the date trick as required to have perpetual Do Not Disturb mode enabled on earlier Mac OS releases (which still works in Big Sur 11 and later too, but is just no longer necessary thanks to this).

If you’re curious you can also enable Do Not Disturb on iPhone and iPad, and schedule it into perpetual mode on those devices too if you wish – though most iPhone users likely don’t want to do that since it would hide phone calls and text message alerts on their devices.

Enjoy your focus! Check out Do Not Disturb tips if you’re up for it too.

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in Mac OS, Tips & Tricks

4 Comments

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  1. Sven says:

    SO, I have three Big Sur Macs, none of them have “Always on” as an option???

    • oldnumberseven says:

      Apple menu>system preferences>Do not Disturb, uncheck any time preferences you have there, then exit system preferences, and check again.

  2. Roger Houston says:

    Does Big Sewer restore the ability to ignore the trackpad when typing, or am I going to have to run Office on Windows to get work done? The removal of that feature is second in stupidity only to the addition of the frustrating “undo” key to the iOS virtual keyboard.

    • Paul says:

      I hope you’re enjoying using Do Not Disturb mode!

      I admit I laughed at macOS “Big Sewer”… LOL!

      As for the ignoring trackpad while typing, Apple claims this is built-in and happens automatically now. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201822

      There are some third party solutions to the accidental trackpad input problem too, ranging from placing physical tape on the trackpad (yes seriously, no it’s not recommended) to using third party software projects like this one https://github.com/cocoahuke/shrink_trackpad (I have not tried any of these).

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