Windows Focus Assist (Windows 11) Keeps Turning On – How to Fix It

Usually, not getting notifications while you’re hard at work is a good thing. That’s precisely what Focus Assist (or “Do not disturb” mode in Windows 11) aims to do. However, the tool is not perfect.

If you open your notifications bar and notice that Focus Assist has been turned on for seemingly no reason, you might not be getting vital messages from Slack, Teams, or other productivity tools. There are a few ways to fix the issue when Windows Focus Assist (Windows 11) keeps turning on.

Method 1. Disabling Do Not Disturb Automatic Rules in Windows 11

There are three main ways to turn on Focus Assist or “Do not disturb” mode on Windows 11: manually, via schedule, or through automatic rules. If the feature keeps turning on, then the latter two options might be the cause.

Step 1. Go to your system Settings (you can use the “Windows I” shortcut or go through the search bar).

Step 2. Enter the “System” tab on the right and open “Notifications.”

Step 3. Choose “Turn on do not disturb automatically.”

Step 4. Uncheck all the options in the sub-menu.

Method 2. Disable Focus Assist Automatic Settings (Windows 10 and Older Windows 11 Builds)

If you haven’t updated your Windows 11 PC in a while, the Focus Assist option might be in a different section of the Settings menu, but the process is practically the same.

Step 1. Open Settings on your PC, either via the “Windows I” keyboard shortcut or through the search bar.

Step 2. Go to the “Focus Assist” tab on the left. If you don’t see one, head to “Notifications.”

Step 3. In the “Automatic rules” section, turn all the options off.

You may need to restart your PC to get these options to “stick.”

Method 3. Adjust the Time and Date to Fix Windows Focus Assist (Windows 11) Keeps Turning On

In some cases, your time and date setting might be prompting Focus Assist (or “Do not disturb”) to turn on during work hours in a different time zone. This could happen if you’ve recently changed your time zones but set your PC to use manual time settings. You can use an automatic date-time setting to try and fix this.

Step 1. Go to Windows Settings (“Windows I” shortcut).

Step 2. Go to the “Time & Language” tab on the left-hand side.

Step 3. Select the “Date & time” menu from the list of options.

Step 4. Turn at least the two top-most options to “ON” (Set time zone automatically and Set time automatically).

Step 5. Click on “Sync now” if your time doesn’t update properly.

Method 4. Use the Registry Editor to Turn Off Focus Assist Permanently

Windows notification settings are enabled through the registry database, and you can use the stock Registry Editor application to modify it. This way, you can permanently remove the option, regardless of what you put in “Settings.”

Step 1. Open the Windows search bar and type in “regedit.”

Step 2. You should get the “Registry Editor” selected as the default option. Choose “Run as administrator” on the right of the result.

Step 3. Click “Yes” when prompted by the User Account Control pop-up to open the app.

Step 4. In the Registry Editor, go to the “File” tab and select “Export.”

Step 5. Name the file as you wish (typically date and time and purpose will do), select the folder you want to place it in, and click “Save.”

Step 6. Using the navigational menu on the left, go to ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionNotifications

Step 7. In the “Quiet Hours” and “Settings” subfolders, find any registries related to “Focus Assist,” “Do not disturb,” or “Quiet Hours,” and change them to 0.

Step 8. Exit the Registry Editor and the changes will be automatically applied.

Method 5. Using the Group Policy Editor

The Group Policy Editor is only available to Windows Pro and Enterprise users by default but there are a few ways to “jailbreak” the system to allow it on Windows Home devices. It’s by far one of the least likely methods to help, so consider it among the last resorts.

Step 1. Press “Windows R” to open the Run app.

Step 2. Type in “gpedit.msc” and hit Enter to run the app. You might need to accept the User Account Control.

Step 3. Navigate to the following: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Notifications

Step 4. Check every policy related to Focus Assist or “Do not disturb,” then set it to “Disabled” or “Not configured.”

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