How to configure Quiet Hours in Windows 10

By Cale Hunt
last updated

How do I change Quiet Hours settings in Windows 10?

Dell XPS 13
Dell XPS 13

Are you sick of useless notifications popping up in the corner of your screen? You couldn't care less about Adobe updates while you're working on the essay that's due tomorrow! You do, however, want to keep messenger notifications open because you're swapping ideas with a friend.

Quiet Hours for Windows 10 allows you to pick and choose what gets through its filter. Here's how to configure Quiet Hours to suit your preferences when it comes to being disturbed.

How to configure Quiet Hours in Windows 10

  1. Click the Action Center button in the taskbar. It looks like a speech bubble.
  2. Right-click Quiet hours.

  1. Click Go to settings.
  2. Click the switches beneath any options you'd like to disable or enable. You can also click the switches next to individual apps to enable or disable notifications.

That's it! Play around with these settings to ultimately find a balance of notifications, or turn everything off for guaranteed silence.

How to enable Quiet Hours mode

  1. Right-click the Action Center button in the taskbar. It looks like a speech bubble.
  2. Click Turn on quiet hours.

How to disable Quiet Hours mode

  1. Right-click the Action Center button in the taskbar. It looks like a speech bubble.
  2. Click Turn off quiet hours.

Are you disturbed?

How often do you use Quiet Hours? What notifications do you let through? Let us know in the comments section below!

Cale Hunt
Cale Hunt
Senior Editor, Laptop Reviews

Cale Hunt is formerly a Senior Editor at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on laptop reviews, news, and accessory coverage. He's been reviewing laptops and accessories full-time since 2016, with hundreds of reviews published for Windows Central. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.

19 Comments
  • Would be nice if they would add back turning on quiet hours when Windows knows you are in a meeting!
  • I think in WP8.1 contacts could text back "knock knock" to break through when important but I think that's been dropped in W10 - Can't confirm that though
  • I believe it has. Was just looking for it.
  • Yeah that was a nice feature, as was the ability to set times automatically to avoid late night notifications
  • Are any of the quiet hours options changing in the anniversary update? Because I wish they were more customizable and flexible, sort of how they are on Android (it using apps to manually configure sounds). I love quiet hours, but would love to see more control, like multiple schedules and syncing to calendar events, like I do with my Android phone. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Why Quiet Hours is not working on Windows 10 Mobile?
  • I love Quiet Hours on my PC. But on mobile, it's under Cortana for whatever reason. And Cortana isn't available here :/
  • This is one of the weirdest things I never understood... Why would "Quiet Hours" ever be under Cortana (unless it would actually be able to be set automatically). That is, its a most wanted feature, but limited by Cortana's availability. That is, unavailable in most countries. But then, here we are in Windows 10 PC and Quiet Hours IS available here, NOT limited by Cortana. How come?
  • Really blows holes in the "one OS" nonsense.
  • Old Gold Nokia days everybody had his native language pack available (even Estonians) and all features worked like charm on S60 op system. W$ killed most of national stuff and hardly working on anything else then english speaking community.... Lack of using Quiet Hours without Cortana is true really WIERD!? 5 x WHY ???  
  • Unfortunately for me, in Win 10 mobile it doesn't automatically put me in quiet hours when there is a calendar appointment marked busy.
  • Agreed, this is the one reason I haven't ever upgraded my Icon to 10. ​
  • Is it just me or have MSFT removed quiet hours settings from W10M? It used to be under Cortana's settings
  • Does the author of this article realize that the settings that he is changing are affecting ALL notifications? Not just notifications during quiet hours?
  • So how do you actually change the hours that quiet hours is on for?
  • This is my very question as well. The the article doesn't answer the glaring question of what are the predetermined quiet hours and if they are customizable.
  • I think you can only set customize etc on win 10 mobile using Cortana. From there the hours & break thru can be set.
  • http://www.howtogeek.com/279192/how-to-change-the-default-quiet-hours-in...
  • Yeah, this guide doesn't seem to be limited to quiet hours at all. At least not from what I can gleam off of it :)