Stop Windows 10 notifications interrupting a game with Focus Assist

A Windows banner can appear just as a game demands your attention. In Windows 10, Focus assist can quiet system notifications while a full-screen game runs and show you a summary after you finish. The setting to check is When I'm playing a game; it can be switched off, so verify it before relying on it.

Microsoft introduced Focus assist in Windows 10's April 2018 Update. The feature's priority list and missed-notification summary let you choose between silencing everything and allowing selected alerts through. Microsoft's Focus assist overview, published 9 May 2018 . The gaming rule is intended for full-screen play; Microsoft's 2018 Windows Insider notes say it should be enabled automatically and point to Settings > System > Focus assist. Microsoft's build notes, published 3 May 2018 . The steps below follow the Windows 10 controls available on 13 September 2020.

Enable the automatic game rule

1. Open Start > Settings > System > Focus assist.
2. Under Automatic rules, turn on When I'm playing a game.
3. Select that rule and choose its Focus level: Priority only or Alarms only.

The rule is for full-screen games. Windowed play may not trigger it, so verify the behaviour with your game before you count on it. Windows 10's October 2018 update expanded the rule to all full-screen games, rather than only DirectX exclusive games, according to Windows Central's contemporaneous Settings guide .

Choose which alerts can get through

The two levels make different trade-offs:

• Priority only lets notifications from people and apps on your priority list through. Choose it when you want a particular contact or app to reach you during a game.
• Alarms only holds back other notifications and allows alarms. Choose it when you want fewer interruptions and do not need app notifications.

To edit the priority list, open Settings > System > Focus assist and select Customize your priority list. Keep it to the people and apps whose alerts you really want during play. A long list can make Priority only feel much like leaving notifications on.

Windows can show you a summary of notifications it held back when Focus assist turns off. Keep Show me a summary of what I missed while Focus assist was on enabled while you are getting used to the rule, then review the summary after your game. Microsoft's 2018 overview describes both the priority list and this catch-up summary.

Test it before relying on it

Leave the automatic rule's notification enabled while you test. Start a full-screen game and wait for a non-urgent Windows notification from an app that is not on your priority list. Focus assist should keep it from appearing over the game. When you leave the game, check the Focus assist summary or Action Center for the held notification.

If the banner still appears, confirm that When I'm playing a game is on, check that the game is full-screen, and make sure the sender is not on your priority list. An alert drawn inside a game's own interface or a separate launcher overlay may have its own notification setting; Focus assist controls Windows notifications, so check that app if the alert is not a Windows banner.

If the game does not activate the rule, use the Focus assist quick action in Action Center to switch it on manually. When you are finished, switch it back to Off if you enabled it yourself. The Action Center menu also lets you choose Priority only or Alarms only; Windows Central's 2018 walkthrough documents those controls.

For a first try, Priority only is a useful middle ground: add only the alerts you want, test the game rule once, then review what Windows held back. Choose Alarms only when you want a quieter session and are comfortable checking messages afterwards.