Do Not Disturb / Focus (macOS)

Do Not Disturb is a Focus mode built into macOS that silences incoming notifications, banners, and sounds while it is active. Focus generalizes the idea into customizable profiles, letting you allow specific people or apps while muting the rest. When enabled, alerts are held quietly in Notification Center instead of popping onto your screen and stealing attention.

Under the hood, Focus intercepts notification delivery at the system level, so no banner is drawn on the display while you work. You can toggle it from Control Center or schedule it automatically. Beyond reducing distraction, this is a critical privacy control: it stops private messages, email previews, and Slack pings from surfacing during a capture.

For screen recording, turning on Do Not Disturb before you hit record is the single easiest way to guarantee a clean take. It keeps a stray notification from photobombing your Limelight demo, so your polished, auto-zoomed recording stays professional and free of private information.