What causes "Slack Notifications Not Working on Desktop"?

Notifications paused in Slack (a Z/snooze icon next to your name) macOS Do Not Disturb/Focus or Windows Focus Assist is on Slack notifications disabled in OS notification settings Slack's own Do Not Disturb schedule or channel set to 'Nothing' A buggy desktop release (Feb 3, 2026: Windows sounds played but pop-ups did not appear until Slack rolled the release back) Power-saving or optimization apps blocking notifications

How do I fix "Slack Notifications Not Working on Desktop"?

1. Resume paused notifications: Look for a Z/snooze icon next to your profile picture Click your profile picture and choose Resume notifications Open Preferences > Notifications and check your Do Not Disturb schedule 2. Allow Slack notifications on Mac: Open System Settings > Notifications Select Slack and turn on Allow Notifications Set alert style to Banners or Alerts Enable notifications when mirroring or sharing the display if you present often Open Control Center and make sure Do Not Disturb/Focus is off 3. Allow Slack notifications on Windows: Open Settings > System > Notifications Turn on notifications from apps and other senders and make sure Slack is on Turn Focus Assist / Do Not Disturb off, or add Slack to the priority list 4. Check Slack for an active incident and update: Visit slack-status.com to see if a notification issue is listed Update Slack to the latest version (Slack fixed the Feb 2026 Windows pop-up bug by rolling back the release) Quit and reopen Slack 5. Allow notifications in the browser (Slack web): Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications and allow your workspace Safari: Settings > Websites > Notifications and allow your workspace Keep the Slack tab open; the web app only notifies for open workspaces

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Slack Notifications Not Working on Desktop

Workaround available Mac, Windows, Web Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

Usually Slack's notifications are paused or your OS (Focus, Do Not Disturb, notification permissions) is blocking them. Resume notifications in Slack, allow Slack in system notification settings, and turn off Focus/Do Not Disturb.

Most likely fix: Resume paused notifications.

Symptoms

No banners or sounds for new DMs and mentions on Mac or Windows, notification sounds play but no pop-up appears, or badges update but alerts never show.

Why it happens

Notifications paused in Slack (a Z/snooze icon next to your name)
macOS Do Not Disturb/Focus or Windows Focus Assist is on
Slack notifications disabled in OS notification settings
Slack's own Do Not Disturb schedule or channel set to 'Nothing'
A buggy desktop release (Feb 3, 2026: Windows sounds played but pop-ups did not appear until Slack rolled the release back)
Power-saving or optimization apps blocking notifications

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Resume paused notifications
1. Look for a Z/snooze icon next to your profile picture
2. Click your profile picture and choose Resume notifications
3. Open Preferences > Notifications and check your Do Not Disturb schedule
2. Allow Slack notifications on Mac
1. Open System Settings > Notifications
2. Select Slack and turn on Allow Notifications
3. Set alert style to Banners or Alerts
4. Enable notifications when mirroring or sharing the display if you present often
5. Open Control Center and make sure Do Not Disturb/Focus is off
3. Allow Slack notifications on Windows
1. Open Settings > System > Notifications
2. Turn on notifications from apps and other senders and make sure Slack is on
3. Turn Focus Assist / Do Not Disturb off, or add Slack to the priority list
4. Check Slack for an active incident and update
1. Visit slack-status.com to see if a notification issue is listed
2. Update Slack to the latest version (Slack fixed the Feb 2026 Windows pop-up bug by rolling back the release)
3. Quit and reopen Slack
5. Allow notifications in the browser (Slack web)
1. Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications and allow your workspace
2. Safari: Settings > Websites > Notifications and allow your workspace
3. Keep the Slack tab open; the web app only notifies for open workspaces

This guide also covers

slack notifications not working
slack notifications not working mac
slack notifications not showing windows
slack sound but no notification

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