Skip to content
BlurFirst

How to Stop Notifications From Popping Up While Screen Sharing

6 min read

Stop notifications while screen sharing with macOS Focus and Windows Do not disturb — plus how to blur an in-page Gmail or Slack popup the OS cannot silence.

To stop notifications while screen sharing, turn on your operating system's Do Not Disturb: on macOS open Control Center and switch on a Focus; on Windows enable Do not disturb (formerly Focus Assist) in notification settings. These suppress the OS banners a browser extension cannot touch. For pop-ups that render inside a web page — a new Gmail or Slack message in the tab itself — BlurFirst's panic hotkey blurs the whole page instantly.

macOS: Focus and Do Not Disturb

  1. Open Control Center from the menu bar and click Focus, then choose Do Not Disturb.
  2. Leave it on for the length of your call; it silences banners, badges, and sounds system-wide.
  3. For badges that linger on the Dock, turn them off per app under System Settings, Notifications.

Windows: Do not disturb and the automatic display rule

  1. Open Settings > System > Notifications and toggle Do not disturb on.
  2. Under Set priority notifications, remove any apps you do not want breaking through.
  3. Let Windows do it for you: keep the When I'm duplicating my display rule enabled so notifications auto-silence whenever you present.

Notifications that live inside the browser tab

Do Not Disturb handles OS banners, but web apps render their own pop-ups that are part of the page, not the operating system: Gmail's new-mail toast, Slack's in-tab notification, WhatsApp Web's message preview. If one of those appears on the tab you are sharing, press Ctrl/⌘ ⇧ H — the Panic gesture — to blur the entire page instantly as real pixels, then re-reveal what is safe. To be clear about scope: BlurFirst does not suppress OS notification banners; that is what Do Not Disturb is for. The two cover different layers, so use both.

  1. 1

    Turn on Do Not Disturb

    macOS: Control Center, Focus, Do Not Disturb. Windows: Settings, System, Notifications, Do not disturb.

  2. 2

    Keep the auto-rule on (Windows)

    Leave When I'm duplicating my display enabled so notifications silence automatically the moment you share.

  3. 3

    Quiet the noisy web apps

    Close or mute browser tabs for Gmail, Slack, and WhatsApp Web, or turn off their in-app notification setting, so the page itself does not pop a toast.

  4. 4

    Arm the panic key

    Install BlurFirst and remember Ctrl/⌘ ⇧ H. If an in-page popup slips through on the tab you are sharing, one keypress blurs the whole page instantly.

  5. 5

    Re-reveal after the moment passes

    Once the popup clears, toggle the blur off to keep presenting, or leave a region blur over the corner where notifications usually appear.

Notification typeExampleHow to stop it
OS bannermacOS/Windows system toast, calendar alertDo Not Disturb / Do not disturb
App badgeDock or taskbar unread countPer-app notification settings
In-page web popupGmail toast, Slack in-tab alert, WhatsApp Web previewMute the web app, or Panic-blur (Ctrl/⌘ ⇧ H)
OS banners vs. in-page popups

Frequently asked questions

Does BlurFirst block OS notification banners?

No. BlurFirst only affects content inside a browser tab, so it cannot suppress macOS or Windows system banners — use Do Not Disturb for those. What it can do is instantly blur an in-page popup, like a Gmail or Slack toast, on the tab you are sharing.

What is the fastest way to hide a notification that already appeared in the page?

Press Ctrl/⌘ ⇧ H. That is the panic gesture; it blurs the entire page in one keystroke, painted as real pixels so the recording never captures the message.

Will Windows really silence notifications automatically when I share?

Windows includes a Do not disturb rule for when you are duplicating your display. Keep it enabled and banners are suppressed automatically while you present, though it is still worth confirming before an important call.

Do I still need Do Not Disturb if I have BlurFirst?

Yes. They cover different layers: Do Not Disturb stops OS banners system-wide, while BlurFirst handles sensitive content and popups that render inside the browser tab. Use both.

Blur it before you share it.

Hide any field, region or message on a page before your next call. Nothing you blur leaves your browser.

Add to Chrome

Keep reading