Of course, that also doesn’t necessarily mean that doing so is as straightforward or intuitive as some might like. Google does tend to bury these types of settings deep inside of its Settings menu for apps. Although the process is similar enough on each available platform that learning how to turn off notifications in Chrome for one platform should prove helpful for learning how to turn them off elsewhere. Now, it almost goes without saying that that’s exactly what this guide is here to discuss. So, without further ado, let’s dive into how to turn off unwanted notifications in Google Chrome.
Why would you want to turn these notifications off and does Chrome offer more granular options?
Now, the primary reason to turn off notifications in Chrome — and this will work in Chrome on any platform — is convenience. Or, rather, to get rid of the annoyance of pop-ups and interruptions. As useful as site notifications can be if we’re talking about email or a web-based chat service, they aren’t always. Especially when they appear immediately upon visiting a new site. Or revisiting a site you’ve already been to. Moreover, unwanted interruptions are more than just annoying. They can also seriously hamper productivity. Worse still, they crop up seemingly more often when a site is requesting to send notifications. That’s as compared to sites actually sending notifications that might be useful. Conversely, notifications can also just appear that aren’t useful at all. As is sometimes the reason for users to disable or hiding mobile notifications altogether. Turning notifications off fixes all of that, if you know where to look. And, best of all, it’s easy to turn off sites’ ability to send any new notifications. Including notifications that ask permission to send notifications. But that’s not always the best option either. Especially where notifications are useful. And, to that end, Google does give Chrome users more granular control. Namely, by allowing users to instead choose to allow notifications from specific sites and/or block them from specific sites. And that can, in fact, be used alongside turning off notification requests. While simply adding notification access to key sites you’d like them from.
Here’s how you can turn off Chrome notifications requests entirely
As noted above, the first step to stopping annoying pop-up notifications from sites is to turn off their ability to request notification access, to begin with. And that’s what this first step will show you how to do. From there, you can always fine-tune your notifications from Chrome. By regranting specific site access. Or by blocking sites that have already been allowed to show the notifications. Which is something we’ll discuss in the next segment. In the interim, turning off the request capability for all websites is fairly straightforward, if you know where to look. Now, users may also want to keep notification requests turned on but not have those be as intrusive. Google also offers just such an option via the same settings menu outlined above. The primary difference in the steps comes in steps six and seven. Namely, instead of turning off the notifications, users will make a different selection. On mobile platforms, you can turn on “Quieter Messaging” by selecting the second option on the page. That’s a checkbox that reads “Use quieter messaging (blocks notification prompts from interrupting you).” On desktop Chrome, the option is similar. But on Chrome OS for Chromebooks, users will need to select the bullet option, as shown in the image below. That reads, “Use quieter messaging.” And is fairly straightforward. It blocks sites from interrupting you when they ask to send notifications. With the feature turned on, users will be able to keep getting notifications. But Chrome does greatly diminished them. And they won’t steal focus from the page you’re presently visiting.
Block or allow certain sites on desktop
Now, it may also be the case that you simply want to turn off or on notifications from specific sites. For instance, you might want to turn on notifications for Gmail but not for that gaming news site you frequent. On Chrome OS and desktop platforms, those blocks or allowances can be switched on a site-by-site basis directly. That means that users can choose to allow sites, in a more centralized, direct manner, to send notifications. Itemizing the pop-ups to ensure that only useful ones appear. That’s not the case with mobile, at least not from a unified hub for notification blocking and allowing. Instead, sites need to be managed when visiting the site, by clicking or tapping the URL bar’s icon. For mobile sites, right now, that’s a lock-shaped icon. Located to the left of the URL. Then, by selecting the Permissions option and managing whether or not that permission is enabled for the site. On desktop platforms, conversely, you can manage site notifications by adding sites directly in the Settings. Or you can remove that permission by blocking previously allowed sites. Namely, if they’ve stopped being useful or have become annoying or intrusive. And that really couldn’t be an easier process either.
