How to Enable Focus Mode on Mac?

Apple has completely changed the default Do Not Disturb mode on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and now macOS Monterey, Focus Mode replaces DND Mode. It lets you create a distraction-free environment on Apple devices. Here’s how to enable Focus Mode on Mac.

Read: How to Turn off Message Notifications on Mac

Enable Focus Mode on Mac

Apple’s Focus Mode works differently from Windows 11’s Focus Session. Focus Mode lets you block notifications and calls from select apps and contacts. You can also create multiple focus profiles for different scenarios like writing, coding, gaming and more.

There are several ways to enable focus mode on a Mac. Let’s talk about everyone.

1. Enable Focus from Control Center

Apple has already launched Control Center on Mac. You can click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and enable Focus Mode. By default, it is set to enable Do Not Disturb mode on Mac.

If you want to activate a different focus profile on the Mac, click the little arrow next to the focus menu to find the focus profile in Control Center.

Select the focus profile you want to use during quiet hours and you are good to go on Mac without any distractions.

2. Enable Focus from the System Preferences Menu

Similar to the Settings app on the iPhone, the System Preferences menu allows you to make the necessary changes on the Mac. You can also enable focus from there. This way.

1. Click on the small Apple icon in the upper left corner.
2. Access the System Preferences menu.
3. Select Notifications & Focus.
4. Go to the Focus tab in the menu.
5. Select the focus profile you want to enable and enable the toggle for it.

3. Share focus across devices

In a classic Apple move, Focus Mode works seamlessly on all Apple devices. After all, you wouldn’t want to create a DND environment on Mac just to be distracted by a notification or call on your iPhone.

You can activate focus mode on a Mac and it will activate the same focus profile on an iPhone or iPad running the same Apple account. The same routine holds true for the iPhone as well.

This means you can activate Focus on the iPhone and it automatically activates on the Mac as well. You should be using the same Apple account on both devices for a smooth experience.

Just make sure you have enabled the Share Across Devices toggle on the iPhone. Here’s what you have to do.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Access the Debug menu.
3. Enable the Share across devices toggle in the focus menu.

From now on, whenever you activate Focus on iPhone, iCloud will do the same on Mac.

4. Enable Auto Focus on Mac

The TechWiser team uses it all the time. You can activate Focus on Mac automatically based on the time, location, and application. We will give relevant examples of all three scenarios.

Suppose you start work at 9 in the morning and finish before evening. In this case, you can configure the task focus profile to activate at the specified time and macOS will deactivate it automatically at the specified time.

As a software developer or video editor, if you want to start Quiet Hours on a Mac from your workplace, you use location-based automation and have Focus automatically set when you arrive at work with your Mac. gets activated.

The last one is quite simple. You can automate focus depending on which app you have open on Mac. For example, you can activate the writing focus profile automatically when you open Microsoft Word on a Mac. You can enable the coding focus profile when you open Xcode. So how do you configure them? Follow the steps given below.

1. Open System Preferences on Mac.
2. Go to Notifications & focus > Focus menu.
3. Select the focus profile you want to automate.
4. In the Activate Automatically menu, click the + icon and select Automation.

Depending on the automation you choose, follow the on-screen instructions and set it up.

Conclusion: Getting Started with Focus on Mac

Apple succeeded with its focus on the Mac. The implementation is spot on and you get a better environment on the Mac to get the job done. When using Focus on Mac, remember to exclude work apps like Microsoft Teams or Slack from the profile. Otherwise, you will also miss notifications of important apps.