Disable Notification Previews on Mac: Full Guide

To disable notification previews on a Mac, open System Settings > Notifications, select the app you want to change, and under “Show notification previews,” choose “Never” (or “When Unlocked” to see them only when your Mac is unlocked). This stops the content of alerts from appearing on the lock screen or in banners; you’ll still get the alert itself, just without the text.

What Are Notification Previews?

Notification previews are the snippets of message content that appear in the banners and alerts macOS displays when an app sends you a notification. For example, when you get a text from a friend, the banner might show “Hey, are we still on for dinner?” If you have previews disabled, the banner will instead show something like “1 new message from Sarah” or simply “Notification,” depending on the app, and you’ll need to click on it to see the full content.

Previews appear in three places: on the lock screen, in notification banners that pop up in the top-right corner, and in the Notification Center. The setting you choose applies to all three, so you don’t need to change each separately.

How to Turn Off Previews for All Apps at Once

macOS gives you a global setting that applies to every app at once. This is the fastest way to stop all previews if you want maximum privacy.

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings (on older macOS versions, it’s called System Preferences).
2. Click Notifications in the sidebar.
3. At the top, you’ll see a section called “Notification previews.” Click the dropdown next to it.
4. Choose Never to hide all previews, or When Unlocked to show them only when your Mac is unlocked and you’re actively using it.

The “When Unlocked” option is a good middle ground: it hides previews on the lock screen but shows them once you’ve logged in, which is useful if you share your computer or leave it unattended.

How to Turn Off Previews for a Specific App

If you only want to hide previews from certain apps—like Messages or Mail—but keep them for others, you can adjust each app individually.

1. Open System Settings > Notifications.
2. Scroll down to the list of apps under “Application Notifications.”
3. Click the app you want to change (e.g., Messages, Mail, WhatsApp).
4. Next to “Show notification previews,” select Never (or “When Unlocked”).

Note that some apps may not have this option if they don’t send notifications with text content, or if they use a custom notification style. In that case, the setting will be grayed out.

What About the Lock Screen?

The lock screen is where previews are most visible to others, so it’s often the main reason people want to disable them. When you set previews to “Never,” the lock screen will show the app name and “Notification” instead of the actual message. If you set it to “When Unlocked,” the lock screen will show no previews at all, but once you log in, the notification will appear with full text in the banner or Notification Center.

If you want to completely hide notifications from the lock screen, including the app name, you can also disable “Show notifications on lock screen” for that specific app. That option is in the same app-specific settings, just below the preview dropdown.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Sometimes you change the setting but still see previews. Here are a few things to check:

• Focus modes: If you have a Focus (like Do Not Disturb) enabled, it may override your notification settings. Go to System Settings > Focus and check if any Focus is active that allows notifications from certain apps with previews.
• App-specific overrides: Some apps have their own notification settings inside the app. For example, Slack and Discord have in-app settings that control what appears in notifications. If you’ve disabled previews in macOS but the app still shows them, check the app’s own preferences.
• macOS version differences: The exact wording of the options may differ slightly on older macOS versions (e.g., macOS Monterey and earlier). In those versions, the setting is in System Preferences > Notifications, and the dropdown is labeled “Show notification previews” as well.
• Restart needed: Rarely, a change might not take effect until you restart the app or the Mac. Try quitting and reopening the app, or logging out and back in.

How to Temporarily Hide Previews

If you only need to hide previews for a short time—like during a presentation or while sharing your screen—you can use Focus modes. Create a Focus (e.g., “Work” or “Do Not Disturb”) and set it to allow no notifications, or allow notifications but hide previews. To do this:

1. Go to System Settings > Focus.
2. Click the “+” to create a new Focus, or edit an existing one.
3. Under “Allowed Notifications,” choose “From Nobody” or select specific apps.
4. Under “Options,” you can also enable “Hide notification previews” to hide previews even for allowed apps.

Then turn on the Focus from the Control Center when you need it. This is a quick way to get the same effect without changing your permanent settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling previews stop notifications entirely?

No. You’ll still receive notifications—they’ll just show the app name and “Notification” instead of the message content. If you want to stop notifications altogether, you can turn off “Allow Notifications” for the app in the same settings screen.

Can I see previews only when my Mac is unlocked?

Yes. Choose “When Unlocked” in the preview dropdown. This shows previews in banners and Notification Center when you’re logged in, but hides them on the lock screen.

Why do some notifications still show previews even after I set “Never”?

This can happen if the app uses a custom notification style (like some chat apps) or if you have a Focus mode that overrides the setting. Check the app’s own notification settings and make sure no Focus is active.

Does this affect notifications on my iPhone or iPad?

No. The setting is per-device. If you want to hide previews on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to change it in Settings > Notifications on that device.

Will disabling previews affect notification sounds?

No. Sounds and badges are separate settings. You can still get sound alerts and badge icons without seeing previews.

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