How do I manage notifications in Skype on desktop?

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    1. Select your profile picture.
    2. Select Settings gear button Settings.
    3. Select Notifications bell button Notifications, then turn the listed notification types on or off.
    • Chat Notifications: to mute chats only (calls will still come through).
    • Contact comes online notification: to be notified when a contact is online.
    • Reactions: to be notified when someone reacts to your messages.
    • Notification sounds: to play sounds for new messages.
    • Tips & Tricks: to show or hide in-app notifications about Skype features, though you will still see critical system notifications if this is turned off.
      Note: if you turn off Tips & Tricks, you might not see birthday notifications in Skype.

    • Scheduled call notifications: to be reminded for scheduled calls.
    • Poll notifications: to be notified for polls in Skype.
    • Do Not Disturb: 
      • Show chat notifications: to mute chats in Do Not Disturb mode.
      • Show call notifications: to mute calls in Do Not Disturb mode.
    • Email Notifications:
      • Missed chat reminders: to receive email about chats you missed in the last 72 hours.
      • Missed call reminders: to receive email about calls you missed in the last 72 hours.

    Alternatively, from your profile, you can set your presence to Do Not Disturb to block chat notifications and let your contacts know you are currently unavailable. Calls will still come through, however, unless you turn off Show call notifications in Settings > Notifications. Learn how to control who you receive calls from.

    Note: By default, with Notifications or Smart Notifications turned on, calls will ring through.

    Can I reduce the number of Skype notifications without turning them off completely?

    Yes, you can control alerts for specific conversations in Skype.

    1. Select a conversation or group from your chat list.
    2. Select the contact or group name at the top of your chat.
    3. In a chat, scroll down and select Chat Settings. In a group, scroll down to Group Settings and notifications off or on for that chat.

      Alternatively for group chats, you can enable Smart notifications, so you will only be notified when you are quoted or @mentioned. 
    Why did I stop receiving Skype notifications?

    There could be a few reasons why you might not be receiving notifications:

    • Notifications will stop when you sign out of the app. Make sure you are signed in.
    • Make sure your notifications for conversations is on.
    • Make sure your notification sounds are on. 
    • If you are in Do Not Disturb mode, you will not receive chat notifications by default.  You can change that behavior by selecting your profile picture, then in Settings, tap Notifications, then turn Show chat notifications on or off.
    • Verify that you haven't turned Skype notifications off from your device settings. Settings are managed differently depending on the device. If you’re not sure how to check your device settings, you may need to check the manufacturer’s website.
    • Make sure you haven't turned notifications off for a specific conversation.
    • Make sure you're using the latest version of Skype.
    • Verify that you haven't turned Focus assist on in Windows 10 or Windows 11.
    Why am I still receiving Skype notifications after closing the Skype app?

    If you close the Skype app without signing out first, you might still receive notifications. If you want to stop these notifications, you can either disable them from your Settings or sign out before you close the app.

    Your computer may still play a sound for new messages even though you've turned notifications off in Skype. To stop your computer from playing a sound when you get a new Skype message, select Settings > Notifications, and then turn Notification sounds off or on.

    Note: Notification settings are not stored on your device when you sign out of Skype and select No when asked if you want to remember the account and application settings on the device.


    Looking for the mobile version of this article? How do I manage notifications in Skype on mobile or tablet?

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