

Under Notification area, choose Select which icons appear on the taskbar. Select Start, then select Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Ĭhoose from the different options under Simplify and personalize Windows. Select Start, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Display. You can declutter your taskbar and simplify the Start menu, use Focus assist to manage your notifications, and use the Immersive Reader to minimize visual distractions when reading a web page in Microsoft Edge. Windows offers lots of ways to minimize distractions so it's easier to focus on tasks. Alternatively, select ( Enter Immersive Reader) on the address bar. To start using the Immersive Reader, open the web page you want to read in Microsoft Edge, and then press the function key + F9. For more info on the Immersive Reader, go to Use Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge. To read a web page on a simpler and cleaner layout, use the Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge. To define where the notifications appear for each app, select a specific app, then change the options as desired. In Notifications from apps and other senders, turn off the apps you don't want notifications from and turn on the apps you do want to get notifications from. If notifications are distracting when they appear on your screen, adjust which apps display notifications and fine-tune how they appear. You can also choose the types of tasks that will turn on do not disturb automatically. In Turn on do not disturb automatically, select During these times to turn it on.Ĭhoose when do not disturb turns on, turns off, and how often it repeats. Select Start > Settings > System > Notifications. Tip: To quickly switch Do not disturb on, go to the taskbar and select the battery, network, or volume icon to open the notification center, then turn it on or off. Modify these options to get the notifications you want to see when do not disturb is turned on. If you want to choose notifications from certain apps, select Set priority notifications. To see and hear fewer notifications, turn on Do not disturb. Select Start > Settings > System > Notifications, then adjust the settings. Choose the notifications you want to see and hear You can also modify the notifications settings to choose which apps display notifications. The rest of the notifications will go to the notification center where you can see them any time. Turn the switches off for the folders you want to hide.ĭo not disturb allows you to define which notifications you see and hear and when. To select which folders are shown or hidden in the Start menu next to the power button, select Folders, and turn on the switches for the folders you want to see. To show or hide your recently opened items, toggle the Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer switch on or off. To show or hide the apps you use the most, toggle the Show most used appsswitch on or off. To show or hide recently added apps, toggle the Show recently added apps switch on or off. To simplify the Start menu, do one or more of the following: Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Start.

You can select what to show in the Start menu-keeping distractions at a minimum and finding what you need quickly. The icons with the switches turned off won't show directly on the taskbar-they'll only appear in the taskbar corner overflow menu. Turn on the switches for the icons that you want to see in the taskbar corner. To select which icons can appear in the taskbar corner, select Taskbar corner overflow. Select Taskbar items and Taskbar corner icons to expand those sections and turn off the switches for the items you don't want to see on the taskbar. Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. To define how long notifications are shown, expand the Dismiss notifications after this amount of time menu and select the option you want.Ĭhoose which icons appear on the taskbar and reduce the number of items in view. If you don't want Windows to show animations, turn off the Animation effects switch. To make some window backgrounds more opaque, turn off the Transparency effects switch. To automatically hide the scrollbars in Windows, turn off the Always show scrollbars switch. To minimize distractions, do one or more of the following:

Select Start > Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects. Minimize visual distractions by turning off animations, background images, and more. You can declutter your taskbar and simplify the Start menu, use Focus to manage your notifications, and use the Immersive Reader to minimize visual distractions when reading a web page in Microsoft Edge.
