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In Windows 11, open Start > Settings > System > Focus and select Start focus session. You can also start one from the taskbar’s clock and notification area or from Clock > Focus sessions. Focus sessions turn on Do not disturb and offer controls for session length and taskbar distractions.
Three ways to start a Focus session in Windows 11
Microsoft describes Focus as a Windows feature designed to help you stay on task by minimizing distractions. Pick the entry point that suits what you need: Settings offers direct controls, the taskbar is the quick route, and Clock provides a fuller session view and timer. Microsoft’s Focus guide documents these options.
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Start from Settings
- Open Start > Settings > System > Focus.
- Adjust the session options if needed, then select Start focus session.
Start from the taskbar
- Select the clock or notification area on the taskbar.
- Choose a session duration, then select Focus.
If you need to open the notification area with the keyboard, press Windows key + N.
Start from the Clock app
- Open Clock > Focus sessions.
- Choose a duration and, if desired, whether to include breaks.
- Select Start focus session.
Clock displays the session timer and can expand to its full view. If Clock has been uninstalled, reinstall it to use Clock-based Focus sessions.
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Choose what happens during a session
Open Settings > System > Focus to configure the session. Available options include session duration, whether to show the timer in Clock, whether to hide taskbar app badges, whether to hide flashing taskbar apps, and whether to turn on Do not disturb. In Clock, you can also choose whether to include breaks.
The Clock app optionally connects to Spotify for selected playlists or podcasts. If you use Microsoft To Do, you can select tasks before starting a session. These are optional integrations, not requirements for using Focus.
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How Focus and Do not disturb work together
Starting a Focus session turns on Do not disturb automatically. Notifications received during the session can be reviewed later in Notification Center. If Do not disturb was already on before the session, it remains on after the session ends; Focus does not necessarily restore the earlier notification state. Microsoft’s notification guidance explains the related controls.
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You can turn Do not disturb on manually from Notification Center using the bell icon marked zZ. With it enabled, alarms, reminders, and selected apps may still show banners while other notifications go to Notification Center.
For more control, open Settings > System > Notifications. There you can choose priority notifications—including calls, reminders, and selected apps—and configure automatic activation. Documented triggers include certain times, display duplication, gaming, full-screen apps, and the first hour after a Windows feature update.
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Focus versus the older Focus assist controls
Windows 11’s Focus sessions are started through Settings, the taskbar, or Clock. Older Focus assist directions refer to a different interface, with modes called Off, Priority only, and Alarms only, as well as automatic rules. Do not follow those legacy steps as if they were the Windows 11 Focus-session workflow. Microsoft’s current Focus article includes both sets of directions, while its accessibility guide also gives the Windows 11 Settings path.
If you cannot find Focus
- In Windows 11, check Start > Settings > System for Focus, or look for the clock and notification area on the taskbar.
- If you want to start a session through Clock and the app is missing, reinstall Clock.
- If you see only Focus assist options such as Priority only or Alarms only, you are looking at the legacy controls, not the Windows 11 Focus-session steps.
Windows 10 note
Microsoft’s Focus support page covers Windows 10 as well as Windows 11, but its session walkthrough uses the Windows 11 Focus and Clock interface. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025: Microsoft no longer provides free Windows Update software updates, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10 after that date. Windows 10 PCs continue to work; Microsoft recommends moving to Windows 11.
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