Turn off Outlook notifications and alerts

Posted on:  01/01/2017
Turn off Outlook notifications and alerts

An Outlook Desktop Alert is a notification that appears on your desktop when you receive a new email message, a meeting request, or a task request. By default, Desktop Alerts are turned on.

If you are doing a presentation or showing someone how to do something on your computer, I suggest you turn off Desktop Alerts.  Why? The same reason you don’t want someone reading your emails is the same reason to turn off Desktop Alerts. What if you are presenting and an alert appears about staff reductions or putting an employee on a Performance Improvement Plan.

To get to Outlook Desktop Alerts:

  1. On the File tab, choose Options > Mail.
  2. Under Message arrival, select or clear the Display a Desktop Alert check box.

Screenshot of Outlook's desktop alert

Turn Outlook's alerts on and off

Chris Menard

Chris Menard is a certified Microsoft Trainer (MCT) and works as a full-time Trainer at BakerHostetler - one of the largest law firms in the US. He runs a YouTube channel with 900+ technology videos that cover various tools such as Excel, Word, Zoom, Teams, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Outlook. To date, the channel has helped over 20 million viewers. Menard also does 2 to 3 public speaking events every year, presenting at the Administrative Professional Conference (APC), the EA Ignite Conference, the Support Staff Conference, the University of Georgia, and CPA conferences. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at chrismenardtraining.com/linked or watch his videos on YouTube at chrismenardtraining.com/youtube.

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