The internet can be a visually tiring place at times. Ads and videos fight for your attention, while some websites will even ask for permission to send you notifications just in case the overload hasn’t been successful enough. Thankfully, browsers have settings you can use to manage these interruptions, should you change your mind later and decide you don’t want them from certain sites.
We show you how you to turn off notifications from specific websites while using Chrome, Firefox and other popular browsers.
How can I stop website notifications on Chrome?
To find the Notification setting on Chrome open the browser and click on the three dots in the top right corner. From the menu that appears, select Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings and scroll down until you find Notifications. Clicking on this opens another menu, at the top of which is the option Sites can ask to send notifications. Toggle the switch off and you shouldn’t be bothered by requests any longer.
To stop notifications from a specific site, scroll down past the ‘Block’ list to ‘Allowed’ click on the three dots to the right of the site in question and click Block, and it will move to the Block list.
How can I stop website notifications on Firefox?
Open Firefox and click on the cog icon in the top right corner to open the settings menu. In the left-hand column select Privacy & Security then scroll the main pane down until you find the Permissions section, in which you’ll see Notifications. Next to the latter, click Settings then tick the box named Block new requests asking to allow notifications the Save Changes. You can also look through any websites listed in the main box and remove these if you don’t wish to receive notifications from them any longer.
How can I stop website notifications on Opera?
Open Opera and click on the three lines in the top right corner. Scroll down to the bottom of the menu and click on Go to browser settings.
Find the section with the heading Privacy and security, then click on Site Settings. On the next page you’ll find Notifications. Click on this then turn off the Ask before sending (recommended) switch.
As with Chrome, there are Block and Allow lists, so you can block notifications from sites that you don’t want to hear from any more.
How can I stop website notifications on Safari?
Open Safari then click on Safari in the top left corner and select Preferences from the drop-down menu. Select the Websites tab then click on Notifications in the left-hand column. Finally, untick the box headed Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications.
If you’re thinking of changing the app you use to access the internet, be sure to read our recommendations for the best web browsers and also the best VPN services to keep you safe online.
And if you’d like to stop ads popping up showing things you’ve looked at previously, here’s how to stop online tracking and get some privacy.
Author: Martyn Casserly, Contributor
Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews for Macworld and its sister site Tech Advisor.