Slack notifications not working? Here's the fix, in order.

Notifications that just stop — no banners, no sound, no badge — are almost never a Slack outage. They're a setting, and it's usually one of a small number of settings, checked in the wrong order. Here's the order that actually finds it fastest.

Check Slack's own settings first

Before touching anything at the OS level, rule out the three things inside Slack itself that silence notifications on purpose:

• Do Not Disturb / paused notifications. Click your profile picture in the bottom corner — if your status shows a paused or DND icon, select Resume notifications. A scheduled DND window (set under Preferences → Notifications → Do Not Disturb) will silently re-silence you every night if you don't turn it off there too. Our Slack DND breakdown covers exactly what it silences and what it doesn't.
• A muted channel or conversation. Click the channel name → check the notification bell icon. A channel set to "Nothing" or "Mentions only" won't notify you for regular messages, and this is scoped per-channel — muting one doesn't affect the rest.
• Notification preferences. Go to Preferences → Notifications and confirm "What to notify you about" is set to something other than the most restrictive option, and that both desktop and mobile notification toggles are on for the device you're checking.

Fix it on Mac

Mac is where most "I checked Slack and it's all correct" reports come from, because the actual block is usually at the OS level, not in the app:

• Allow Notifications is off. Open System Settings → Notifications, scroll to Slack, and confirm Allow Notifications is toggled on and the alert style isn't set to "None." macOS has been known to silently flip this after a system update.
• A Focus mode is filtering Slack out. Check the Focus/Do Not Disturb icon in the menu bar. If a Focus mode is active, it can suppress Slack notifications even though Slack's own settings say to send them — Focus modes have their own allowed-apps list, separate from the general notification toggle.
• Notification Center is set to a silent style. Under Slack's entry in System Settings → Notifications, confirm the banner style is "Banners" or "Alerts," not the minimal "Badges only" style, if you want the on-screen popup as well as the badge.

Fix it on Windows

• Focus assist is on. Windows' Focus assist (Settings → System → Notifications → Focus assist) can silence app notifications during set hours or while presenting/gaming — check whether it's currently active.
• Slack is blocked in Windows notification settings. Settings → System → Notifications → scroll to Slack and confirm it's toggled on, with banners and sound both enabled if you want both.

Fix it on mobile (iOS / Android)

• Notification permission was denied. Open your phone's Settings → Notifications → Slack and confirm permissions are granted — this is commonly reset after reinstalling the app or a major OS update.
• Android battery optimization is killing the background connection. If Slack is restricted by battery-saver or "unused app" pausing, background notifications stop arriving even with permissions on. Exempt Slack from battery optimization in your device's app settings.
• Reinstall as a last resort. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app resets its deep notification registration with the OS, which fixes a stubborn subset of cases nothing else touches.

Still nothing? Clear the cache

If Slack's settings and your OS permissions both look correct and notifications still aren't arriving, clear Slack's local cache: in the desktop app, go to Help → Troubleshooting → Clear Cache and Restart (Windows: the hamburger menu top-left; Mac: the Help menu in the top bar). This resets Slack's local connection state without touching your workspace data, and it's the fix most often cited for notifications that stop arriving for no visible reason.

If notifications work but your status still doesn't

Notifications and presence are unrelated systems in Slack — fixing one doesn't touch the other. If people can message you fine but you're still showing as Away when you're at your desk, that's a separate, activity-timeout-driven problem. See what to do when your Slack status stops updating or how Slack decides you're active in the first place.

FAQ

Why am I not getting Slack notifications anymore?
Almost always one of three things: Do Not Disturb is on, the channel is muted, or your OS is blocking Slack at the system level even though Slack's own settings look fine. Work through Slack's settings first, then OS permissions.

Why are my Slack notifications not working on Mac specifically?
macOS can silently revoke per-app notification permission after an update, and Focus modes suppress Slack independently of Slack's own settings. Check System Settings → Notifications → Slack, then check for an active Focus mode.

Why is my laptop not making a sound when I get a Slack notification?
Sound and the banner are controlled separately. Check Slack's own notification-sound setting, then your OS's per-app sound setting, and rule out a muted channel — mutes suppress sound too.

How do I make Slack notifications pop up on desktop again?
Preferences → Notifications → set desktop notifications to "All new messages" or "Direct messages, mentions & keywords," then confirm your OS hasn't silenced Slack's banner style separately.

I fixed my notifications but Slack still shows me as away — what's going on?
Notifications and presence status are separate systems. Presence is driven by mouse/keyboard activity and a 10-minute idle timeout, not your notification settings — see our guide on what keeps your status active.