How to turn off notifications in Windows 10 for individual programs, or every program at once

If you've been using Windows 10 for long enough, you're probably used to being swarmed by notifications. It seems like every program has something to tell you. 

And perhaps you'd like to avoid seeing another notification about plugging or unplugging a USB.

Luckily, salvation from one of Windows' consistent annoyances is at hand. 

Here's how to turn off notifications in Windows 10 — either from all your applications at once, or only from certain programs.

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How to turn off notifications on Windows 10

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key, or by clicking the Windows icon at the bottom-left of the screen. 

2. Search "Notifications" and select "Notifications and actions settings" in the search results.

3. A new menu will open. Near the top of this menu, there should be a toggle switch labeled, "Get notifications from apps and other senders." Switch it to "Off." This will turn off all notifications.

4. Two checkboxes remain: "Show me the Windows welcome experience..." and "Get tips and tricks..." These are like tutorials — if you're already familiar with how Windows 10 works, it's recommended that you uncheck these boxes as well.

5. Alternatively, if you scroll down, you can turn off notifications on an individual application-by-application basis. If you turned all your notifications off already, these switches will be greyed out.

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