How to Change the Duration of Notifications on MacOS

JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
1 minute

I enjoy Apple’s notification center, but sometimes I get way too many notifications. This can be distracting, not to mention it takes up screen real estate for quite a while. To my knowledge, there is no way to change the duration of notifications in System Preferences, but it can be done using the defaults command.

Posted in these interests:
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides

You can open Terminal by using Finder and going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Or you can hit cmd + space bar and search for Terminal.

Type the following into Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int {duration}

Substitute {duration} for your desired duration. Since I wanted to shorten the duration of the notifications dramatically I used:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int 1

In order for this change to take effect you must log out and back in. Click on the “Apple” in the top left of the screen and click “Log out …”. Or you can type cmd + shift + Q.

If you’d like to test out the notification duration, you can run the following command in Terminal to display notifications from the command line:

osascript -e 'display notification "test notification!"'
JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
5 minutes

In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.

How to Change the Duration of Notifications on MacOS

JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
1 minute

I enjoy Apple’s notification center, but sometimes I get way too many notifications. This can be distracting, not to mention it takes up screen real estate for quite a while. To my knowledge, there is no way to change the duration of notifications in System Preferences, but it can be done using the defaults command.

Posted in these interests:
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides

You can open Terminal by using Finder and going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Or you can hit cmd + space bar and search for Terminal.

Type the following into Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int {duration}

Substitute {duration} for your desired duration. Since I wanted to shorten the duration of the notifications dramatically I used:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int 1

In order for this change to take effect you must log out and back in. Click on the “Apple” in the top left of the screen and click “Log out …”. Or you can type cmd + shift + Q.

If you’d like to test out the notification duration, you can run the following command in Terminal to display notifications from the command line:

osascript -e 'display notification "test notification!"'
JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
5 minutes

In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.

 
1

How to Change the Duration of Notifications on MacOS

JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
1 minute

I enjoy Apple’s notification center, but sometimes I get way too many notifications. This can be distracting, not to mention it takes up screen real estate for quite a while. To my knowledge, there is no way to change the duration of notifications in System Preferences, but it can be done using the defaults command.

Posted in these interests:
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides

You can open Terminal by using Finder and going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Or you can hit cmd + space bar and search for Terminal.

Type the following into Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int {duration}

Substitute {duration} for your desired duration. Since I wanted to shorten the duration of the notifications dramatically I used:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int 1

In order for this change to take effect you must log out and back in. Click on the “Apple” in the top left of the screen and click “Log out …”. Or you can type cmd + shift + Q.

If you’d like to test out the notification duration, you can run the following command in Terminal to display notifications from the command line:

osascript -e 'display notification "test notification!"'
JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
5 minutes

In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.

How to Change the Duration of Notifications on MacOS

JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
1 minute

I enjoy Apple’s notification center, but sometimes I get way too many notifications. This can be distracting, not to mention it takes up screen real estate for quite a while. To my knowledge, there is no way to change the duration of notifications in System Preferences, but it can be done using the defaults command.

Posted in these interests:
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides

How to Change the Duration of Notifications on MacOS

JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
1 minute
John
 
1
Posted in these interests:
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides
Posted in these interests:
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides
Table of Contents

Jump to step:

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Using the defaults command, set your desired duration
  3. Log out and log back in
  4. Test it out
 
1
In these interests
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides
h/mac128 guides
h/apple163 guides
h/productivity4 guides

You can open Terminal by using Finder and going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Or you can hit cmd + space bar and search for Terminal.

You can open Terminal by using Finder and going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Or you can hit cmd + space bar and search for Terminal.

Open Terminal

Type the following into Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int {duration}

Substitute {duration} for your desired duration. Since I wanted to shorten the duration of the notifications dramatically I used:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int 1

Type the following into Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int {duration}

Substitute {duration} for your desired duration. Since I wanted to shorten the duration of the notifications dramatically I used:

defaults write com.apple.notificationcenterui bannerTime -int 1

Using the defaults command, set your desired duration

In order for this change to take effect you must log out and back in. Click on the “Apple” in the top left of the screen and click “Log out …”. Or you can type cmd + shift + Q.

In order for this change to take effect you must log out and back in. Click on the “Apple” in the top left of the screen and click “Log out …”. Or you can type cmd + shift + Q.

Log out and log back in

If you’d like to test out the notification duration, you can run the following command in Terminal to display notifications from the command line:

osascript -e 'display notification "test notification!"'

If you’d like to test out the notification duration, you can run the following command in Terminal to display notifications from the command line:

osascript -e 'display notification "test notification!"'

Test it out

How to Change the Duration of Notifications on MacOS
JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
5 minutes

In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.

JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
5 minutes

In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.

NEXT UP
How to Display macOS Notifications from the Command Line
JohnJohn John (304)
Nov 19, 2020
5 minutes
John Continue reading
Share this guide!
RedditEmailText
John's profile pictureJohn's profile pictureJohn
Joined in 2015 304 guides
Software Engineer and creator of howchoo.
John's profile picture
Related to this guide:
How to Display macOS Notifications from the Command LineHow to Display macOS Notifications from the Command Line
In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.
In these interests: macapple
no notificationsno notifications
Have you ever heard that annoying ding, notifying you about something running in the background on your computer?
In these interests: windowspc
Open a .rar file in MacOSOpen a .rar file in MacOS
Use “The Unarchiver” to unzip a .rar file for free.
In these interests: macmacos
How to Display macOS Notifications from the Command LineHow to Display macOS Notifications from the Command Line
In this guide, we’re going to use AppleScript and a tool called osascript to display macOS notifications.
In these interests: macapple
John's profile pictureView guide
In these interests: macapple
macapple
no notificationsno notifications
Have you ever heard that annoying ding, notifying you about something running in the background on your computer?
In these interests: windowspc
Jamie's profile pictureView guide
In these interests: windowspc
windowspc
Open a .rar file in MacOSOpen a .rar file in MacOS
Use “The Unarchiver” to unzip a .rar file for free.
In these interests: macmacos
Michael's profile pictureView guide
In these interests: macmacos
macmacos
People also read:
How to Create an Emoji Alias on Slack
JavaScript for loops
Proper American Flag DisposalProper American Flag Disposal
Proper American Flag DisposalHow to properly dispose of a worn or damaged American flag
Python Dictionary Comprehension (With Examples)
How to Scan a QR Code on an iPhone or iPadHow to Scan a QR Code on an iPhone or iPad
How to Scan a QR Code on an iPhone or iPadHow to Scan a QR Code on an iPhone or iPad
Uninstall any unwanted Android apps.
How to Save in InDesign as a PDFHow to Save in InDesign as a PDF
Hint: you technically aren’t looking to save but to export.
Gatsby logoGatsby logo
No more jamming everything in your Layout component.
How to Delete Apps on Any Android Device
How to Save in InDesign as a PDFHow to Save in InDesign as a PDF
How to Save in InDesign as a PDFHow to Save in InDesign as a PDF
Gatsby logoGatsby logo
Gatsby logoStore Gatsby GraphQL Fragments in Their Own External Files
messenger kids codesmessenger kids codes
messenger kids codesHow to Add Friends Using Codes on Messenger Kids
How to Disable Notifications in Chrome
Posted in these interests:
macmac
Explore
h/mac 128 guides
appleapple
Explore
h/apple 163 guides
Apple Computers is an American computer and consumer electronics company founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
productivityproductivity
Explore
h/productivity 4 guides
macmac
Explore
h/mac 128 guides
Explore
appleapple
Explore
h/apple 163 guides
Apple Computers is an American computer and consumer electronics company founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Explore
productivityproductivity
Explore
h/productivity 4 guides
Explore
Discuss this guide!
Discover interesting things!
Explore Howchoo’s most popular interests.
Explore

Follow @howchoo and learn cool things:

Are you a passionate writer? We’re hiring!

Write for Howchoo

Like what we do?

Donate

Want to support Howchoo? When you buy a tool or material through one of our Amazon links, we earn a small commission as an Amazon Associate.

Write for HowchooDonate

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *