# Choose your notifications and mute a channel

Decide how loudly each channel speaks to you, mute a busy channel for a while, set the default for all your channels, and tell colleagues whether you are available.

Every member of a channel decides how much of it reaches them. By default, a channel notifies you only when someone mentions you; you can ask for every message, for nothing, or silence a channel for a few hours. These choices are yours alone: they change nothing for the other members.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- No access right is needed: every user sets their own notifications.
- Whether a notification reaches you in Discuss or in your mailbox depends on your **Notification** preference, **In Jaah** or **By Emails**, chosen in [Set your preferences](/docs/essentials/set-your-preferences).
- On a phone, open the conversation and tap its name at the top: the menu offers the same **Notification Settings**.

## Choose what a channel notifies you about {#channel}

1. Open **Discuss** and click the channel, here **intake-desk**.
2. Click the bell **Notification Settings** in the header of the channel.
3. Choose one of the four options:
   - **Use Default**: follow your general setting, shown under it (**Mentions Only** unless you changed it).
   - **All Messages**: every new message of the channel calls for your attention, with a sound.
   - **Mentions Only**: only the messages that mention you.
   - **Nothing**: the channel stays silent; its messages are there when you open it.

![The bell of the intake-desk channel, now set to notify you of every message.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12700-fc70a1c5/discuss-notifications-channel_bell-en.png)

The choice applies at once; click outside the box to close it.

## Mute a channel for a while {#mute}

1. In the same box, click **Mute Conversation**.
2. Pick a duration: **For 15 minutes**, **For 1 hour**, **For 3 hours**, **For 8 hours**, **For 24 hours**, or **Until I turn it back on**.

![The durations offered by Mute Conversation.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12702-34dc36cb/discuss-notifications-mute_durations-en.png)

The bell of the channel turns into a crossed-out bell and the channel's name fades in the sidebar.

![A muted channel; its bell is crossed out and its name greyed in the sidebar.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12704-74b1dbf6/discuss-notifications-channel_muted-en.png)

When the time is up, the channel speaks again by itself. To end it sooner, open the bell again: the first line reads **Unmute Conversation** with the time the mute ends.

## Set the default for all your channels {#default}

Open **Discuss/Configuration/Notifications**. Under **Channel Notifications**, choose **All Messages**, **Mentions Only** or **Nothing**: the choice applies to every channel left on **Use Default**. The switch **Message sound** plays a sound when a new message arrives.

![The default for every channel you did not set yourself, and the sound of new messages.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12706-55bc3184/discuss-notifications-default_notifications-en.png)

## Turn on browser notifications {#browser}

Click the **Messages** icon in the top bar. While your browser has not been asked yet, the list starts with **Turn on notifications** and an **Enable** button: click it and accept the question of the browser. New messages then also show as notifications of your browser, so you see them while you work in another tab.

## Tell others whether you are available {#presence}

Click your avatar in the top bar and point at your status, **Online** by default. Choose **Away**, **Do Not Disturb**, which stops your notifications, or **Offline**. Colleagues see the status as a dot on your picture.

## FAQ {#faq}

### I muted a channel: will I miss mentions? {#muted-mentions}

No. A muted channel makes no sound and no longer shows its unread messages in bold, but a message that mentions you still adds to its counter, and every message is there when you open the channel.

### Why do I receive e-mails for messages I already read in Discuss? {#emails}

Your **Notification** preference is **By Emails**. Switch it to **In Jaah** in [Set your preferences](/docs/essentials/set-your-preferences): mentions and the messages of the records you follow then arrive in your Inbox instead.

### Does my choice change anything for the other members? {#others}

No. Each member keeps their own setting for each channel.

### What does Do Not Disturb change? {#dnd}

Your status shows that you are busy and, as the menu says, no sound, pop-up or browser notification reaches you until you choose another status. Mentions and the messages of the records you follow still wait in your Inbox.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/discuss/choose-your-notifications
- Updated: 2026-10-27
- Version: Discuss 19.0.1.19
- Verified: 2026-10-27