Priority Notifications Not Working on DND - Teams Desktop & Web

Question

Hi Team,

I am facing an issue with the Microsoft Teams Desktop app and web where priority contact notifications are not coming through when my status is set to Do Not Disturb.

Details:

• Using Microsoft Teams (New Teams) on Windows.
• Priority contacts have been correctly added under Privacy > Manage priority access.
• When status is set to Do Not Disturb, I do not receive any banner/toast notifications from priority contacts.
• Tried on web, where notifications only appear if the application is open. If Teams app is minimized, priority alerts do not bypass DND as expected.

Expected behavior: Priority notifications should bypass Do Not Disturb and show immediately on desktop app as well as on web version

Could you please advise how to resolve this issue?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Dear @Sneha Uniyal,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand that you're facing an issue where priority contact notifications are not coming through when your status is set to Do Not Disturb (DND) in both the Teams Desktop app and web version. As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or investigate the backend systems to diagnose and fix this for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users.

From my research, when priority notifications fail to bypass DND, it’s often due to a synchronization conflict between the Microsoft Teams app and the Windows operating system. Please try these steps to see if they help:

1.Synchronize Windows Focus Settings

In Windows 11 and recent updates of Windows 10, the OS-level Do Not Disturb can override app-specific settings. Even if Teams is set to allow priority contacts through, Windows might still silence the app entirely.

• Go to Windows Settings > System > Notifications.
• Check if Do Not Disturb is toggled On.

Also check When Windows Do not disturb is on, don’t show me Teams notifications (except for calls and meetings) setting is off in Teams settings > Notifications and activity.

2.Clear Teams cache

2. Clear Teams cache
3. Type settings in the search box, and then select the Settings app from the results.
4. Select Apps > Installed apps, and then type Microsoft Teams in the search box.
5. Locate the New Microsoft Teams app from the results, select the More options button (...) on the right, and then select Advanced options.
6. In the Reset section, select Reset.
7. Restart Teams.

For reference: Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

3.Address the web issue

The web app (teams.microsoft.com) relies heavily on browser notifications and OS-level permissions:

• Priority notifications should still bypass DND in Teams, but if the browser tab is not active or Teams is minimized/closed, banners may not appear reliably
• Ensure browser notifications are enabled for Teams (check Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications)
• Under Customized behaviors, add Teams as Allowed to send notifications.

For consistent performance, I recommend using the desktop app as the primary method, as the web version has limitations for background/minimized alerts.

If none of the above solutions work, let me know in the comments for further investigation. Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your reply. 

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.