A notification can reveal a subject line, sender or preview even when its application is not open in front of you. If other people can see your computer, decide which information is appropriate on the lock screen before the next real alert arrives.

Begin with the applications that handle private communications or work records. You do not need to disable every notification to review the content shown by one app.

Adjust the relevant application

In Windows 11, open Settings, System, Notifications. Under notifications from apps and other senders, select the application. Where offered, enable Hide content when notifications are on lock screen.

This area also provides separate controls for notification banners, notification centre and sounds. Keep their purposes distinct while testing: changing where an alert appears is a different decision from hiding its locked-screen content.

If an expected application or option is absent, inspect that application’s own notification documentation. Record what is actually available instead of assuming every program exposes identical controls.

Test the locked and unlocked situations

Use an ordinary harmless alert generated through the app’s normal features. Lock the computer using the Windows account controls, then observe what another person could read without signing in.

Check the application name, sender, preview and any visible action buttons. The test should answer a concrete question: does the locked screen expose information you intended to keep private?

Sign back in and inspect a new harmless alert. A locked-screen content setting does not establish how an unlocked banner, notification centre or a screen-sharing session will look. Assess those situations separately if they matter to your work.

Keep necessary security and account alerts available through an appropriate channel. After changing settings, confirm that you can still find the alerts you need and recognise when they arrived. The intended outcome is controlled visibility with a working follow-up route, rather than discovering later that an important notification disappeared from your routine.

Sources: Microsoft notifications settings.