How to configure notifications in Ubuntu (GNOME)

Notifications in Ubuntu provide real-time alerts about system events and applications. These alerts appear in the GNOME desktop environment, integrating seamlessly to inform users of updates, new messages, and other important activities. They rely on underlying mechanisms such as D-Bus to coordinate and display system-level alerts.

The GNOME notification system helps maintain a balance between delivering necessary information and preventing distractions. Each application can register with the operating system to push notifications, with different priority levels and visual cues. Options to mute, prioritize, or customize alerts allow for a tailored user experience that aligns with individual workflows.

Developers often leverage tools like Libnotify to integrate notification capabilities into GNOME applications. System services use journald to log messages that may also generate desktop alerts, ensuring that both user-facing and background processes share the same core notification infrastructure. These features combine to offer a robust, configurable, and efficient notification ecosystem.

1. Open the “Settings” application from the Activities overview.
2. Select “Notifications” on the left panel.
3. Locate the desired application in the list and click its name.
4. Toggle the notification switch to enable or disable alerts for that application.
5. Choose notification level (e.g., “Alerts” or “Banners”) according to your preference.
6. Enable “Do Not Disturb” to silence all desktop notifications when focus is required.
7. Adjust notification sound or priority to tailor the alert behavior to your needs.

   Use GNOME Tweaks to further customize how notifications behave for specific applications or extensions.