How to Change the Default Quiet Hours in Windows 10

Have you ever wondered why you can only turn Quiet Hours on or off in Windows 10, but not set the actual hours you want? We have, too. But with a little Registry or Group Policy hack, it turns out you can.

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How to Configure Do Not Disturb Mode in Windows 10

Windows 8 introduced the idea of Quiet Hours—Windows’ version of Do Not Disturb, where notifications won’t notify you during those hours. And in Windows 8, you could configure Quiet Hours to turn off and on at certain times. For some reason, Microsoft did away with that control in Windows 10, leaving you with only an on/off switch and the impression that everybody must have the same hours off. By default, Windows 10 sets Quiet Hours from midnight to 6:00 am, with no way to change them in the UI. The good news is that if you’re willing to dive into the Windows Registry or Local Group Policy Editor to make a couple of quick settings changes, you can change the actual times that Quiet Hours uses.

Home Users: Change Quiet Hours by Editing the Registry

If you have Windows 10 Home edition, you will have to edit the Windows Registry to make these changes. You can also do it this way if you have Windows Pro or Enterprise, but feel more comfortable working in the Registry than Local Group Policy Editor. (If you have Pro or Enterprise, though, we recommend using the easier Local Group Policy Editor, as described in the next section.)

Standard warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and misusing it can render your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a pretty simple hack and as long as you stick to the instructions, you shouldn’t have any problems. That said, if you’ve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. And definitely back up the Registry (and your computer!) before making changes.

Cr.howtogeek.com