Viewing notifications on Mac mini

How to view notifications on your Mac mini (macOS 27.0)

We understand your frustration. Most of the instructions you find online tell you to click the date and time in the top-right corner of your screen, but that doesn't seem to be working for you.

There are actually several ways to access Notification Centre on your Mac mini. Let's go through them.

1. Use the direct keyboard shortcut (easiest option)

Apple provides a built-in keyboard shortcut to open and close Notification Centre:

Press Fn + N on your keyboard.

If your keyboard has a Globe key (🌐) instead of an Fn key, try Globe + N.

This is probably the quickest way to access your notifications without having to click anything on the screen.

Apple reference: Mac keyboard shortcuts

2. Use your trackpad

If you have an Apple Magic Trackpad connected to your Mac mini:

• Move your pointer to the right edge of the trackpad.
• Swipe left with two fingers, starting at the right edge.

Notification Centre should slide into view.

3. Make sure you're clicking the right icon

There are two different controls in the top-right corner of your screen:

• Date and time: Opens Notification Centre.
• Control Centre: The icon with two switches opens controls for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, Focus and other settings.

If you're seeing a collection of system controls, you may be opening Control Centre instead of Notification Centre.

4. Check your menu bar settings

If clicking the date and time still doesn't open Notification Centre:

1. Click the Apple menu ().
2. Open System Settings.
3. Select Menu Bar in the sidebar.
4. Check that the clock is displayed in the menu bar.

5. Check whether notifications are enabled

If Notification Centre opens but doesn't show any notifications:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Select Notifications.
3. Choose an app, such as Mail or Messages.
4. Make sure Allow Notifications is enabled.
5. Check whether a Focus mode, such as Do Not Disturb, is turned on.

Apple's official support links

For additional information, these Apple guides are particularly useful:

Get notifications on Mac

Mac keyboard shortcuts

Use Notification Centre on Mac

My recommendation

I'd suggest trying Fn + N first. It's a direct, built-in keyboard shortcut for Notification Centre and avoids the need to navigate through the menu bar.

If that doesn't work, try the two-finger trackpad gesture.

That looks as if you don't have any notifications. You might want to remove the widgets for now, just until you figure out what the issue is.

Use Notification Center on Mac - Apple Support

Also, your screenshot would be more helpful if it included the menu bar.

Thank you so much for that great information I'm sure I will be able to figure out very very easily from that information

Dan

You are welcome

🦉-53