How do I clear all notifications at once?

Yes, Samsung phones have a built-in “Clear all” button that removes all your notifications in one tap. You can find it by pulling down the notification shade from the top of your screen and scrolling to the bottom of your notifications list, where a Clear all button appears. Below, we cover everything you need to know about managing Android notifications on your Samsung device.

Does Samsung have a ‘clear all' button for notifications?

Samsung does include a dedicated “Clear all” button in the notification shade. To access it, swipe down from the top of your screen to open the notification panel, then scroll down past all your notifications. At the very bottom, you will see a Clear all button. Tap it once, and every dismissible notification disappears instantly.

This button has been a standard part of Samsung's One UI interface for several years, and it works across Samsung smartphones and tablets running recent versions of One UI. It is one of the quickest ways to tidy up a cluttered notification list without having to swipe away each alert individually. If you do not see the button right away, make sure you have scrolled all the way to the bottom of the panel, since it only appears below the last notification in the list.

How do you swipe away all notifications at once on Samsung?

The fastest way to clear all Android notifications at once on a Samsung phone is to use the “Clear all” button described above. However, if you prefer a gesture-based approach, you can also swipe individual notifications to the left or right to dismiss them one by one. There is no single swipe gesture that removes every notification simultaneously, so the button remains the quickest method.

Here is a quick step-by-step recap of both approaches:

• Using the Clear all button: Swipe down from the top of your screen, scroll to the bottom of the notification list, and tap Clear all.
• Swiping individually: Swipe a single notification left or right to dismiss it. Repeat for each alert you want to remove.
• Using the notification settings shortcut: On some notifications, you can tap and hold, then select options to manage that app's alerts without leaving the notification shade.

For most people, the Clear all button is the most practical option. If you find yourself clearing notifications several times a day, it may be worth adjusting which apps are allowed to send alerts in the first place, which we cover below.

Why won't some notifications clear on my Samsung phone?

Some notifications on Samsung phones are designed to be persistent and cannot be dismissed with the “Clear all” button. These are typically system-level alerts, such as active downloads, ongoing calls, media playback controls, or notifications from apps that have been set to stay visible until a specific action is taken. They are intentionally locked in place so you do not accidentally dismiss something important.

Common examples of notifications that resist clearing include:

• Active phone calls or voice recordings in progress
• File downloads or app installations that are still running
• Music or podcast playback controls from a streaming app
• Alarm or reminder alerts waiting for your acknowledgment
• Device administrator or security notifications from your phone's system

If a notification refuses to clear and you are not sure why it is there, tap and hold on it to reveal more details about which app sent it. From there, you can either complete the underlying action (such as finishing a download) or adjust the app's notification settings to prevent it from pinning alerts in the future.

Can you stop certain apps from sending notifications altogether?

Yes, you can completely turn off notifications for any individual app on your Samsung phone. Go to Settings, tap Notifications, then select App notifications. Find the app you want to silence, tap on it, and toggle notifications off. That app will no longer send any alerts until you re-enable them.

Samsung's One UI also gives you more granular control if you do not want to block an app entirely. Many apps offer multiple notification categories, so you can, for example, keep order confirmation alerts from a shopping app while turning off its promotional messages. To see these categories, tap the app name inside the notification settings and look for the list of individual notification types.

Another quick route is to manage notifications directly from the notification shade. Press and hold on a notification from the app you want to adjust, and a small settings icon will appear. Tap it to jump straight to that app's notification options without navigating through the full Settings menu.

What's the difference between muting and clearing notifications?

Clearing a notification removes it from your notification shade permanently, while muting (or silencing) a notification means the alert still arrives but does not make a sound or cause your screen to light up. These are two distinct actions that serve different purposes depending on how much you want to be interrupted by a particular app.

Clearing notifications

When you clear a notification, it is gone from your panel. The app has already delivered its message, and you are simply dismissing it. This does not affect future notifications from that app. Clearing is useful when you have already seen the alert and no longer need it visible.

Muting notifications

Muting, on the other hand, controls how future notifications behave rather than removing existing ones. On Samsung phones, you can set an app's notifications to Silent delivery inside Settings > Notifications. Silent notifications still appear in your notification shade, but they arrive without any sound, vibration, or screen wake-up. This is a good middle ground when you want to stay informed without being constantly interrupted.

Think of it this way: clearing is about tidying up what is already there, and muting is about controlling how new alerts arrive. Many people find it useful to do both, clearing old alerts regularly while muting apps that send frequent but low-priority messages.

How SamMobile helps you get more from your Samsung phone

Managing Android notifications is just one small part of getting the most out of your Samsung device. We at SamMobile are here to make that easier with straightforward, jargon-free guidance written specifically for everyday Samsung users. Here is what you can expect from us:

• Plain-language how-to guides that walk you through Samsung features step by step, without assuming any technical background
• Up-to-date Samsung news covering the latest One UI updates, new device launches, and feature changes as they happen
• Honest device advice to help you decide which Samsung phone, tablet, or wearable suits your lifestyle and budget
• Practical tips for everyday tasks like managing storage, improving battery life, and customizing your settings

Whether you just picked up your first Samsung device or you have been using one for years, we are here to help you feel confident with it. Visit SamMobile to explore all our guides, or head to our latest Samsung news to stay up to date. Have a question we have not answered yet? Get in touch with us and we will do our best to help.