---
title: "Configure course and activity notifications"
slug: "configure-course-and-activity-notifications"
tags: ["Totara Learn", "Site Administrator", "Content Creator", "How-to"]
updated: 2026-08-13T16:01:41Z
published: 2026-08-13T16:01:41Z
canonical: "totara.help/configure-course-and-activity-notifications"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure course and activity notifications

Within an individual course you can edit or create notifications for the course or the course activities.

Note that custom or amended notifications will not be included when [backing up and restoring courses](/totara-20/docs/what-are-course-backups), as these will be inherited from parent contexts instead.

## **Edit a notification**

To edit a notification for a course, follow these steps:

1. Go to the course for which you wish to configure notifications (or the course containing the course activities for which you wish to configure notifications).
2. In the **Administration** block, go to *Course administration* (or *Activity administration*) *> Notifications*.
3. Expand the feature for which you wish to configure notifications.
4. Expand the notification trigger you wish to configure.
5. Click the three dots (![three_dots(1)](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/three_dots(1).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T06%3A09%3A25Z&se=2026-11-06T07%3A09%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=9Pq7%2FhtLkR2NAw8cmeMJfNGgiM3VCFZ011zx4ZzL38g%3D)) alongside the notification you wish to edit.
6. Click **Edit**.
7. Make the desired changes to the [settings](/totara-20/docs/notification-settings). To override a specific part of the notification (e.g. the **Schedule** or **Body** text) click the toggle next to the setting, then edit the setting as required.
8. Click **Save.**

Now whenever this notification is triggered the new settings will be used.

Note that only the settings with the toggle enabled will use the edited content for the individual notification. Any settings that do not have the toggle enabled will instead inherit the content or configuration from the higher context level (e.g. the site level). You can therefore revert a setting back to the default by disabling the toggle for that setting.

If a notification is changed at a higher context level, only the settings with the toggle disabled will be updated on edited notifications at lower levels (e.g. on an individual activity). Any changes made to notifications on individual instances will not be applied elsewhere.

## **Create a notification**

To create a notification for a course, follow these steps:

1. Go to the course for which you wish to create notifications (or the course containing the course activities for which you wish to create notifications).
2. In the **Administration** block, go to *Course administration (or Activity administration) > Notifications*.
3. Expand the feature for which you wish to create a notification.
4. Click the three dots (![three_dots(1)](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/three_dots(1).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T06%3A09%3A25Z&se=2026-11-06T07%3A09%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=9Pq7%2FhtLkR2NAw8cmeMJfNGgiM3VCFZ011zx4ZzL38g%3D)) alongside the trigger for which you wish to create a notification.
5. Click **Create notification.**
6. Make the desired changes to the [settings](/totara-20/docs/notification-settings) and add your content.
7. Click **Save**.

![Course badge](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/course-badge_notifications.svg?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T06%3A09%3A25Z&se=2026-11-06T07%3A09%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=9Pq7%2FhtLkR2NAw8cmeMJfNGgiM3VCFZ011zx4ZzL38g%3D)The Totara Academy has a whole course dedicated to [Notifications](https://totara.community/course/view.php?id=706) in Totara. Here you can learn more about how to set up and use centralised notifications, see best practice, and give it a go yourself.

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

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