If you’re one of the Windows 10 users who is not seeing notification banners on your computer, this article is for you. Typically, when you receive a notification on your Windows 10 PC, you hear a tone and a banner appears near the Action Center, showing a preview of the content of the notification. Unfortunately, some users don’t see the notification banners on their computers, which can be really frustrating. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are some easy steps you can take to fix this issue and start receiving notifications again.
How to Fix Notification Banner Not Showing Issue on Windows 10
Turn on Notification Banner
The first step is to check whether your computer is set up to show notification banners. Sometimes, a third-party app may have disabled notifications or changed settings to help you focus better without you realizing. Here’s what you can do to turn on notification banners:
- Open the Windows Setting app
- Select System
- In the menu on the left, click Notifications & actions
- Activate the button below Receive notifications from apps and other senders
If you still don’t see notification banners for important apps, you may need to check their settings individually as well (details in the article).
Turn Off Focus Assist
Windows 10 Focus Assist feature may be preventing notifications from showing up on your device. When you enable Focus Assist feature, all notifications are turned off on your device, except for alarms. To check whether Focus Assist is currently enabled, follow these steps:
- Click Start, then head to Settings> System
- In the left panel, select Focus Assist
- Make sure the Disable option is selected to receive all notifications
Please also check the Automatic Rules section to ensure Focus Assist does not reactivate on its own.
Allow Applications to Run in Background
Windows 10 cannot display notification banners from an application if that application cannot run in the background. Follow these steps to check if your apps are set up correctly:
- Click Start, then head to Settings> Privacy
- In the left pane, select Background apps
- Activate the toggle below Allow apps to run in the background. If it’s already enabled, turn it off and on again.
- Now, scroll down to choose which apps can run in the background and toggle the switch next to the app that should show the notification banners
Check Battery Settings
Windows 10’s battery saving mode may be limiting notifications and background activity, causing the notification banners not to show up. This is how you can check your configuration:
- Click Start, then head to Settings> System
- In the left pane menu, click Battery
- Turn off the switch under Battery saver
- Restart your PC or laptop and check if Windows 10 shows notification banners after this change
Check the Notification Settings in Ease of Access
It’s possible that notification banners are showing on your computer, but they disappear too quickly or you miss them because of other settings. Here’s what you can do to make sure you can catch all notifications:
- Click Start, then head to Settings> Ease of Access
- From the left panel menu, select Display
- Scroll down to Simplify and Customize Windows
- Use the drop-down menu under Show notifications to select how long Windows 10 should display notifications for
Perform System File Checker (SFC) Scan
Corrupted files on your computer could be causing the notification banners to stop working. Use the System File Checker (SFC) tool to scan and fix any corrupt files on your system:
- Open CMD Administrator in Windows 10
- Inside the command prompt window, enter Dism / Online / Cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth
- Wait for the scan to finish and then enter sfc / scannow
The process may take some time, but it will replace any corrupted files. Once it’s done, restart your computer.
Restart Windows Explorer
Notification banners not showing up could be due to a glitch in Windows Explorer. But you can restart it and see if that fixes the problem. Here’s how:
- Open the Windows Task Manager
- Select the Processes tab
- Right-click on Windows Explorer and select Restart
- Restart your computer and check if this solution fixed the problem