How to Fix Notifications Not Working on Windows 11

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My Technician
Windows 11TroubleshootingFix

The Problem

You're not getting notification banners or sounds—email, Teams, Outlook, or alarms simply never appear. Nine times out of ten it's Do Not Disturb (formerly Focus assist) silently swallowing them, or a per-app toggle that got switched off.

Whole Start menu or taskbar acting up too? See Start menu not opening and taskbar not working.

Quick Fixes (Try These First)

Turn Off Do Not Disturb

  1. Click the date/time on the taskbar to open the Notification Center.
  2. If the bell shows a crescent moon, Do Not Disturb is on. Click the moon to turn it off.

Check the Master Notifications Toggle

  1. Settings → System → Notifications.
  2. Make sure the top Notifications switch is On.

The Fix: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Review Per-App Notification Settings

  1. Settings → System → Notifications.
  2. Scroll to Notifications from apps and other senders.
  3. Toggle On the app you're missing alerts from. Click the app name to enable banners and sounds specifically.

Step 2: Fix Automatic Do Not Disturb Rules

Windows can auto-enable DND during certain hours, while gaming, or while duplicating your display.

  1. Settings → System → Notifications → Turn on do not disturb automatically.
  2. Untick rules you don't want (for example During these times or When I'm playing a game).

Step 3: Confirm No Focus Session Is Running

A running Focus session silences alerts on purpose. Open the Clock app → Focus sessions and End session if one is active.

Step 4: Let Battery Saver Show Notifications

Battery saver can suppress background activity and banners.

  1. Settings → System → Power & battery → Battery saver.
  2. Either raise the auto-on threshold or, while testing, turn battery saver off.

Step 5: Re-register the Shell Components (PowerShell Admin)

If notifications are globally dead, re-register the system apps.

  1. Right-click Start → Terminal (Admin).
  2. Run: 
    Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
  3. Reboot.

Step 6: Repair System Files

sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Still No Notifications?

  • Only one app affected? Check that app's own in-app notification settings, and that it's allowed to run in the background (Settings → Apps → the app → Advanced options → Background apps permissions).
  • A damaged profile can break alerts system-wide—test a new local user account.