Complete guide to managing notifications in Windows

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Windows notifications can be a huge help or a real nuisance , depending on how you have them configured. Calls popping up in the middle of a meeting, alerts from apps you're not interested in, or banners that disappear before you can read them properly… all of that can be managed if you're familiar with all the options the system offers.

In this guide, you'll learn how to manage notifications in Windows 10 and Windows 11 from top to bottom : from disabling them completely to deciding which apps might bother you, how to change their priority, how to clear the notification center history, and even how to integrate alerts from your browser and Android phone. Everything is explained in standard Spanish (Spain) with practical examples.

Types of notifications in Windows and how they work

Windows has two main types of visual notifications : floating pop-ups that appear in the lower right corner and the permanent history that is saved in the notification center (in Windows 10 it is called Action Center, in Windows 11 it is integrated into the date and time area).

Floating notifications are those that pop up the moment something happens : an email arrives, someone messages you through a messaging app, there's a VoIP call, etc. They usually appear for a few seconds and then close automatically, although the alert remains in the notification panel unless you've disabled it.

The notification panel or center is the column that opens on the right side of the screen , where notifications from all applications and the system itself are grouped. There you can view old messages, interact with them, and delete them individually or all at once.

Windows displays notifications from several different sources : apps installed from the Microsoft Store, classic desktop programs that support the native notification system, browsers like Chrome or Edge, and also from your Android mobile phone through the Your Phone app (sometimes called Mobile Link).

Furthermore, Windows distinguishes between purely informational notifications and interactive notifications . Informational notifications only display the message and the app name, while interactive notifications include buttons to reply, archive, mark as read, accept a call, etc., without opening the application.

Notification panel and quick access in Windows 10 and Windows 11

In Windows 10, the Action Center combines notifications and quick action buttons . You open it by clicking the speech bubble icon located to the right of the taskbar . Notifications are grouped at the top, and shortcuts such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, and Night Light are displayed at the bottom.

In Windows 11, Microsoft separated the quick settings from the notification area to make things a bit cleaner. Now, clicking on the network, sound, or battery icons opens the Quick settings panel, while notifications are displayed when you click on the date and time in the top right corner.

In Windows 10, you can customize how notifications and buttons are displayed from Settings > System > Notifications & actions. There you can adjust what appears on the lock screen, whether they play sound, and which shortcuts appear in the panel.

In Windows 11, customization is done in two places : for notifications, in Settings > System > Notifications; and for Quick Settings, by clicking on the panel (volume/battery icon), then on "Edit Quick Settings" to add, remove, or rearrange icons.

Rearranging action buttons is as simple as dragging and dropping on both systems. In Windows 11, you can also use the "Add" button to display features like Night Light, Project, Cast, Nearby Sharing, or Mobile Hotspot.

What notifications can Windows display and how to interact with them

All modern apps in the Microsoft Store generate system-compatible notifications , so their alerts appear correctly both as a floating banner and in the notification center.

Many traditional programs downloaded from their website also use the Windows notification system , although not all of them support it. When they do, you'll see their messages just like those from apps in the Store.

Web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.) also integrate with the notification center . Any website with permission can display notifications: social networks, email web apps, chat services like Telegram Web or Facebook, meeting services, etc.

With the Your Phone app, you can replicate your Android phone's notifications on Windows . These alerts appear as if they were native system notifications, with the Your Phone icon next to the app's name, and in many cases, you can respond or interact with them just like on your phone.

When you receive multiple notifications from the same app, Windows groups them to avoid cluttering the notification panel. You can expand the stack with the arrow to see them all, or dismiss them all at once using the corresponding option.

In every notification panel, you'll find a gear or options icon . From there, you can go directly to the notification settings or completely disable notifications for that specific app, without having to search for it in the menus.

Configure Windows notifications: enable, mute, or disable them

If you feel like your computer keeps "ringing" and popping up with notifications, you can nip it in the bud by completely disabling the notification system or at least muting the sounds so they don't bother you.

In Windows 10 and Windows 11, the basic path is similar : open Settings (Windows + I shortcut), go to System, and then to Notifications (in Windows 10 it's called Notifications & actions). There you'll see the main option, "Get notifications from apps and other senders."

If you turn off "Get notifications from apps and other senders," Windows stops displaying alerts . You won't see banners, and the notification center won't be cluttered with new messages. It's the ultimate solution when everything is bothering you.

You can also control whether notifications appear on the lock screen . This is convenient for viewing messages without logging in, but it means anyone near the device can read certain content, so consider the level of privacy you need.

Another key option is “Allow notifications to play sounds .” If you disable it, you’ll still see visual alerts, but your PC will no longer emit the typical “ding” sound every few minutes. It’s a subtle way to reduce distractions without missing information.

Choose which apps can send notifications

Not all apps deserve the right to interrupt you . That's why, in addition to the global switch, Windows lets you manage the list of applications that can display notifications.

In Settings > System > Notifications (or Notifications & actions) you'll find the section "Get notifications from these senders" . There you'll find a list of all the applications and system components that can notify you.

Each entry in the list has an individual switch . Simply turn off the toggle on the right for those apps that are particularly resource-intensive or that don't provide you with any notifications.

Think about apps like games, installers, or programs you only use occasionally . You don't usually need constant notifications, so you can disable them while keeping email, calendar, messaging, task, or work notifications active.

This approach allows you to filter noise without giving up the full notification system , which is much more effective than turning everything off at once and missing out on really important alerts.

Adjust the notification type and priority for each app

Clicking on an app's name within the senders list will take you to its detailed notification settings page, with much finer options for customizing the experience.

First, you'll see a master switch for that specific app (in case you want to disable all its notifications from there). Below that, you can choose whether you want it to show floating banners, notifications in the notification center, or both.

You can also decide whether the notification content appears on the lock screen . By enabling the "hide content" option, you'll only see that there's a notification from that app, but not the text or details, which is great if you share a computer or work in open spaces.

Another important lever is the app's sound settings . You can configure certain apps to continue generating silent notifications, and reserve sounds only for those that truly require your immediate attention (for example, calls, calendar appointments, or security alerts).

Below that is the setting for how many notifications from the same app are displayed at once in the center . The default value is usually 3, but you can increase it to avoid missing older messages or decrease it to prevent them from accumulating.

Finally, there's the priority section , which defines the order in which notifications from that app appear in the notification center. There are three levels: Normal, High, and Top.

Notifications in "Top" are placed above all others , even if they are less recent. "High" priority notifications appear below those in "Top," but before regular notifications. Everything you leave in "Normal" is simply sorted by date and time.

With this priority, you can ensure that key apps (work email, collaboration tools, calendar) never get lost in the noise of other, less important applications.

"Do Not Disturb" mode and priority settings in Windows

Windows includes a Do Not Disturb mode (or Focus Assistant) to cut distractions at key moments . The idea is that only the notifications you've marked as priority will get through.

From Settings > System > Notifications, you can access priority options and Do Not Disturb mode . You can also access these through some quick settings in the notification center or Quick Settings panel, depending on your system version.

In the calls and notifications section, you can choose whether to allow incoming calls or critical notifications when Do Not Disturb is active . This is especially useful if you use VoIP calls or work video calls and don't want to miss them because of silent mode.

In the apps section, you can choose exactly which apps can bypass Do Not Disturb . To do this, use the "Add apps" button within priority notifications and select the tools you consider essential.

The key is to take some time to clearly define your priority list and apply tricks to improve productivity in Windows 11 : professional email, work messaging, meetings, important reminders… everything else can wait until you turn off do not disturb mode or calmly review the notification center.

Delete, organize, and completely disable the notification center

Over time, your notification center can easily become cluttered with old alerts you no longer need. Keeping it organized helps recent alerts stand out more.

To delete a specific notification, simply hover your mouse over it and click the "X" that appears in the upper right corner of the box. Alternatively, you can drag the notification to the right, similar to how it works on Android.

If you want to do a general cleanup, you can press the "Clear all" button , which removes all notifications stored up to that point in the panel.

In Windows 10, it's possible to go even further and disable the Action Center itself so that its icon doesn't even appear in the taskbar. This can be done from Settings (in Personalization > Taskbar > Turn system icons on or off) by disabling the "Action Center" option.

If you're using Windows 11 and want to remove all notifications at once , you can turn off the main Notifications switch in Settings > System > Notifications. To reduce the number of items in Quick Settings, simply use edit mode and remove the icons you don't want.

Advanced users also have two more aggressive ways to disable notifications : the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc in the Pro and Enterprise editions) and the Windows Registry, by creating the DWORD value DisableNotificationCenter in the corresponding key. However, modifying policies or the registry requires extreme caution.

Icons and badges in the taskbar

Many apps display small numerical badges above their Windows 11 icon indicating how many messages or pending tasks you have. It's convenient, but it can also become overwhelming if you're obsessed with numbers.

In Windows 10 you can disable these badges from Settings > Personalization > Taskbar , by unchecking the "Show badges in the taskbar" option.

Keep in mind that by doing so, you will also lose other useful indicators , such as the bell in the Alarms app to remind you that you have a scheduled alarm, or certain informative icons from other apps.

This setting doesn't disable notifications themselves , it just removes the extra numbers and symbols above the icons, leaving the taskbar visually cleaner and configurable to make Windows 11 more beautiful and minimalist.

This setting doesn't disable notifications themselves , it just removes the extra numbers and symbols above the icons, leaving the taskbar visually cleaner.

Android mobile notifications integrated into Windows

If you have an Android phone, you can make all your notifications appear on Windows too, thanks to the Your Phone app (or Mobile Link) on your PC and its companion app on your phone.

After linking both devices following the wizard that Microsoft suggests , you will see on your computer the notifications that arrive on your mobile, centralized as if they were from a single application.

In the Windows notification center, these notifications will appear as Your Phone alerts , although you'll usually also see the icon of the original app (WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, etc.). In many cases, you can reply or take action directly from the banner itself or from the Your Phone app.

Within Your Phone settings, you'll find a Notifications section where you can customize which alerts are displayed on your PC . There, you can disable Android apps you don't want to see on your computer and adjust the type of notifications shown.

The Android experience is quite seamless because it integrates as if it were native to Windows , unlike with iOS, where the options for integrating notifications with the Windows desktop are much more limited.

In addition to apps, you'll also receive SMS messages from your mobile as notifications on Windows , with the option to reply from your computer without touching your phone.

Browser notifications (Chrome and others) and their relationship with Windows

Modern browsers like Chrome allow websites to send notifications that integrate with the Windows notification system, appearing in the same panel as the rest of the applications.

By default, Chrome asks you every time a website wants to send you notifications . You can allow or block them, and later change your mind from the site's permissions section or from the browser's privacy settings.

When Chrome detects websites with intrusive or misleading notifications, it can automatically block them and even revoke permission from sites you haven't visited in a long time, so they don't keep sending alerts you're no longer interested in.

If you want to start receiving notifications from a specific site again , simply open the website, click the site information icon next to the address bar, and reactivate the "Notifications" permission. You can also review general notification settings in Settings > Privacy and Security.

Remember that any web notification Chrome accepts will eventually be included in your Windows notification system . If you find them annoying, you can block them directly from the browser or, if you prefer, manage them through the Windows notification settings.

Notifications in specific Microsoft desktop applications

Some Microsoft desktop apps, such as Engage, also offer their own desktop notification system that integrates with Windows and lets you be notified of mentions or announcements without having the window always in the foreground.

In the Engage application, you can activate desktop notifications from the settings menu , by going to the Notifications section and enabling the "Desktop push notifications" switch.

If you're using Engage from your browser at engage.cloud.microsoft , the process is similar: go to Settings, then Notifications, and enable desktop push notifications. Depending on your browser, you might need to use the padlock icon in the address bar to allow notifications.

At any time you can return to this setting to disable notifications if you find them overwhelming, or to limit what type of alerts you want to receive within the application itself.

This model is similar to that of other online platforms that integrate with Windows notifications : first, consent is configured in the application or website, and then the operating system acts as a central notification manager.

Mastering all these configuration options allows you to transform Windows notifications into a truly useful tool instead of a constant source of distractions, adapting them to your work style and the level of concentration you need at any given time.