This comprehensive guide demonstrates how to enable or disable the Action Center in Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. This allows you to show or hide system notifications and quick actions. It includes instructions for doing this using the Local Group Policy Editor and the Windows Registry Editor and for automating the process using PowerShell.
How to enable the Action Center in Windows 10 and Windows 11
You can use any one of the methods below to enable the Action Center in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Using the Local Group Policy Editor
The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 (it is not included in Windows Home Edition). You must be logged in as an administrator to use the Local Group Policy Editor, and should create a backup of your Local Group Policy settings before you begin, so that they can be restored if necessary.
- Press the Windows + R key combination on your keyboard to open the Windows Run dialog
- Type the command gpedit.msc into the Run dialog, then press the enter key, which will open the Local Group Policy Editor
- Go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar in the navigation sidebar
- Scroll down to the Remove Notifications and Action Center setting, and double-click to edit it
- Set the value of the Remove Notifications and Action Center Group Policy Object to Enabled
- Click OK to save and immediately apply the change
Using the Windows Registry Editor to enable the Action Center for all users
You can use the Windows Registry Editor on all editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, including Home editions, to enable the Action Center. You must be logged in as an administrator, and it is recommended that you back up your registry settings in case a mistake is made and you need to restore them.
- Open the Windows Registry Editor as an administrator
- Navigate to the registry key located at Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer (you can copy and paste this location into the address bar)
- If the Explorer key does not yet exist, right-click on the Windows registry key and select new key, and rename the new key Explorer
- If the DisableNotificationCenter value does not exist in the Explorer key, create it by selecting Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value from the toolbar and rename the new value DisableNotificationCenter
- Set the DWORD value of DisableNotificationCenter to 0 to enable the Action Center for all users on the current device
- Restart your device to apply the change
Using the Windows Registry Editor to enable the Action Center for the current user
To enable the Action Center notifications for only the current user using the registry editor, follow the steps above, but instead navigate to the key located at Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer in step 2.
Using PowerShell for automation
You can script or automate the configuration of the above registry settings using PowerShell. Again, you should back up your registry before you run these commands.
The following command will enable the Action Center for all users (you will need to be logged in as an administrator to do this):
Remove-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” -Name “DisableNotificationCenter” -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
The following command will enable the Action Center for only the current user:
Remove-ItemProperty -Path “HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” -Name “DisableNotificationCenter” -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
How to disable the Action Center in Windows 10 and Windows 11
The same methods described above can be used to disable the Action Center.
Using the Local Group Policy Editor
Follow the instructions for enabling the Action Center using the Local Group Policy Editor described above, but instead set the value of the Remove Notifications and Action Center Group Policy object to Not Configured to disable the Action Center.
Using the Windows Registry Editor to disable the Action Center for all users
To disable the Action Center and notifications for all users using the Windows Registry Editor, follow the steps described above for enabling it, but instead set the value of DisableNotificationCenter to 1.
Using the Windows Registry Editor to disable the Action Center for the current user
Follow the steps described above for using the Windows Registry Editor, but set the value of DisableNotificationCenter to 1.
Using PowerShell for automation
Disable the action center for all users using the following PowerShell command:
Set-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” -Name “DisableNotificationCenter” -Value 1 -Type DWord
or use the following command to affect only the currently logged-in user:
Set-ItemProperty -Path “HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” -Name “DisableNotificationCenter” -Value 1 -Type DWord
What is the Action Center in Windows 10 and Windows 11, and what does it do?
The Action Center displays notifications and shortcuts in a sidebar on the Windows desktop. It is activated by clicking an icon on the taskbar.
When disabled, the Action Center will not be able to be opened from the taskbar. Some users may find this advantageous if they do not use the feature, find the notifications distracting, or in environments where administrators may want to hide notifications from users.
Note that while disabling the Action Center disables the notifications panel, some notifications will still display as pop-ups.
Managing the Action Center and notifications for multiple users and devices
You can configure settings such as showing or hiding the access center and notifications in Windows 10 and 11 using Group Policy in Education and Enterprise Environments. However, built-in Windows management tools often do not meet the needs of organisations with remote workers using a variety of different Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS devices. Mobile Device Management (MDM) by NinjaOne gives you all the tools you need to remotely manage almost any kind of device, as well as deploy configurations, and assist users no matter where they are located.
