Option to turn off prioritized emails after Win 11 update

Question

Option to turn off prioritized emails after Win 11 update

Catsby 0

Hello

Recently there was a windows 11 update. Win 11 23H2 / early 24H2. Now my window pop up notifications for emails and other stuff are labeled prioritized and they stay up until clicked. Before the update, my email notifications weren't labeled at all and they went away after 5-10 seconds. How do I disable windows from labeling my emails as prioritized and let me go back to deciding how long the notifications say up.

This is ridiculous. I don't want AI to decide which emails/alerts are priority or not. I will decide. They even labeled spam prioritized too.

This is the windows 11 update:

Recent Windows update (Windows 11 23H2 / early 24H2) introduced “Priority notifications”.

Windows is now pinning certain notifications (like email) so they:

Stay on screen until clicked

Are labeled Priority

Bypass normal timeout rules

Can even incorrectly flag spam as important

I don't like how they introduced Priority notifications without letting the user disable it or edit it in any way. Infuriating.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 14,590 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Catsby,

I understand how frustrating this is, especially when notification behavior changes after an update.

Based on current Windows documentation, there does not appear to be a separate global switch that removes only the “Priority” label while keeping the previous timeout behavior unchanged. Windows currently documents notification priority as part of app and system notification behavior rather than a standalone on/off feature.

In addition to Q&A Assist's suggestion, you can try these extra workarounds:

1, If the alerts are coming from Outlook, turn off Outlook’s own desktop alerts

New Outlook: View > View Settings > General > Notifications
Classic Outlook: File > Options > Mail > clear “Display a Desktop Alert”
This can stop the pop-up behavior from Outlook itself.

2, Adjust how long standard notifications stay on screen

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects
Change Dismiss notifications after this amount of time
Windows documents this setting as the control for how long normal notifications remain visible.

If the notification is coming from another mail app, the next best step is to check that app’s own in-app notification settings as well, since some apps can control desktop alerts separately from Windows.

I hope this helps point you to a workable option. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Catsby 0 Reputation points

2026-04-28T08:19:52.3833333+00:00

"Based on current Windows documentation, there does not appear to be a separate global switch that removes only the “Priority” label while keeping the previous timeout behavior unchanged. Windows currently documents notification priority as part of app and system notification behavior rather than a standalone on/off feature."

This part, I don't get. Why would windows implement this change without letting the user to disable this? Just because THEY like it, it doesn't mean we do.

I do not want my emails prioritized. Why are they deciding that for me?

I do not have Outlook so this is useless. This is windows behavior, not the email provider's fault.

"Adjusting how long standard notifications stay on the screen" is not the issue. The standard notifications are fine, they do go away after 10 seconds. It's the prioritized labels that don't. Get rid of the prioritized labeling, problem will be resolved.

The only option is to revert to before the update. But then the update will be enforced regardless so that would be a temporary workaround.

I can't be the only one not happy with this change.
Hendrix-V 14,590 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T23:53:32.41+00:00

Hi Catsby,

I understand the frustration here. The concern isn’t how long normal notifications stay on screen, it’s that “Prioritized” notifications behave differently and don’t dismiss the same way, even though you didn’t choose to enable prioritization. You’re absolutely right that user preference should matter here, especially for something as disruptive as persistent notifications.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas.

At this point, the most appropriate avenue for product changes or feature requests is to submit feedback through the official Microsoft feedback channels (or press Windows + F to open Feedback Hub app).

You’re raising a valid concern, and it deserves to be heard. Thank you for your time and effort.

Answer 2

AI answer

Windows 11 does not provide a separate global switch to turn off “priority” labeling on notifications, but notification behavior and which apps can show banners can be controlled in Settings. Priority is managed per app via notification priority rather than by an AI toggle.

To reduce or effectively eliminate these pinned/priority email pop‑ups, adjust the notification settings for the mail app(s) involved:

Open Settings on Windows.
Go to System > Notifications (or use the shortcut link: Notifications (ms-settings:notifications)).
Under Notifications from apps and other senders, select the email app (for example, Outlook or Mail).
Configure the options for that app:
- Turn notifications Off entirely if email pop‑ups are not wanted.
- Or leave notifications On, but:
  - Turn off Show notification banners to stop pop‑ups on screen.
  - Optionally turn off Play a sound.
  - Adjust Priority of notifications from Top or High down to Normal so they are not treated as top priority in the notification center.

These controls let the user decide which apps can interrupt and how prominently they appear, instead of relying on the default priority behavior.

If other apps are also showing unwanted priority notifications, repeat the same steps for each app under Notifications from apps and other senders.

References:

Notifications and Do Not Disturb in Windows

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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Option to turn off prioritized emails after Win 11 update

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