Notifications don't show in the action or notification center

This article provides basic guidelines to resolve an issue where notifications don't show in the action or notification center by checking if the "Quiet Hours" (also known as focus assist) option is enabled.

You experience the issue of notifications not arriving as expected.

Note

Notifications are pop-up messages that inform you about events, updates, or alerts. These notifications are generated by the Windows Push Notification Service (WNS), which orchestrates the entire notification process. Despite the robust notification system, there can be multiple reasons why notifications don't arrive as expected. One common cause is that the "Quiet Hours" option is enabled.

Quiet hours

Quiet hours are designated periods during which notifications and alerts are silenced, allowing users to work without interruptions.

When the "Quiet Hours" option is enabled, your computer won't send app notifications, calendar events, messages, or email alerts. You won't hear any notification sounds, and your screen won't light up for incoming notifications.

Despite quiet hours being active, certain notifications are still allowed:

• Calls from Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps

  If you receive calls from apps capable of making VoIP calls, those notifications will come through.

• Alarms

  Alarms set on your device will still function during quiet hours.

Check if the "Quiet Hours" option is enabled

Windows 10

1. Select Start > Settings > System (Windows logo key+I).

2. On the left, select Focus assist.

3. Check if one of the following options is enabled:

   • Priority only

     This option shows priority notifications.

   • Alarms only

     This option displays alarms.

   • Automatic rules

     You can set the "Quiet Hours" option to activate automatically at specific times or under specific conditions. For example, you can set this option to activate during work hours or when you're duplicating your display, playing a game, or using an app in full screen mode. The "Quiet Hours" option is also enabled for the first hour after an operating system upgrade.

Windows 11

1. Select Start > Settings > System > Notifications.
2. Check if the Do not disturb toggle is turned on.

Change "Quiet Hours" using the Local Group Policy Editor

If you're using Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, you can change the "Quiet Hours" settings using the Local Group Policy Editor:

1. Select Start, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Notifications.
3. Adjust the settings for Set the time Quiet Hours begins each day and Set the time Quiet Hours ends each day.

To verify the settings, run the following command from an elevated command prompt and press Enter:

gpresult /h C:\temp\output.html

Note

Replace C:\temp\output.html with the desired file path where you want to save the results.

The command generates an HTML file containing detailed information about the applied Group Policy settings. Open the HTML file using a web browser or text editor and look for any policies with the words "Quiet Hours."

Check if the "Quiet Hours" policy is enabled by using Intune

1. On your managed device, go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
2. Select your work or school account, and then select Info.
3. At the bottom of the Settings page, select Create report.
4. A window opens, showing the path to the log files. Select Export.
5. In File Explorer, navigate to C:\Users\Public\Documents\MDMDiagnostics to find the report.
6. Open the report, search for "Quiet Hours," and check if the policy is enabled.