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JavBux's avatar
JavBux
Copper Contributor
Jan 16, 2025

Missing a GPO setting for Notifications

I'm looking for GPO setting that will prevent our users from turning off Notifications.

The requirement is that notifications are Enabled and the user cannot turn this off.

 

At the moment they can turn it on and off at will and I cannot find a setting to prevent this.

the only one I have found is to turn it off

[Turn off toast notifications]

which is not desired.

 

 

Am I missing something or does this need to be a feature request?

 

  • JefByls's avatar
    JefByls
    Copper Contributor

    Same issue. And Action Center options do not exist. I am looking at the newest .admx and .adml files and am not seeing it either. I am using an on premisis environment. Is this an Intune or Azure setting?

  • JavBux's avatar
    JavBux
    Copper Contributor

    Thanks kyazaferr 

     

    This doesn't work or the settings dont exist.

     

    For instance,

     

    1. Turn off toast notifications

    Is under Start Menu and Taskbar -> Notifications

    If you read the Help, it says "If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, toast notifications are enabled and can be turned off the administrator or user."

    So setting to disabled is of no use

     

    2. Enable Notifications

    There is no Action Center folder under Windows Components, neither is there a setting called "Enable Notifications"

     

    3. Registry Key

    I created this key and it made no difference whether it was on or off.

  • kyazaferr's avatar
    kyazaferr
    Steel Contributor
    1. Prevent Users from Turning Off Toast Notifications: This setting controls whether toast notifications can be turned off. You will need to set this policy to Disabled, which prevents users from disabling the toast notifications:
      • GPO Setting:
        User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesStart Menu and TaskbarTurn off toast notifications
        • Set to Disabled to ensure that users cannot disable the notifications.
    2. Enable Notifications (Force Notifications to Be On): This setting ensures that notifications are always enabled and cannot be turned off. It is part of a broader control over notification settings.
      • GPO Setting:
        User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsAction CenterEnable notifications
        • Set to Enabled to ensure notifications remain active. This should enforce that users cannot disable them.
    3. Lock Notification Settings Using Registry (Advanced Configuration): You can enforce specific notification settings through the registry, which can be pushed via GPO. Here are some registry keys related to notifications:
      • Registry Key for Disabling Notification Settings:
        • Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
        • Key: DisableNotificationCenter
        • Set to 1 to disable the Notification Center. Setting this to 0 will re-enable it.
      • Registry Key for Enabling Notifications:
        • Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ActionCenter
        • Key: DisableNotifications
        • Set to 0 to allow notifications. If set to 1, notifications will be disabled.
      You can push these registry keys through a GPO to lock the settings.

    Steps to Implement:

    1. Open Group Policy Management.
    2. Navigate to User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesStart Menu and Taskbar and enable "Turn off toast notifications" to Disabled.
    3. Then, under User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsAction Center, enable "Enable notifications" to Enabled.
    4. Apply the policy to the desired organizational unit (OU) or domain.

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