How to fix Slack not receiving notifications on Windows 10
Slack can show desktop notifications if you have the Slack app installed or if you’ve enabled browser-based alerts for Slack for web. The Slack desktop app offer far better control over notifications than its web counterpart which is limited by the browser’s capabilities.
Slack not receiving notifications on Windows 10
Setting up notifications on for Slack on Windows 10 is easy; you have to install the app, make sure it has permission to show notifications, and enable the types of notifications you get.
- Install Slack and sign in to a workspace.
- Open the Windows 10 Settings app with the Win+I keyboard shortcut.
- Go to System.
- Select Notifications and actions.
- Scroll down to Slack.
- Make sure notifications are enabled.
- Open Slack and go to its preferences.
- Go to Notifications.
- Turn on the Notifications you’d like to receive.
- Restart Slack for good measure.
Looks like there might be an issue with your notifications
If the notifications settings in Slack show the following message, you won’t get any notifications;
Looks like there might be an issue with your notifications
You’ve turned on “Focus Assist” in your Windows settings, meaning you won’t receive notifications from any application. If you turn this feature off, you’ll receive notifications again.
You need to make sure Focus Assist is turned off. Focus Assist is a Windows 10 feature. To turn it off;
- Open the Settings app with the Win+I keyboard shortcut.
- Go to System.
- Select Focus Assist.
- Make sure it is set to Off.
If you continue to see the above message, even though Focus Assist is off, follow these steps.
- Quit Slack (it should not be running in the System Tray).
- Open your default browser.
- Paste this in the URL bar: slack://setting/?update=notificationFailoverEnabled:false
- Tap Enter.
- Open Slack when prompted to by your browser.
- The message will be gone and you will start receiving notifications again.
Conclusion
Slack can sync notification settings across different instances of it running. It can also be set up to show notifications differently on a par-workspace and per-channel basis. Make sure you aren’t syncing settings from other devices where the notifications are set to appear less regularly. As for Focus Assist, it an be enabled and disabled quickly from its Action Center toggle. You can turn it on when you need to e.g., if you’re presenting a document but make sure you turn it off. The whole point of Focus Assist is to eliminate distractions i.e. notifications so it makes sense that Slack notifications won’t deliver when it is enabled.
