Teams Notifications Not Working on Windows 11: Troubleshooting Guide

Are you missing important messages and meeting reminders because Teams notifications aren’t working on your Windows 11 machine? This is a common issue, but thankfully, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve it. This comprehensive guide will walk you through various solutions to get your Teams notifications back on track.

1. Basic Checks: Ensuring Teams Notifications are Enabled

Before diving into more complex solutions, let’s start with the fundamental settings. Sometimes, the issue stems from a simple oversight.

1.1. Check Teams Notification Settings within the App

  • Open Microsoft Teams: Launch the Teams application.
  • Access Settings: Click on your profile picture in the top right corner and select “Settings”.
  • Navigate to Notifications: In the Settings menu, find and click on the “Notifications” option.
  • Review and Adjust: Carefully review each notification category (e.g., Mentions, Messages, Meetings). Ensure that the desired notification types are enabled and configured to your preferences. Pay special attention to the “Banner and email” settings to ensure notifications pop up on your screen.

1.2. Verify Windows 11 Notification Settings

Windows 11 has its own notification settings that can override Teams’ settings. Here’s how to check them:

  • Open Settings: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  • Navigate to System > Notifications: In the left sidebar, click on “System,” and then select “Notifications” in the right pane.
  • Ensure Notifications are Enabled: Make sure the “Notifications” toggle is turned on. If it’s off, no app will be able to send you notifications.
  • Find Microsoft Teams: Scroll down to the list of apps and locate “Microsoft Teams.” Ensure that notifications are enabled for Teams specifically.
  • Customize Teams Notifications: Click on “Microsoft Teams” to further customize its notification behavior. You can choose to show notification banners, play a sound when a notification arrives, and control the number of notifications displayed in the action center.

2. Focus Assist: Preventing Notification Interference

Focus Assist (formerly known as Quiet Hours) is a Windows feature that suppresses notifications to help you stay focused. If Focus Assist is enabled, it could be preventing Teams notifications from appearing.

2.1. Check Focus Assist Settings

  • Open Settings: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  • Navigate to System > Focus Assist: In the left sidebar, click on “System,” and then select “Focus Assist” in the right pane.
  • Choose a Focus Assist Mode: Select either “Off” to disable Focus Assist entirely or customize the “Priority only” or “Alarms only” modes to allow Teams notifications to bypass the filter. “Priority only” lets you define which apps and contacts can still send you notifications.
  • Review Automatic Rules: Check the automatic rules to see if Focus Assist is being enabled automatically at certain times or under specific conditions (e.g., when duplicating your display). Disable any rules that might be interfering with Teams notifications.

3. Background App Permissions: Allowing Teams to Run in the Background

For Teams to deliver notifications reliably, it needs to be able to run in the background. Windows 11 allows you to control which apps can run in the background, and if Teams is restricted, it might not be able to send notifications.

3.1. Configure Background App Permissions

  • Open Settings: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  • Navigate to Apps > Apps & Features: In the left sidebar, click on “Apps,” and then select “Apps & Features” in the right pane.
  • Locate Microsoft Teams: Search for “Microsoft Teams” in the app list.
  • Advanced Options: Click the three vertical dots next to “Microsoft Teams” and select “Advanced options.”
  • Background App Permissions: Under “Background apps permissions,” ensure that “Let this app run in the background” is set to “Always” or “Power optimized (recommended).” Setting it to “Never” will prevent Teams from sending notifications when it’s not actively in use.

4. Teams Cache: Clearing Corrupted Data

Sometimes, corrupted cached data can cause Teams to malfunction and prevent notifications from working correctly. Clearing the Teams cache can often resolve these issues.

4.1. Clear the Teams Cache

  • Quit Teams: Completely exit Microsoft Teams. Ensure it’s not running in the system tray. Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray (bottom right corner of the screen) and select “Quit.”
  • Open Run Dialog: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  • Enter the Cache Directory: Type the following path into the Run dialog box and press Enter: %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams
  • Delete the Contents: Delete all the files and folders in this directory. Don’t worry; these files will be recreated when you restart Teams.
  • Restart Teams: Launch Microsoft Teams and sign in. Check if notifications are now working.

5. Reinstall Teams: A Last Resort

If none of the above solutions work, a clean reinstall of Teams might be necessary. This will remove all existing Teams files and install a fresh copy of the application.

5.1. Uninstall Teams

  • Open Settings: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  • Navigate to Apps > Apps & Features: In the left sidebar, click on “Apps,” and then select “Apps & Features” in the right pane.
  • Locate Microsoft Teams: Search for “Microsoft Teams” in the app list.
  • Uninstall Teams: Click the three vertical dots next to “Microsoft Teams” and select “Uninstall.” Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall the application.

5.2. Reinstall Teams

  • Download Teams: Go to the official Microsoft Teams website and download the latest version of the Teams installer.
  • Run the Installer: Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install Teams.
  • Sign In and Test: Launch Microsoft Teams, sign in with your account, and check if notifications are now working as expected.

By following these troubleshooting steps, you should be able to resolve the issue of Teams notifications not working on your Windows 11 machine and ensure that you never miss important updates again.