Disable Windows 8 App Notifications Or Change Their Duration

Microsoft’s decision to release the exact same interface for both the PC and tablet versions of Windows 8 has its pros and cons. On one hand, this means users won’t have to learn two different types of operating systems to use different devices, while on the other, it makes certain features seem redundant, depending on the device you are using. While Windows 8 offers default settings to enable or disable some of these features, there are a lot that cannot be toggled without the use of third party tools. One particular feature, Windows Store app notifications, however, is something that can be tweaked according to your liking using native options. You can either change the time that an app notification stays on the screen, or disable Lock Screen and app notifications altogether. In this post, we will explain how you can alter both settings.

Disable Lock Screen & App Notifications

App notifications can be easily disabled from the Notifications category in PC Settings. Open the Charms bat and choose Settings > Change PC Settings to access the PC settings app. From the left side, select the Notifications category to reveal all the related options. At the top, there are ‘Show app notifications’, ‘Show app notifications on the Lock Screen’ and ‘Play notification sounds’ toggles. In order to complete turn off all types of notifications for all apps, just turn off the Show app Notifications option.

Other than turning off notifications for all installed apps, you can do so selectively as well. The lower part of the Notifications settings screen allows you to turn off notifications for individual apps of your choice.

Change Visibility Duration Of Notifications

The duration that each notification stays on the screen can be changed using the settings available inside he Ease of Access Center. Open the Start Screen, type “ease of access center” and select Settings from the right side to see it in the search results.

Once on the Ease of Access Center window, scroll down and look for the ‘Make it easier to focus on tasks’ option.

Again, scroll down and look for ‘Adjust time limits and flashing visuals’ section.

Under ‘How long should Windows notification dialog boxes stay open’, open the drop down menu to choose a time of your liking. The available options include 5, 7, 15, and 30 seconds, as well as 1 and 5 minutes; 5 seconds is set by default. Click OK to save the changes.

This how-to applies to both Windows 8 and RT.