Notifications on the PC, what should I do with them?

Notifications on the computer come in all shapes and sizes. One message is important, the other you can simply click away. It is important to know where the message comes from. Are you using the internet and a pop-up appears on the screen? This is usually (misleading) advertising. It is best to ignore these. Read more about the security risks on the internet here. All kinds of notifications can also come from the corner of the Taskbar. These often have to do with components and programs on the computer and should therefore not generally be ignored.

At the bottom of the screen is the Taskbar. On the right side of the Taskbar is a timestamp and a number of icons. In Windows 10 this part is called the Notification area and in Windows 11 the taskbar corner. In this article we will use the term System Tray. The icons at the bottom right of the Taskbar show which programs are running in the background, such as an antivirus program. Programs can provide notifications through the System Tray. You will then see a pop-up window at the bottom right of the screen.

Always take the time for these notifications. It is important that you read the message carefully. It is often stated at the top of the message which program is giving the message. This can be, for example, the antivirus program or Windows Update. Then read carefully what the program wants. Sometimes the program just notifies you about something, like your antivirus tells you a website is safe to visit. You do not have to do anything with the notification. The other time the notification asks for an action, for example because an update is ready to download. Whether you actually need to take action depends on the question. In the paragraphs below we will discuss a number of components that are located in the System Tray and provide notifications.

Windows 10 includes the Action Center. It’s in the System Tray with a speech bubble icon . The Action Center offers many different things. For example, notifications from apps are shown, such as notifications from Calendar and Mail. Click the notification to open the app. You only need to do this if you are interested in it. You will also see it here if an update is available for Windows or Windows programs. It is important for the security of the computer that you respond to these messages.

Although Windows 11 does not contain the Action Center, you can also request an overview of recent notifications. To do this, click the timestamp of the taskbar corner at the bottom right.

You should pay attention to notifications from virus scanners. When you are surfing the internet, a message may appear with, for example, an advertisement for a virus scanner or that there is spyware on the PC. Never go into this. It is likely that Windows security is already enabled or another virus scanner is installed on the computer. The notifications from these virus scanners come in via the System Tray and not in your internet browser. You should also be alert to the notifications in the System Tray if they come from the virus scanner. Always read carefully what the message exactly says. For example, some free antivirus programs try to trick you into subscribing to a paid version via such a notification.

The System Tray also contains the USB devices icon. As soon as you connect a USB device, such as a USB stick, to the computer, a message will appear on the screen. This only indicates that the computer has successfully connected to the device. You can click away the message. Read more here.