How to Hide Mobile Device Notification Badges in Windows 11 Start Menu

What Is Phone Link?

Phone Link is a built-in Windows 11 app that connects your smartphone to your PC. It lets you read text messages, make calls and check notifications from the desktop. It also puts your phone’s battery level and connection status in the Start menu, so you can see them at a glance.

Starting with Windows 11 22635.4805 (Beta), you can access content on your mobile device directly from the Start menu on your PC. This feature lets you view your device’s battery status and connectivity, access your voice messages and calls, and view your photos.

Why Hide Notification Badges?

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Go to Downloads and check for updates🔃.
3. Install the💿 Phone Link update if one is listed.
4. Open Phone Link again and look for the option.

You should now have the current Phone Link version, with the badge option available in its settings.

How to Show or Hide Mobile Device Notification Badges in Start Menu

To hide notification badges for your connected phone, open Phone Link, go to Settings, and turn off the Badges option. That stops the red dots and message counts from appearing on your phone’s entry in the Start menu.

1. Open the Phone Link app. The main Phone Link window appears with your connected phone.
2. Click the Settings button (gear icon) at the top right corner of the window. The Settings⚙️ page for the app opens.

3. Select Start menu⊞ personalization from the list. The options for how your phone appears in the Start menu⊞ appear on the right.
4. Under Notifications on the right side, switch the Badges toggle to Off to hide the badges. Switch it to On to show them again.

That’s it. Your phone’s entry in the Start menu no longer shows red dots or unread counts, and you can turn them back on from the same page at any time.

The change should take effect straight away. You do not need to restart Windows or sign out. Open the Start menu to check: the red dot or unread count on your phone’s entry should be gone, or back, depending on what you chose.

This works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro. It only controls the badges on the Start menu. Your phone still receives messages and calls, and Phone Link still shows them inside the app. To undo the change, return to the same page and turn Badges back on.

Do not confuse these phone badges with a newer one. The update KB5101684 gave the Start menu account control a refreshed design and added a badge that shows your subscription status. To find it, open Start menu and select your account picture in the lower-left corner.

That subscription badge is separate from Phone Link, and the Phone Link Badges toggle is not described as controlling it. It is available only if you are signed in with a Microsoft account, and Microsoft says availability varies by device and market. If you do not see it, that is expected on some PCs.

Summary

Once you know where the setting lives, managing your mobile alerts takes one toggle. Phone Link controls whether your phone’s badges appear in the Start menu, so you can keep the desktop tidy without disconnecting the phone.

• The Phone Link app connects your phone and PC together.
• Recent updates let you control notification badges in the Start menu. If the option is missing, update the app from the Microsoft Store.
• Open Phone Link, go to Settings › Start menu personalization, and turn the Badges toggle on or off.
• The subscription badge on the Start menu account control, added in KB5101684, is a different feature and needs a Microsoft account.
• Hiding badges helps keep your Start menu clean and organized.
• You can change this setting anytime to match how you work.