How to Turn On Notifications for Sticky, Filter, or Toggle Keys in Windows 11

What Are Sticky, Filter, and Toggle Keys?

Here is what each one does in plain terms:

• Sticky Keys lets you press shortcut keys one at a time instead of together. For example, you can press Ctrl, release it, then press C.
• Filter Keys ignores brief or repeated key presses.
• Toggle Keys plays a sound when you press Caps⇩, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock.

Each feature changes how the keyboard responds, so an unexpected switch-on can look like a broken keyboard. A notification removes that guesswork.

Filter Keys help by ignoring quick or repeated key presses that happen by accident while you type. This is useful if you have a hand tremor or tend to rest your fingers on the keys.

When Filter Keys is on, Windows may seem slow to respond, because you have to hold a key a little longer for it to register. That is why a notification is handy. It tells you the feature is active and explains the odd behavior.

Toggle Keys produce a sound when you press lock keys like Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock. This audible alert confirms whether a lock key is active or inactive, so you get immediate feedback on its state.

You do not need to look at your keyboard to know the status of your lock keys. This helps if your keyboard has no indicator lights, or if you type without watching the keys.

Sticky, Filter, and Toggle Keys make typing more comfortable for many users. When you turn on notifications for them, Windows displays a message whenever one of these features activates or deactivates. For example, the Sticky Keys notification appears when you press the Shift key five times.

Microsoft is also changing the prompts that ask whether you want to turn on Sticky Keys or Filter Keys. Its release notes for Experimental Build 26340.9882 (Nov 6, 2026) say these dialogs are being updated. If you don’t use these features, you can choose not to be asked again directly from the dialog. The same change is listed for Beta Build 26320.9876.

This change is in Windows Insider preview builds only so far, and it may change before release. If you are not on an Insider build, you may not see it. The notification checkbox in the steps below is a separate setting.

How to Enable Notifications for These Keys in 🪟 Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app⚙️. Click the Start menu⊞ button (the Windows icon on the bottom-left), then click Settings. Or press Windows key + I on your keyboard to open Settings⚙️ quickly. The Settings window should now be open on your screen.
2. In the Settings⚙️ window, click Accessibility in the left-hand list. The Accessibility options should now appear on the right.
   
   

   

3. On the right side, find and click the Keyboard option. You should see the Sticky keys, Filter keys, and Toggle keys settings listed on this page.
   
   

   

4. Scroll down and click Notification preferences. This is the section that holds the notification option. If you cannot find it, scroll further down the Keyboard page and check each of the Sticky keys, Filter keys, and Toggle keys sections. Exact placement can vary slightly between Windows 11 builds, so run Windows Update🔃 if the option is missing.
5. Check the box that says “Notify me when I turn on Sticky, Filter, or Toggle keys on or off from the keyboard.” The check mark should now appear in the box. To stop notifications later, clear the check mark from the same box.
   
   

   

6. Close the Settings⚙️ app when you’re done. Windows saves your change automatically, so there is nothing else to confirm. Changes made in the Settings app take effect without a restart.

That’s it. Windows 11 will now show or play an alert whenever Sticky, Filter, or Toggle Keys is switched on or off from the keyboard.

To turn on sticky keys notifications in Windows 11, open the Settings app by pressing the Win+I on your keyboard. Select Accessibility from the left menu, then click Keyboard. From there, scroll down to Notification preferences and check the box that enables the alerts, so you always know when these keyboard helpers turn on.

To test it, press the Shift key five times. If Sticky Keys shortcuts are enabled, you should see or hear the Sticky Keys alert. To undo the change, go back to the same page and clear the check mark from the box.

On the Insider builds named earlier, the dialog that asks whether to turn on Sticky Keys may also let you choose not to be asked again. That option may change before release.

Summary

Enabling these notifications means you will not leave the keyboard helpers on by accident while typing. After you adjust your Accessibility settings, Windows confirms whenever Sticky, Filter, or Toggle Keys becomes active on your computer.

The change takes under a minute. You can reverse it at any time by clearing the check mark from the same box.

What are Sticky Keys and how to turn them off/on

How to use Filter Keys

How to use Toggle Keys sounds

Windows 11 users can share questions and helpful tips about Sticky, Filter, or Toggle Keys notifications in the comments section below. This shared knowledge helps other users understand and manage their accessibility settings more effectively.