How to Hide Notification Content on Windows 11 Lock Screen

Method 1Using Settings

This is the method to try first. You change each app’s permissions separately, so the text previews stay hidden while the PC is locked. No advanced tools are needed.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings ⚙️.
2. Click System on the left side, then click Notifications on the right side. You should now see the master notification switch and a list of apps under “Notifications from apps and other senders.”
3. Under “Notifications from apps and other senders,” click the app you want to change. If the app is not listed, it has probably not sent a notification yet. Windows only lists apps that have registered for notifications.
4. Find the option “Hide content when notifications are on lock screen” and set it to On to hide the message text, or Off to show it. On is the default setting. Choose what works best for you. If you cannot see the option, check that the app’s notifications are turned on, because the lock screen options only appear for apps that are allowed to send alerts.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any other apps you want to change.
6. Close Settings when you are done. No restart is needed. To check the result, press Win+L to lock the PC and wait for a notification to arrive.

Method 2Using Registry Editor

This is a manual alternative for when the Settings ⚙️ app is not working for you. Before you start, consider backing up the registry. In Registry Editor, click File, then Export, and save a copy so you can restore it if something goes wrong.

1. Type regedit.exe in the search bar and press Enter to open Registry Editor. If Windows asks whether you want to allow the app to make changes, click Yes. You need an administrator account.
2. In the left pane, navigate to this location:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications\Settings
3. Under the "Settings" folder in the left pane, click the app you want to change (for example: "Microsoft.YourPhone_8wekyb3d8bbwe!YourPhoneMessages"). Its values should now appear in the right pane.

Turn On Hiding Notification Content (Default Setting)

To hide the content for this app, remove the value that allows it above the lock screen:

1. In the right pane, look for the value called AllowContentAboveLock.
2. Right-click AllowContentAboveLock and click Delete. If you do not see AllowContentAboveLock, your app is already set to hide content. Skip to the final step.
3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion. The value should disappear from the right pane.

Turn Off Hiding Notification Content

You can undo this at any time and show full previews again. Setting the value back to 1 brings back the message text on your locked display:

1. In the right pane, double-click the AllowContentAboveLock value to open it. If the value is missing because you deleted it earlier, right-click an empty area of the right pane, click New, choose DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it AllowContentAboveLock. Then double-click it.
2. Type 1 in the "Value data" field.
3. Click OK.
4. Close Registry Editor. If the change does not show up right away, sign out and back in, or restart the PC.

Summary

You can hide notification content on the lock screen with either the built-in Settings app or the Registry Editor. Both keep your private messages from prying eyes, and your core system notifications keep working normally.

What happens when done: Notifications either show or hide their content on the lock screen, depending on the preference you chose. The setting applies only to the app you changed. Lock the PC with Win+L to confirm it behaves the way you expect.

Two approaches: Use Settings for a quick change, or use the Registry Editor if you need to work with the system values directly. In both cases you can reverse the change later.