How to Show Phone Links Notifications on Windows 11 Taskbar
Phone Link is a built-in Windows 11 tool that connects your phone to your PC over Bluetooth . It shows text messages, missed calls, and app alerts on your PC, and it can put a badge on the taskbar icon. That lets you check phone updates without picking up your device or looking away from your screen.
Open the Phone Link app, click the Settings gear icon, navigate to General, and toggle on “Show badges for unread messages and notifications on your PC’s taskbar.” This displays alerts directly on your taskbar icons.
Why Control Notification Badges?
Taskbar badges are the small red markers on an app icon that tell you something is unread. They are handy if you want to catch missed calls and texts at a glance. If constant alerts break your focus, you can switch them off. Either way, it is one setting inside Phone Link.
How to Turn Notification Badges On or Off in Phone Link
The badge setting lives inside the Phone Link app, not in Windows Settings . You need a phone already paired with the app for the options to appear. The steps below work for turning badges on or off.
- Open Phone Link. Click Start, type Phone Link, and press Enter. You should see the app window with your phone’s messages, calls, and notifications.
- If you haven’t paired a device yet, follow the on-screen prompts to set one up. Phone Link will not show most settings until a phone is connected. If you are already connected, click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Settings .
- Click General in the menu that appears. The general options for the app should now show on the right.
- Scroll down on the right side until you find the Badges section.
- Look for the option that says “Show badges for unread messages and notifications on your PC’s taskbar.” A toggle switch sits next to it.
- Move the switch to On to activate badges, or flip it to Off to disable them. With the switch on, a badge should appear on the Phone Link icon on your taskbar when something unread arrives.
- Close the app. Changes save automatically, so there is no Save or Apply button. To undo the change, come back to the same place and flip the switch again.
If the setting is missing, check that your phone is still connected in Phone Link. The Phone Link app also needs to be up to date, which you can check in the Microsoft Store.
Troubleshooting Missing Notifications
If taskbar notifications still don’t appear after you turn the badge setting on, a stuck taskbar is a common cause. Restarting Windows Explorer usually fixes it. It does not restart your PC, and it does not touch your files.
How to restart Windows Explorer:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Find Windows Explorer in the list of processes. On the Processes page, it is listed under Windows processes.
- Right-click it and select Restart. The taskbar and desktop will disappear for a moment and then come back. This refreshes your taskbar and system tray icons.
Any open File Explorer windows may close during the restart, so save anything you are working on first. If the badge still doesn't show, confirm the Badges switch is on and that your phone is still connected.
Customizing Your Taskbar Behavior
If you want a cleaner workspace, you can hide the taskbar automatically or change its icon alignment. Both options are in the main Taskbar settings. Right-click an empty spot on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings to open them. Note that if the taskbar is hidden, you won't see badges until you move the pointer to the screen edge where it sits.
Summary
To keep your Windows 11 taskbar tidy, adjust the badge setting in Phone Link and fix common glitches by restarting Windows Explorer. Together, these keep your desktop clean and let you see phone alerts only when you want them.
Why are my 🪟 Windows 11 taskbar notifications not showing up?
Windows 11 taskbar notifications may fail to appear if Focus Assist or Do Not Disturb mode is active, or if the Windows Explorer process requires a restart.
How do I stop taskbar icons from flashing in 🪟 Windows 11?
Stopping flashing taskbar icons in Windows 11 generally requires addressing the pending action or alert inside the specific app causing the flash.
What is the difference between notification badges and toast notifications?
Notification badges are the small numbers or dots appearing on top of an app icon in the taskbar to indicate unread items. Toast notifications are the pop-up banners that show up in the corner of your screen with alerts and info from your apps or the system.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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