FIX: Action Center shortcut is missing in Windows 10/11
5 methods to fix Action Center shortcut issues
- Make sure the Action Center shortcut is enabled
- Run SFC and DISM
- Check the Group Policy Editor
- Use the registry tweak
- Reset your PC to factory settings
Windows 10 brought a lot of novelties to the standard Windows interface. One of the features is Action Center where all notifications and important options are easily accessible in one click. However, some users reported that the Action Center shortcut is missing from its usual spot in the notification area.
We made sure to shed some light on this problem and enlisted some solutions which should help you address it.
How to get Action Center shortcut back in Windows 10?
1. Make sure the Action Center shortcut is enabled
Firstly, let’s confirm that the Action Center shortcut in the notification area is enabled at all. You’ve might’ve disabled it by mistake or an update did it without your knowledge.
On the other hand, some users reported that the option was missing from the “Turn system icons on or off” menu. If that’s the case, move to the next
Here’s how to enable the Action Center shortcut in system settings:
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Choose Personalization.
- Select Taskbar from the left pane.
- Click on Turn system icons on or off.
- Make sure the Action Center icon is enabled.
2. Run SFC and DISM
If a built-in system feature is missing, chances are that some of the associated system files got corrupted or incomplete. This might happen for various reasons, but our main suspect is a Windows update. It’s not unusual for updates to break certain system features.
If that happens, you can rely on System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management utilities. These are built-in and you can run them through the elevated Command Prompt. Also, they work best when running in a succession.
Here’s how to run both SFC and DISM:
- In the Windows Search bar, type cmd. Right-click click on Command Prompt and run it as admin.
- In the command-line, type sfc/scannow and press Enter.
- After its done, type the following command and press Enter after each:
- DISM /online /Cleanup-Image / ScanHealth
- DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- DISM /online /Cleanup-Image / ScanHealth
- When the procedure ends, restart your PC.
3. Check the Group Policy Editor
There are multiple ways to control system features and besides the usual access via the Users Interface. One of the options for advanced users is the Group Policy, used to regulate all important system features for security purposes.
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And, that’s where you can limit the access for other users to Action Center, as well. That’s why we suggest inspecting these options to find out whether the Action Center shortcut is disabled there.
Here’s what you need to do:
- In the Windows Search bar, type Group Policy, and open Edit group policy.
- Expand to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
- In the right pane, right-click on the “Remove Notifications and Action Center” setting and choose Edit.
- Enable the setting and confirm changes.
- Restart your PC.
4. Use the registry tweak
If the Action Center is enabled in Group Policy Editor, we’ll need to turn to the Registry. Seemingly, this was the most fruitful solution for the majority of affected users. However, we strongly advise not to meddle with the Registry if you don’t know what are you exactly
In this case, we suggest accessing the Registry Editor and enabling Notification Center (Action Center) if it’s disabled.
Follow these steps to do so:
- In the Windows Search bar, type regedit and open regedit from the list of results.
- In the Address bar, copy-paste the following path and press Enter:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsExplorer
- Right-click on the blank area in the right pane and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name the DWORD DisableNotificationCenter, set its value to 1 and save it.
5. Reset your PC to factory settings
In the end, if you’re still unable to get back the Action Center shortcut in the notification area, we suggest resetting your system to factory settings. With this approach, you’ll get to keep your files while also addressing possible system issues which caused this error.
Nonetheless, we still suggest backing up your data from the system partition, in case something goes awry.
- READ ALSO: Full Fix: Windows 10 Factory Reset Stuck
Here’s how to reset your PC to factory settings:
- Press Windows key + I to summon the Settings app.
- Open the Update & Security section.
- Select Recovery from the left pane.
- Under ”Reset this PC”, click Get started.
And with that step, we can wrap it up. In case you have any alternative solutions for this problem, be so kind and share them with us in the comments section below.
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- How to Disable Sound Notifications in Windows 10, 8.1
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