Forum Discussion
Don't show windows 11 update notifications after the update has been viewed.
It used to be that we'd get a notification and the Windows Update taskbar icon would show on the taskbar ONLY when there was a new notification AND we had not yet viewed it. After that it would be silent.
But now I see the taskbar icon ALL THE TIME until I install every available update.
Since some updates are NOT SAFE to install immediately (let's face it, both Microsoft and NVidia are infamous for rolling out updates that are not yet fully mature, but they eventually fix them), but it is ideal to let them simmer for a few weeks and only then install them.
The problem is a "Boy who cried wolf" syndrome. If installing an update is best to be delayed, the taskbar icon stays on, not just when a NEW product update shows up. So, we end up ignoring them all. Not good. I can't find a way to silence the new taskbar behavior so that I can choose when to install product updates and still have a visible sign that a new update that I have not yet inspected just showed up.
So... how do I get the taskbar icon to go back to the old behavior? ONLY show the update icon if a new update for a product is available and I have not yet opened the Windows Update app since it became available... regardless of whether I installed it or not?
Or has windows 11 been crippled and this is no longer possible?
1 Reply
Windows 11 doesn’t provide a supported setting for that exact behaviour. The Windows Update tray icon is a status indicator, not an unread-notification badge, so opening Windows Update doesn’t necessarily clear it. An update or restart still pending can keep it visible.
The available controls don’t distinguish “I’ve reviewed this update” from “a new update has arrived”:
- Pause updates lets you postpone updates, but it also changes update scheduling; it isn’t a way to acknowledge individual notifications.
- Notify me when a restart is required under Windows Update’s advanced options controls restart notifications, not the behaviour you described.
- Hiding the icon, where available, also hides the indication you want for future updates.
If your aim is to avoid early optional releases, leave Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available turned off and don’t manually select optional preview or driver updates. That won’t restore an “unread updates only” icon, though.
