Gmail Notifications not working on Windows PC

Are you not receiving Gmail notifications on your desktop? For some Windows users, the Gmail notifications are not working on their computers. While it is likely that your notifications are not enabled, many users have reported that they don’t receive any Gmail notifications even after configuring their notification settings correctly.

Why are my Gmail notifications not working on my desktop?

The primary reason for Gmail notifications not showing or working on Windows is that the notifications are previously disabled by mistake or intentionally. Other than that, if you have turned off your Windows notifications, you won’t receive any notifications, including Gmail notifications. Another reason for the same could be that you have disabled notifications in the site settings of Gmail. An enabled Focus Assist can also be a reason for the same issue.

Gmail Notifications not working on Windows 11/10

If the Gmail notifications on your desktop are not working, here are the methods you can use to fix the problem:

1. Basic troubleshooting tips.
2. Ensure that Gmail notifications are enabled.
3. Check your Windows notification settings.
4. Let Gmail send notifications in your browser.
5. Disable Focus Assist.
6. Reset your web browser.

1] Basic troubleshooting tips

You can start with some basic troubleshooting methods as it could be a temporary issue causing the problem. The first thing you should do is make sure that the Gmail tab is opened in your browser. Else, it won’t be sending you notifications on your PC. You can also pin the Gmail tab by right-clicking on it and choosing the Pin option. See if this resolves the problem for you.

You can also try rebooting your computer and see if the issue is fixed. Sometimes, a simple restart resolves most of the PC issues.

2] Ensure that Gmail notifications are enabled

To receive Gmail notifications, you must ensure that notifications are enabled in the first place. It might be the case that you disabled your notifications previously, intentionally or unintentionally. If that is the case, turn on the notifications on Gmail and see if the issue is resolved.

Here are the steps to enable Gmail notifications in Chrome:

• First, open the Gmail website in your Chrome browser and log into your account.
• Now, click on the Settings button and then choose the See all settings option.
• Next, in the General tab, scroll down to locate the Desktop notifications section.
• After that, set Desktop notifications to New mail notifications on or Important mail notifications on.
• You can also choose an email notification sound by clicking on the Email notification sounds drop-down button.
• Once done, press the Save Changes button present at the bottom of the page.

Similarly, if you use some other web browser, you can use the same steps to enable Gmail notifications in your browser on a computer.

If you use a desktop mail app like Outlook to access your Gmail accounts, make sure you have enabled notifications in the app. Outlook users can enable email notifications by going to File > Options and moving to the Mail tab. Then, tick the Display a Desktop Alert checkbox under Message arrival. You should now receive Gmail email notifications.

Read: Mail app Notifications not working in Windows.

3] Check your Windows notification settings

Your notification settings on Windows might be disabled and causing the issue. If you are not receiving any notifications from any app, including Gmail, check your notification settings and enable the notifications. Here’s how you can do that:

• First, press the Win+I hotkey to open the Settings app.
• Now, go to the System > Notifications section.
• Next, ensure the toggle associated with the Notifications option is turned on.
• Also, ensure that notifications are enabled for the Mail app under the Notifications from apps and other senders section.

See if the problem is resolved now.

Read: Taskbar Notifications not showing on Windows PC.

4] Let Gmail send notifications to your browser

The next thing you can do is ensure you have allowed Gmail notifications in your browser. To do that, open the Site settings for Gmail and enable the Notifications option. If you use Google Chrome, here are the steps to do that:

• First, open your Gmail account in a web browser.
• Now, press the padlock icon present next to the web address bar.
• After that, click on the Site settings option.
• On the opened page, look for the Notifications option and set it to Allow.
• Once done, go back to the Gmail tab and check if you have started receiving notifications for new emails.

In case you use the Edge browser for accessing your Gmail account, follow the below steps:

• First, open the Gmail tab in Edge and click on the padlock icon.
• Now, select the Permission for this site option.
• Next, choose Allow for the Notifications permission.

Read: WhatsApp not showing notifications on Windows.

5] Disable Focus Assist

If you use Focus Assist on your PC, turn it off, as it will disable your notifications. It is a handy feature that helps you focus on your primary tasks and activities without getting distracted by notifications. So, if enabled, disable it and then see if your Gmail notifications are working again. Here’s how:

• First, launch the Settings app using Win+I and navigate to System > Focus.
• After that, press the Stop focus session button.
• Now, exit the Settings window and check if your Gmail and other notifications are working or not.

See: Facebook notifications are not working on Chrome.

6] Reset your web browser

Corrupted browser settings might be causing issues with your Gmail notifications. Hence, if the scenario applies, you can reset your web browser to its original settings and see if it works for you.

If the problem happens in Google Chrome, open the browser and click on the three-dot menu button. After that, choose the Settings option and move to the Reset settings tab from the left-side panel. Now, click on the Restore settings to their original defaults button and then press the Reset settings button to confirm it. When done, restart Chrome and open Gmail to check if the notifications are working fine.

Similarly, you can reset Firefox, Edge, and other web browsers and see if the problem is gone.

I hope this helps!

Now read: Microsoft Outlook notifications not working.

How do I fix my desktop notifications not working?

If your desktop notifications are not working correctly or not showing, you can check your notification settings in the Windows Settings app and make sure the notifications are turned on. Also, ensure that the notifications for that particular application are enabled and the program can run in the background. Besides that, make sure you have installed pending Windows updates, disable Custom Overlays, or restart Windows Explorer to fix the issue.