How to Disable Red Notification Badges on the Windows 11 Taskbar

The Red Dots of Stress

To ensure you never miss an important update, Windows 11 allows applications pinned to your taskbar (like Mail, Slack, or Discord) to display a bright red notification “badge” or a small counter directly on top of their icon. While this is helpful for staying on top of your inbox, it turns your taskbar into a constant source of anxiety. If you are trying to focus on writing a document, seeing a red dot out of the corner of your eye practically forces you to stop working and check the application. To maintain your focus, you must force the taskbar to ignore these alerts.

How to Turn Off Taskbar Badges

You can completely disable the red notification dots via the Taskbar settings.

1. Right-click anywhere on an empty space on the Taskbar at the bottom of your screen.
2. Click on Taskbar settings in the small pop-up menu.
3. A new Settings window will open. Scroll down and click to expand the section labeled Taskbar behaviors.
4. Look for the specific checkbox labeled “Show badges on taskbar apps.”
5. Click the checkbox to completely remove the checkmark.

A Peaceful Workspace

The change is absolute and instantaneous. The bright red dots and unread counters will instantly vanish from every single application pinned to the bottom of your screen. You will still receive normal notification banners (if you have them enabled), but your taskbar will remain a clean, distraction-free environment, allowing you to check your email only when you are actually ready to.