What is the Action Center?
In Windows 10, the Action Center is the slide-out panel on the right side of your screen, accessed by clicking the small speech bubble icon in the far bottom-right corner of the taskbar. It houses all of your incoming app notifications, emails, and system alerts, along with a grid of “Quick Actions” (like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Night Light toggles).
If you prefer a completely distraction-free environment and never want to see pop-up notifications, or if you simply prefer using the dedicated Settings app for toggles and want to reclaim the taskbar space, you can completely disable the Action Center.
How to Completely Disable the Action Center in Windows 10
To completely remove the Action Center icon from the taskbar and disable the slide-out panel, you must use the Local Group Policy Editor (available in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions).
- Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type
gpedit.mscand press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor. - In the left-hand navigation pane, drill down to the following path:
- User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
- In the right-hand pane, scroll down the alphabetical list and double-click the policy named Remove Notifications and Action Center.
- A new window will open. Change the setting from “Not Configured” to Enabled.
- Click Apply, then click OK.
To see the changes take effect, you must restart your computer (or open Task Manager and restart the “Windows Explorer” process). Upon reboot, the speech bubble icon will be gone from the system tray, and pressing Windows Key + A will no longer slide open the sidebar, ensuring a completely distraction-free desktop.