NotiRewind
How to see Windows notifications you missed while away or gaming
Notifications that arrive while you're away from your desk, or while a game or video is full screen, can pop up and vanish without you noticing.
Do not disturb sends notifications to the notification center
While do not disturb is on in Windows 11, notification banners don't appear. Notifications go straight to the notification center (Microsoft Support). Starting a Focus session also turns on do not disturb, and you review what arrived during the session in the notification center (Microsoft Support).
When you're back, press Windows key + N to open the notification center.
Turn on do not disturb automatically
In Settings > System > Notifications > Turn on do not disturb automatically, you can turn it on:
- During certain times of the day
- When duplicating the display
- When playing a game
- When using an app in full-screen mode
- For the first hour after a Windows feature update
Banners won't distract you while gaming or in full screen, and notifications wait in the notification center. For apps you always want to hear from, use the priority notifications setting on the same page so their banners still appear.
The notification center doesn't keep them long
The notification center is not a history. Notifications leave it within 3 days at most, and apps can remove their own (see Where is notification history in Windows 11?). After a long weekend away or a busy day, some may already be gone.
See everything that arrived while you were away
NotiRewind saves incoming notifications as a history on your PC and groups those that arrived while you were away (no input) or using a full-screen app. When you come back, it tells you how many arrived from each app.
Saved notifications stay in the history after they leave the notification center. Only notifications that reach the notification center can be saved.