Where is notification history in Windows 11? How to see notifications that disappeared

Updated: 2026-10-21

A notification popped up in the corner of the screen and was gone before you could read it. Windows has no "notification history" screen, but notifications that are still around can be found in the notification center.

Open the notification center

• Windows 11: press Windows key + N, or select the clock at the right end of the taskbar
• Windows 10: press Windows key + A to open the action center

Notifications that popped up and disappeared (banners) usually stay here. Select a notification to open the app that sent it.

When it isn't in the notification center

The notification center is not a history. A notification leaves it in any of these cases.

1. Time ran out: a notification stays for 3 days unless the app sets a shorter time, and never longer (Microsoft Learn)
2. The app removed it: apps may remove their own notifications, for example after you read the message in the app
3. You restarted: notifications marked to expire on restart are removed when the PC restarts
4. Someone cleared it: notifications removed with "Clear all" or the × button can't be brought back to the notification center

Also, if "Show notifications in notification center" is off for an app, its notifications only appear as banners and never enter the notification center. Check it in Settings > System > Notifications > Notifications from apps and other senders by selecting the app.

Can cleared notifications be restored?

Windows has no way to restore cleared notifications. Microsoft's notifications help page only describes clearing the notification center. Opening the app that sent the notification (email, chat and so on) and finding the original message is the reliable way.

Some guides suggest opening a file named wpndatabase.db. It is an internal Windows database with no published format, and cleared notifications are not guaranteed to be in it.

Keep notifications from now on

To look back at notifications later, they have to be saved when they arrive. NotiRewind is a Microsoft Store app that saves the notifications reaching the notification center as a history on your PC.

• Saved notifications stay in the history after they leave the notification center or you clear them
• Search by app name, title or text
• Times when NotiRewind wasn't running are marked as "stopped", so you can tell "no notifications" from "not recorded"

Only notifications that reach the notification center can be saved. Notifications from before installation are saved only if they are still in the notification center.