Question from Brenda: Hi, Rick. I’ve been reading your blog for a over a year now, and I love it. Great stuff for us tech-challenged folks!
Now that I’ve buttered you up (I hope!) I have a question for you.
I have a Windows computer and the notification messages that pop up in the lower right corner of the screen disappear before I notice them and have time to read them.
Is there any way to make those notifications stay on the screen longer?
Rick’s answer: I’m very glad you find my tips useful, Brenda. I really appreciate the feedback. Thanks!
To answer your question, you can easily force those fleeting notification messages to stay on your screen long enough for you to read them and mentally digest what you just read.
Here’s a short video that shows how to change the applicable setting in Windows 11:
Note: You can watch this video at full screen by clicking the little “square” icon in the lower-right corner of the video after it begins playing.
Do you prefer following written instructions? If so, here you go…
If your PC is running Windows 11:
1 – Right-click the Start button and select Settings from the menu.
2 – In the left-hand pane, click Accessibility.
3 – In the right-hand pane, click Visual effects.
4 – Click on the drop-down box on the “Dismiss notifications after this amount of time” setting and select a longer time from the list. (5 seconds is the default.)
Note: I suggest starting with an interval of 7 seconds to see if that extra 2 seconds gives you enough time to read and understand the notifications when they appear (it just might).
If 7 seconds still isn’t enough time, you can repeat the above procedure and increase the interval a little more until you find the amount of time that works best for you.
4 – Click the X in the top-right corner of the window to close the Settings app.
If your PC is running Windows 10:
1 – Right-click the Start button and select Settings from the menu.
2 – Click Ease of Access.
3 – Scroll down to the “Show notifications for” setting and change it to a larger number. (5 seconds is the default.)
Note: I suggest starting with an interval of 7 seconds to see if that extra 2 seconds gives you enough time to read and understand the notifications when they appear (it just might).
If 7 seconds still isn’t enough time, you can repeat the above procedure and increase the interval a little more until you find the amount of time that works best for you.
4 – Click the X in the top-right corner of the window to close the Settings app.
That’s all there is to it, Brenda. Thanks again, and good luck!