How to fix Windows 10 Action Center issues in 9 easy ways?

The Action Center or Notification Center on Windows 10 is a feature that conveniently gives you access to notifications of different apps, programs, and system settings, including the security of your PC, in one place. You can easily open the notifications by clicking the icon located at the right corner of the taskbar or by using the Windows Key+A.

You can customize the Action Center to receive the notifications that you want and dismiss them as you wish.

What if Notification and Action Center are not working in Windows 10?

Sometimes, when you have unread notifications and you click them, you don’t get any response. This may be disappointing because you keep getting these notifications yet they can’t open.

When you encounter the issue of Action Center not showing anything in Windows 10, there are several fixes that you can apply.

How to Fix Windows 10 Action Center Not Opening in Windows 10

Fix 1: Restart Windows Explorer

A quick fix to this issue is to restart Windows Explorer using the following steps:

1. Use the keyboard shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager.
2. Under the “Processes” tab, look for Windows Explorer and right-click it.
3. Select “Restart”

Check the Action Center to determine if the issue has been resolved. If it’s still unresponsive try the next fix.

Fix 2: Restart Your PC

Another simple fix would be to turn off your computer and then switch it back on. Keep in mind that Windows 10 uses Fast Startup option to speed up your computer startup time. This means that your PC doesn’t turn off completely when you switch it off the normal way.

To fully turn off your computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the PC switches off. Press the power button again to switch the PC back on. Now, go to the Action Center to check if the notifications open.

Fix 3: Install Pending Updates

Failing to update Windows 10 could be one of the reasons why the Action Center is not working. To check and install any pending updates:

1. Launch Settings, and then open Update & Security > Windows Update.
2. Select the “Check for updates” button.
3. Install all the updates and restart your PC.

This should fix the Action Center not working issue in Windows 10. If it doesn’t, try Fix 4 below.

Fix 4: Run DISM and SFC

Damaged system files can cause issues in the Action Center. Running DISM and SFC will help to fix corrupted system files.

a. Run the SFC command:

1. Press the Windows Key and type command prompt.
2. Right-click the first result and select “Run as administrator”.
3. Input the following command and hit Enter: sfc /scannow.

This process may take a while. If Windows doesn’t find any corrupted system files on your PC, you’ll see the message “Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations”. If you see the message “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them”, follow option (b) below.

b. Run the DISM command:

1. Repeat Step 1 and 2 above.
2. Input the following commands and press Enter after each one:

• Dism /Online /Cleanup-image /CheckHealth.
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-image /ScanHealth.
• Dism /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth.

Wait for the process to finish and then reboot your computer. Open the Action Center to check if it functions properly.

Fix 5: Disable the Action Center

To fix Windows 10 Action Center not opening problem, disable and enable the Action Center to see if it works.

1. Launch “Settings” from the “Start” menu.
2. Go to Personalization > Taskbar.
3. Locate the “Turn system icons on or off” option and select it.
4. Find “Action Center” and turn it off.
5. Restart your computer.
6. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 and turn the Action Center on again.

Go to the Notification Center and click on any notification to find out if it opens.

Fix 6: Rename UsrClass.dat File

UsrClass.dat file is where Windows stores your user profile details. Renaming this file might solve the Action Center not opening issue in Windows 10.

To accomplish this, follow these steps:

1. Launch the “Run” dialog box by pressing the Windows Key+R.
2. Type in this path and click “OK” or press “Enter”: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows. This takes you straight to Windows Explorer where you’ll find the file named UsrClass.dat.
3. Right-click the file and select “Rename”. Assign the file a different name such as UsrClass.dat.bak or UsrClass.dat.old.
4. Click “Yes” to confirm your action.

If you receive a warning message saying the file might be in use and you can’t rename or delete it, you need to create a new user account. To create a separate account:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Family and other people.
2. Choose the option “Add someone else to this PC” and follow the onscreen prompts.
3. Log out of your current account and log in to the new user account.
4. Next, you need to find the UsrCLass.dat file on your original account in Windows Explorer. To do so, follow this path: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows. Username is the name of your original account.
5. If you can’t find this folder, click the “View” button in Explorer and check the “Hidden items” box.
6. Try to rename the file again and restart your computer.

These steps should have the Action Center working again. If it fails to function, go on to the next fix.

Fix 7: Re-Register Action Center Using PowerShell

You can use a PowerShell command to get rid of false notifications in Windows 10 Action Center. Windows PowerShell is built on the .NET Framework and it’s mainly used by administrators to automate specific tasks in Windows that could otherwise be tedious.

To fix Windows 10 Action Center problems through PowerShell, follow these steps:

1. Click “Start” and type powershell.
2. Right-click the first result titled “Windows PowerShell” and select “Run as administrator”.
3. Click “Yes” to access the Windows PowerShell window.
4. Copy the following command line and paste it on the PowerShell window: Get-AppxPackage | % { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml” -verbose }.
5. Press “Enter”.
6. Wait until the process completes successfully and then restart your PC.

This fix should resolve the Action Center issues. If it doesn’t, try Fix 8 below.

Fix 8: Use an Advanced Anti-Malware Tool

Virus infections can cause changes in certain applications that could lead to a lot of pop-up messages in the Action Center that won’t open. To rule out the possibility that your PC is malware-infested, you need a tool that can effectively scan and remove threats.

The Auslogics Anti-Malware tool can reliably detect out-of-the-ordinary activities causing your computer to act up. With real-time protection against all forms of malware attacks, this tool stops the malicious files before they cause any damage. It’s more advanced than the antivirus you’re using which makes it useful, especially in detecting malware that silently invades your system.

Once you’ve installed the Auslogics Anti-Malware tool, select the “Deep scan” option for a comprehensive scan on all your folders, files, browser extensions and programs. After the scan is complete, check the details and decide whether to quarantine or remove suspicious items. Malware removal solves most of the PC issues including slower performance and Action Center not showing anything in Windows 10.

Fix 9: Perform Clean Boot

The Clean Boot State is used to troubleshoot startup issues on Windows. If you’re receiving errors during computer startup, performing Clean Boot helps to diagnose the origin of the problems.

When you start your computer in Clean Boot, Windows runs a minimal set of device drivers and startup programs. For this reason, you may notice that some programs don’t function as expected.

Clean Boot can help you identify issues causing the Action Center to become unresponsive. To perform a Clean Boot, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows Key and type msconfig. Select the first result titled “System Configuration”. Alternatively, press the Windows Key+R, and type msconfig in the “Run” dialog box. Click “OK”.
2. The System Configuration window opens with the “General” tab already selected. Make sure the “Selective startup” option is checked.
3. Uncheck the “Load startup items” box.
4. Go to “Services” tab and check the “Hide all Microsoft services” box.
5. Select the “Disable all” button to disable all unnecessary services.
6. Next, go to the “Startup” tab and then select “Open Task Manager”.
7. In the Task Manager, under “Startup”, right-click all the enabled items one-by-one and select “Disable”.
8. Close the Task Manager and then click “Apply” followed by “OK”.
9. Restart your computer to run Windows in Clean Boot State. Check if the error in the Action Center has been resolved.

If not, you can continue with the following steps to troubleshoot the problem.

• Repeat the steps above, but this time under the “General” tab, also uncheck “Load system services”.
• Click Apply followed by “OK”, and then reboot your PC.

When you’re done implementing these steps, you need to restart Windows normally. To do this:

1. Press the Windows Key+R, and then type msconfig.
2. Select “Normal startup” and then click “OK”.
3. Restart your PC to boot in the normal state.

Before applying advanced fixes, we always recommend trying out simple fixes first. System updates are known to cause issues which are usually fixed on the next updates. Likewise, it’s important to create restore points before making changes to your PC. This will come in handy if you want to revert the changes.

Let us know the solution that helped you to get rid of false notifications in Windows 10 Action Center.