Notifications are almost ubiquitous in computing nowadays, which is what makes it so surprising that--until just a few years ago--Windows notifications were either nonexistent or (when Windows 8 rolled around) effectively unusable. Fortunately, Windows 10 solved this problem with the Action Center. Let’s go over what the Action Center can do.

Notifications? Like My Phone?

Sort of. Similar to Android and iOS devices, Windows has notifications. While many of these notifications are simply based on the operating system itself - new features, required updates, etc., applications like Outlook can use the notifications feature to show you when new messages come in.

What is the Action Center?

The Action Center is Microsoft’s revamped version of the notification center. Rather than allowing missed notifications to expire, the Action Center preserves them for review later on. When a user has such notifications to review, the small speech box in the menu bar that provides access to the Action Center will turn white and prove a number of notifications that await review.

Once opened, you will see your notifications at the top, along with a brief list of quick-access settings that expands to include:

• All settings
• Network
• Connect
• Project
• Screen snip
• Battery saver
• VPN
• Bluetooth
• Night light
• Mobile hotspot
• Wi-Fi
• Focus assist
• Location
• Airplane mode
• Nearby sharing
• Tablet mode

As you may have noticed, a few of these options are clearly devised to be used with a touchscreen-based mobile device, such as the available “tablet mode.” In the Settings menu, you can also customize this list to omit entries you have no use for.

So, What Do You Think?

Have you found the Action Center to be useful in the past? Share your thoughts about it in the comments!