Windows 11 comes with a new and improved Action Center that is more user-friendly, provides quick access to notifications, and facilitates changes to settings. This center keeps all your notifications in one place, so you can easily track and manage them. You can also customize the Action Center to better suit your needs.

However, Action center may at times have technical issues that prevent you from opening it on Windows 11. The guide provides a complete list of solutions to help you solve the problem. So let's begin.

Why is the Action Center Not Opening in Windows 11?

Action Center helps you stay on top of notifications and take action to make Windows work more efficiently. The Action Center in Windows 11 has been redesigned and now offers better usability than ever. However, you may still have trouble opening it. Windows Action Centre may stop opening for several reasons, but you are more likely to encounter this issue if you update to the latest version of the operating system. Listed below are some other possible causes.

  1. Corrupted Windows files can cause this issue.
  2. The action center may not open if it's disabled on your computer.
  3. The problem might also occur due to a technical glitch or when some system files are corrupted or missing.

Here are a few things you can try if you're having this problem.

1. Check for Pending Windows Updates and Restart Your PC

If your Action Center isn't opening in Windows 11, first make sure that your computer is up-to-date. Windows automatically downloads and installs updates that fixes bugs, so if you're using an outdated version of Windows, it could be causing an issue with Action Center.

To check for updates, press Win + S to open Windows Search, search for "Windows Update" and select the best result. If there are any updates available, they will be downloaded and installed automatically.

In the case of a computer that is already up-to-date, the next step is to reboot it. This will sometimes fix minor software glitches that can cause problems with the Action Center. To restart your computer, click the Start button and then select Power > Restart.

2. Run the System File Checker Tool

If you're still having trouble opening the Action Center in Windows 11, the next thing you can try is running the System File Checker. This will scan your system for corrupt files and attempt to repair them. Here's how to do it:

  1. Press Win + S to open the search box.
  2. Then type "PowerShell" and select Run as administrator from the right pane.
  3. If UAC appears on the computer screen, click Yes to continue.
    SFC Command In PowerShell
  4. In the Command Prompt window, type "sfc /scannow" and press Enter.

The scan may take a while to complete, but once it's done, restart your computer and see if the Action Center is now working.

3. Use the DISM Tool

When an SFC scan fails to find an issue, you can use the Deployment Imaging Service and Management (DISM) tool to scan and repair any corrupted system files.

  1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
    RestoreHealth command
  2. In the Command Prompt window, copy and paste the below command and press Enter:
            DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
        
  3. After the command has finished running, restart your computer and see if the Action Center is now working.

4. Re-Register the Action Center

Windows 11's Action Center is a great way to stay on top of your notifications, but sometimes it can stop working correctly. Here's how to fix the problem by re-registering the Action Center.

  1. First, open the Start Menu and search for PowerShell.
  2. Right-click on the PowerShell app and select Run as administrator.
  3. When User Account Control (UAC) will appear on the computer screen, click Yes to proceed.
  4. In the PowerShell window, paste the following command and press Enter:
            Get-AppxPackage | % { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml" -verbose }
        
  5. Once the process is finished, restart your computer and check if the Action Center is opening again.

5. Tweak Registry Editor

Windows Registry Editor lets you make changes at the system level. If the Action Center is not opening in your Windows 11, you may need to tweak the registry editor. However, the Registry Editor contains critical files that are essential to Windows and its applications. So, if you plan to make any changes to your registry, you should create a backup first.

These steps will guide you through resolving this error using the Registry Editor.

  1. Open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type "regedit" into the Run box and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor.
  3. If User Account Control appears on your computer screen, click Yes to continue.
  4. Copy & paste the following path into the address bar and then press Enter:
            Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
        
  5. If there is not an Explorer key, create it by right-clicking on Windows and selecting New > Key. Name the new key "Explorer."
  6. Select the Explorer key and double-click on DisableNotificationCenter (DWORD).
    Fix Action Center not opening using Registry Editor
  7. Set the Value to 0 and click OK. This will enable the Action Center.
  8. Exit out of the Registry Editor when you're finished.

Once you have followed these steps, you can try opening the Action Center again and see if it works properly now.

6. Use Local Group Policy Editor

If you're still experiencing problems with the Action Center not opening in Windows 11, another solution is to enable it via the Local Group Policy Editor. This can be done by following these steps:

This solution works only with Windows Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions. If you're a Home user, you can try a Local Group Policy workaround for Windows Home to access it.

  1. Press the Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
  3. In the left pane, expand User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
  4. Go to the right pane and double-click on Remove Notifications and Action Center.
    Fix Action Center not opening using Local Group Policy
  5. Next, select Disabled and then click Apply > OK to save your changes.
    Remove notifications and Action Center
  6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

After following these steps, try opening the Action Center again to see if it's working properly now.

7. Perform a System Restore

The Windows 11 operating system offers you a number of ways to keep your PC running smoothly. One of these is System Restore, which can create restore points that allow you to roll back your system to a previous state if something goes wrong.

If you need help on how to do this, our guide on the difference between System Restore and Windows Reset includes the basics you need to learn.

Keep Up With Your System Notifications Again

It's easy to access system notifications in the Action Center, but corrupt files can sometimes prevent this tool from opening. If this happens to you, you can use the method explained above to resolve the problem.