In this article, we’ll cover 6 effective methods to fix the Windows 10 Action Center when it won’t open:
1. Enable the Action Center Via Settings
First, let’s make sure the Action Center is actually enabled in Settings. Here’s how:
Open the Start menu and click the Settings icon (gear shape).
Go to Personalization > Taskbar.
Under “Notification area”, make sure the “Action Center” option is turned on.
If it’s off, toggle it to the on position and see if that resolves the issue.
2. Restart File Explorer
If the Action Center still won’t open, try restarting the Windows Explorer process:
Press Ctrl Shift Esc to open the Task Manager.
Click the “Processes” tab and find “Windows Explorer” in the list.
Right-click it and select “Restart”.
This will restart the File Explorer shell without closing any open windows.
Check if you can now open the Action Center.
3. Re-Register the Action Center by Running a PowerShell Command
If restarting File Explorer didn’t work, you can try re-registering the Action Center using PowerShell:
Press Win X and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” to open an elevated PowerShell prompt.
Copy and paste this command:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
Press Enter and let the command complete.
Restart your PC and see if the Action Center now opens.
4. Enable the Action Center Via the Registry Editor
You can also try enabling the Action Center through the Registry Editor:
Press Win R to open the Run dialog, type “regedit”, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
If the “Explorer” key doesn’t exist, right-click “Windows” and select New > Key, naming it “Explorer”.
Right-click in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name the new value “DisableNotificationCenter” and set its value data to 0.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC.
5. Enable the Action Center Via the Local Group Policy Editor
If you’re using Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor:
Press Win R, type “gpedit.msc”, and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
Double-click the “Remove Notifications and Action Center” policy on the right.
Select “Disabled” or “Not Configured” and click “OK”.
Exit the Group Policy Editor and restart your PC.
6. Use the SFC and DISM Tools
As a last resort, you can use the built-in System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tools to repair corrupted system files:
Press Win X and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” to open an elevated PowerShell prompt.
Run this command to scan for and fix corrupted files:
sfc /scannow
If SFC finds issues, run these DISM commands to repair the Windows image:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Restart your PC when the scans and repairs are complete.
If none of these methods work, there may be a deeper issue with your Windows installation. You could try a clean reinstall of Windows 10 as a last resort. But hopefully one of these troubleshooting steps will get your Action Center working again.