Taskbar not showing badge content

[CDP-Denver]

How can I fix this?

Empty badges

[Garp_senchau]

@CDP-Denver, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

Ensure Badges Are Enabled

Go to Settings → Personalization → Taskbar.

Scroll down to Taskbar behaviors.

Make sure Show badges (unread messages counter) on taskbar apps is checked.

Check Focus Assist (Do Not Disturb)

Go to Settings → System → Focus Assist.

Make sure Focus Assist is set to Off, or check if it's suppressing notifications.

Also check Automatic rules at the bottom — disable them temporarily for testing.

Restart File Explorer

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Right-click on Windows Explorer and choose Restart.

Check App Notification Settings

Go to Settings → System → Notifications.

Ensure Notifications are turned on.

Scroll down and check that notifications are enabled for the apps you expect badges from (like Mail, Teams, WhatsApp, etc.).

Re-pin the App

Right-click the app on the taskbar → Unpin from taskbar.

Reopen the app, then right-click on it again and choose Pin to taskbar.

Run System File Checker

Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run: sfc /scannow

Let it complete and restart your PC.

Check for Windows Updates

Go to Settings → Windows Update.

Install any pending updates and restart.

Verify Using Different User Profile

Sometimes a user profile corruption can block badge updates. Try logging in with another user account to see if badges work there.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

[CDP-Denver]

None of the steps corrected the issue.  I created another user account.  It shows badge content. 

Perhaps my user profile is corrupt.  How do I fix it? 

[Garp_senchau]

Hey @CDP-Denver,

Thank you for your response

If you'd prefer to try to repair the original profile without moving everything, here’s how to do that:

Option 1: Run a System File Check

Open Command Prompt as an administrator (right-click and select "Run as administrator").

Type the following command: sfc /scannow

Press Enter. This will check for any corrupt system files and attempt to repair them. After the process is complete, restart your PC.

Option 2: Use DISM Tool

If the sfc /scannow didn’t fully resolve the issue, you can try the DISM (Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool) to fix Windows image issues:

Open Command Prompt as an administrator again.

Type the following command and press Enter: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 

Let the tool complete its process (this may take some time). Afterward, restart your PC and check if the taskbar badges are working again.

Option 3: Create a New Profile and Delete the Old One

If the profile is severely corrupted and the above steps don’t work, the best course of action might be to create a new profile and then delete the old one:

Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.

Click on Add someone else to this PC to create a new user.

Once the new profile is created, log in to it and transfer your files over.

Afterward, you can delete the corrupted profile: Under Family & other users, select the old account, and click Remove.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,