Action Center has become the main control center of the Windows OS where you can take control of the system from anywhere on your computer. But some Windows 11 users have reported on Action Center not opening after upgrading their system OS. If you are also facing this issue, don’t worry. There are a few quick workarounds to solve this issue on your computer.
Fix 1 – Restart the File Explorer process
If this is a one-time occurrence, you can fix it simply by restarting the File Explorer process.
1. At first, press the Windows key+E keys together to open the File Explorer. Once it does opens up, minimize it.
2. Then, right-click on the Windows icon on the taskbar, and tap on “Task Manager” to access the Task Manager on your computer.
4. Once the Task Manager opens up, right-click on the “Windows Explorer” process and click on “Restart” to reboot the process.
The taskbar and the desktop will turn white and non-responsive for a few seconds. But once everything goes back to normal, try to use the Action Center.
Fix 2 – Run PowerShell commands
The Action Center can get corrupted during the system upgrade.
1. At first, press the Windows key and type “powershell” in the search box.
2. Then, right-tap on the “Windows PowerShell” and click on “Run as administrator” to open the terminal with administrative rights.
3. Once the PowerShell terminal appears, type or copy-paste the command hit Enter to sequentially execute these.
Get-AppxPackage | % { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml" -verbose }
After executing the command, close the PowerShell terminal screen and restart the system.
This should fix the Action Center on your Windows 11 machine.
Fix 3 – Using the registry
If the group policy solution doesn’t work for you, try using this registry hack on your system.
1. At first, right-click on the Windows icon and tap on “Run“.
2. Then, write “regedit” and click on “OK” to access the Registry Editor.
Warning – Sometimes, these registry edits can brick your entire system. In that case, a simple registry backup can save your system. So, follow this simple step to create a registry backup.
When the Registry Editor opens up, click on “File“. Then tap on “Export” to create a new registry backup on your system.
3. On the left-hand side, expand the left-hand side this way ~
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
4. Now, on the left-hand side, right-click on the “Windows” key.
5. Then, click on “New>” and “Key” simultaneously to create a new sub-key.
6. Name this sub-key as “Explorer“.
7. On the right-hand side, right-click and tap on “New>” and then click on “DWORD (32-bit) Value” to create a new value.
8. Rename this new value as “DisableNotificationCenter“.
9. Now, double-click on “DisableNotificationCenter” to edit it further.
10. Set the value to “0“.
11. Then, click on “OK” to save this change.
After doing all these steps, close the Registry Editor screen. Then, restart your computer to let these changes take effect.
Upon rebooting, Action Center will start to behave normally.
Fix 4 – Using the GPO
[FOR PRO & BUSINESS EDITIONS ONLY]
If the action center is blocked with the Group Policy settings by your administrator, you can’t access it.
1. At first, press the Windows key+R keys together.
2. Then, type “gpedit.msc” and click on “OK“.
3. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens up, go this way ~
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
4. On the right-hand side, you will find the “Remove Notifications and Action Center” policy settings.
5. Then, double-click on the policy to adjust it.
6. Now, tap on the “Disabled” to disable this policy.
7. Finally, tap on “Apply” and “OK” to save the changes.
After that, close the Group Policy Editor screen on your computer. Then, restart your computer to let these changes take effect. After rebooting the device, you will be using the Action Center without any further issues.
Fix 5 – Rename the UsrClass.dat file
The per-user CLASS information storage file can get corrupted while you were upgrading the system.
1. Press the Windows key+R keys together.
2. Now, paste this location and click on “OK“.
%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows
3. Now, scroll down to find the “UsrClass.dat” file at the bottom of the folder.
[
If you can’t find the file, it may be because it is hidden. You have to unhide all the folders/files.
1. After opening the File Explorer, tap on the three-dot menu.
2. Then tap on “Options” from the drop-down list.
3. Now, go to the “View” tab.
5. Then, click on the radio button beside the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option.
6. Finally, tap on “Apply” and “OK“.
Now, go back to the folder and follow the next steps.
]
4. Now, right-click on the “UsrClass.dat” file and tap on the “Rename” icon.
5. Set the new name as “UsrClass.original.dat“.
Close the File Explorer window. Restart your computer and try to access the Action Center.
Fix 6 – Run an SFC, DISM scan
If nothing has worked so far, try running an SFC and DISM scan on your computer.
1. At first, press the Windows key+R keys together.
2. Then, type “cmd” and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys together to access the terminal with administrative rights.
3. At first, type this command in the terminal and hit Enter to run the DISM check.
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
Let Windows complete the DISM scan.
3. After running the DISM scan, paste this command and hit Enter to run an SFC scan.
sfc /scannow
After the scanning process reaches 100%, close the Command Prompt and reboot your system.
Your problem related to Action Center will be fixed for sure.