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How to Control Taskbar App Flashing During Windows 11 Focus Sessions

Windows 11 has separate controls for general taskbar app flashing and for hiding flashing during Focus sessions. Here’s where to change each one.

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To hide taskbar app flashing during future Focus sessions, open Settings > System > Focus and select Hide flashing on taskbar apps. Clear that option to let flashing remain visible during Focus sessions. To change flashing outside Focus sessions, use the separate taskbar setting: Taskbar settings > Taskbar behaviors > Show flashing on taskbar apps.

Choose the control that matches what you want

Windows 11 has two related but separate options. The taskbar setting controls the general flashing behavior; the Focus setting suppresses flashing during Focus sessions when enabled. Changing one does not necessarily change the other.

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Control Where to find it What it controls
Show flashing on taskbar apps Taskbar settings > Taskbar behaviors Whether taskbar app icons flash generally to get your attention.
Hide flashing on taskbar apps Settings > System > Focus Whether flashing is hidden during Focus sessions.

Change flashing during Focus sessions

  1. Open Settings > System > Focus.
  2. Under Focus, select Hide flashing on taskbar apps to hide flashing during future sessions. Clear it if you want flashing to remain visible during those sessions.

Microsoft says the selected Focus options apply to future sessions. By default, a Focus session temporarily turns off app flashing and taskbar badges. Microsoft Support explains Focus sessions and their default behavior.

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Change the general taskbar flashing setting

  1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
  2. Expand Taskbar behaviors.
  3. Check Show flashing on taskbar apps to allow flashing, or uncheck it to turn off the general attention behavior.

Microsoft describes this option as controlling whether taskbar app icons flash to get your attention. Flashing commonly happens when an app opens minimized or behind another window and needs interaction; its icon flashes several times, then remains highlighted until you select or open the app. See Microsoft’s Taskbar settings guidance.

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Start a Focus session

Use whichever route is convenient:

  • Select the clock or notification bell in the taskbar and choose a duration.
  • Open Settings > System > Focus and select Start focus session.
  • Open the Clock app and choose Focus sessions.

Do not disturb turns on automatically when a Focus session begins, according to Microsoft’s Focus guidance.

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If the setting is missing

Windows settings labels and navigation can change with updates. Open the relevant page—Settings > System > Focus for the Focus option, or Taskbar settings > Taskbar behaviors for the general option—and look under the named section. Microsoft’s guidance does not specify a particular Windows 11 build, so the exact presentation may vary.

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