14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 11 introduces lots of changes, including a new Start menu and centered icons on the taskbar, but what it doesn’t change is the notification system bundled with the OS.
So the toast notifications show up on Windows 11 PCs are still displayed in the right lower corner, just like in Windows 10.
But as it turns out, not everybody is a big fan of this approach, and given Windows 11 as a whole is supposed to be a modern operating system, updating notifications is something that should totally happen.
Notifications in the top right corner
In theory, notifications showing up in the right lower corner makes sense not only because it’s a familiar approach that Windows 10 users already know (therefore making Windows 11 easier to use) but also because it’s the right approach for touch-capable devices.
Using Windows with touch and interacting with notifications is much easier if they are displayed in the lower right corner, especially when holding the screen in hand.
A popular suggestion in the Feedback Hub calls for Microsoft to move them to the top right corner, just like the company originally planned to show notification in Windows 8 and, you know, just like others already do in their operating systems.
And while at the first glance this could work and indeed make Windows 11 feel a bit more modern when it comes to handling notifications, there’s one big problem with this approach: as compared to macOS, where window controls are located in the top left corner, in Windows, all of them are placed in the top right corner, so showing notifications in the same place would make everything much harder to use.
Not to mention that it’d be too easy to mistakenly close windows when, in fact, you wanted just to click a notification, and the same for touch input where it’s much easier to tap the wrong button.
Certainly, Microsoft providing users with more customization options is a good thing, but should notifications really be moved to the top right corner?