6 Best Ways to Fix Action Center Greyed Out on Windows 10

6 Best Ways to Fix Action Center Greyed Out on Windows 10

The Action Center on Windows 10 hosts all the buttons for quick actions and notifications. A quick way to stay up to date and quickly flip switches without disrupting workflow. The action center itself sits in the taskbar on the far right of the screen. Users reported that the Action Center is greyed out on Windows computers, making it inaccessible when needed.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10

This poses several problems due to the usefulness of a feature. You can’t access app notifications, Android phone updates through the Your Phone app, and buttons of all kinds of shortcuts that we use on a daily basis. The reasons can be as simple as a bug to something more complex like a system files error. We’ll find out soon using the troubleshooting steps below.

To note: Have you tried the Windows key + a keyboard to launch the action center? It works and also saves time.

Let’s get started.

1. Activate the action center

A recent Windows update or an app update may have changed the setting on your Windows computer, disabling the Settings Action Center. It is quick and easy to activate the Action Center from Windows settings. Check the settings once before proceeding to other steps in the guide.

2. Restart Windows Explorer

Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Task Manager. This is where you can manage all running processes under the Processes tab. You will also find Windows Explorer here.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 10

Save all open jobs first, as they will all close abruptly after this step. Right click on Windows Explorer and select Restart. No restart required. Just check if the action center is still grayed out or can you open it now.

3. Rename the system file

Renaming the file ‘Usrclass.dat’ will force Windows to create a new one upon restart. This may resolve the action center grayed out issue if the file is corrupted and causes the action center to fail.

Step 1: Press Windows Key + R to open the Run prompt, enter the address below and press Enter to open it.

%localappdata%MicrosoftWindows

Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 1

2nd step: On the View tab of File Explorer, select Hidden Items to show hidden files. Locate the “UsrClass.dat” file and rename it to “UsrClass.old.dat” instead. Do not delete the file as we may need it later to restore it if something goes wrong.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 2

Step 3: Restart your computer once and check again whether you can access and open the action center or not.

4. Run the PowerShell script

PowerShell is the most advanced version of the humble and reliable Command Prompt. He is expected to replace him in the future, but no date has been announced yet.

Step 1: Look for PowerShell in the Start menu or find the hidden menu which you can open by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + X. In any case, open it with administrator rights to run the command successfully.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 3

2nd step: Give the command below and press Enter.

Get-AppxPackage | % { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppxManifest.xml" -verbose }

Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 4

5. Activate the action center using the registry editor

We recommend that you make a backup of the registry files before making any changes. Registry Editor is available on all versions of Windows, including Home.

Step 1: Find Registry Editor in the Start menu and open it with administrator rights.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 5

2nd step: Navigate to the folder structure below. Double click to open the “DisableNotificationCenter” file and change the value data to 0 (Enable) from 1 (Disable).

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindowsExplorer

Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 6

Repeat the same steps for the same file but in a different folder as shown below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsExplorer

6. Activate the action center using GPE

GPE or Group Policy Editor is not available on Windows Home edition. If you have a Pro, Education, or even an Enterprise edition, you can try this in case other methods fail to activate Action Center on Windows.

Step 1: Find and open the Group Policy Editor from the Start menu.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 7

2nd step: Navigate to the folder below and double click to open the “ Delete Notifications and Action Center ” file in the right pane of the window.

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 8

Step 3: Select Off to activate the action center. Yes, and select On to remove or deactivate the action center.


Fix action center grayed out on Windows 10 9

Also on Guiding Tech

Light, camera, action

The Action Center debuted with Windows 10 and is a very useful feature for most users. Many take this feature for granted until it breaks. That’s when we realize how important this nifty little feature has always been.

Hopefully, the Action Center isn’t greyed out and working on your computer now, unlike it was before. We would like to know if you have found another way to resolve the issue. It would also help some of our other readers. Share with us your method in the comments section below.

Then:

Want to further customize the Action Center? Click on the link below to find out how to do exactly that.

Last updated on March 2, 2021

The above article may contain affiliate links that help support Guiding Tech. However, this does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains impartial and authentic.

Leave a Reply