Disable New App Highlighting via Windows Registry

Windows allows users to customize the behavior of the Start menu, including whether it highlights newly installed applications. This feature is controlled directly through the Windows Registry using a specific DWORD value under the Windows Explorer settings. Modifying this entry allows administrators and users to enable or disable new program notifications without navigating through the graphical user interface.

The Target Registry Entry

The registry key and value responsible for controlling the highlighting of newly installed programs are:

• Registry Path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
• Value Name: Start_NotifyNewApps
• Value Type: REG_DWORD (32-bit Value)

Value Data Settings

• 0 = Disabled (Windows will not highlight newly installed programs in the Start menu)
• 1 = Enabled (Windows will highlight newly installed programs with a distinct background or notification badge)

How to Modify the Setting

1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

3. Locate Start_NotifyNewApps in the right-hand pane. If it does not exist, right-click an empty area, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it Start_NotifyNewApps.

4. Double-click the value, set the Value data to 0 to disable highlighting (or 1 to enable it), and click OK.

5. Restart the Windows Explorer process via Task Manager or log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.