Windows Push Notification Client Registry Key

This article provides an overview of the exact Windows Registry locations used to manage Windows Push Notification Service (WNS) client configurations. You will learn the specific registry paths for user and system-level settings, key configuration parameters, and how to locate them using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit).

Primary Registry Key Location

The configuration parameters for Windows push notification clients are primarily stored under the current user’s profile at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PushNotifications

For system-wide defaults and machine-level configurations, Windows references:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PushNotifications

Enterprise and Policy Configurations

When push notification behavior is managed via Group Policy or Mobile Device Management (MDM), the configuration parameters are enforced through the policy registry path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PushNotifications

Common Values and Parameters

Within these keys, Windows stores several subkeys and values that dictate client behavior:

• NoCloudApplicationNotification: A DWORD value (set to 1 to disable, 0 to enable) that controls whether client applications can receive push notifications from the cloud.
• Application Subkeys: Under the PushNotifications hierarchy, specific subkeys store registration details, channel URIs, expiration tokens, and platform identifiers for individual apps registered with WNS.
• App-Specific Notification Settings: Detailed display and behavior settings (such as banners, audio cues, and action center visibility) for registered push clients are mapped in: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications\Settings

How to Navigate to the Key

1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Paste HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PushNotifications into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor window.
3. Press Enter to jump directly to the push notification client configuration settings.