Windows Push Notification Service Registry Key Location

This article identifies the primary Windows Registry keys responsible for configuring and managing the Windows Push Notification Service (WNS). It outlines the core system service locations, user-specific notification paths, and Group Policy keys used to control push notification behavior across Windows.

Core Service Configuration Key

The core Windows Push Notification Service runs via the WpnService (Windows Push Notifications System Service). Its fundamental service configuration, startup type, and binary paths are stored at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WpnService

For per-user notification brokering in modern Windows versions, the associated user-level service configuration is found at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WpnUserService

Push Notification Client Configuration Keys

The operational settings, channel configurations, and client-side push behaviors are managed under two primary registry paths:

• Machine-Wide Settings:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PushNotifications
• Current User Settings:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PushNotifications

These keys hold the endpoints, app tokens, and status flags that the WNS client platform utilizes to route notifications to installed applications.

Group Policy Configuration Key

If push notifications are configured, restricted, or disabled via Group Policy or Mobile Device Management (MDM), the configuration values are written to:

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

Common DWORD values configured here include: * NoCloudApplicationNotification: Disables cloud-based push notifications when set to 1. * NoToastApplicationNotification: Disables toast notifications globally when set to 1.

Application-Specific Notification Keys

To view or modify notification permissions and behaviors for individual applications registered with WNS, navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications\Settings

Each subkey under this path represents an individual application ID, where the Enabled DWORD value determines whether the app can display notifications sent via WNS.