When someone @mentions you in a Teams channel or chat, the desktop app should show a red badge and play a notification sound. If the alert never appears, you miss messages and replies. The cause is usually a mix of notification settings, focus assist, or a cached app state. This article explains the exact settings to check and the steps to restore alerts.
You will learn how to verify your notification preferences, adjust Windows focus assist, and clear the Teams cache. Each step targets a specific reason the alert fails. By the end, you can test a mention and confirm the desktop app alerts you every time.
Key Takeaways: Restore Teams Desktop Mention Alerts
- Teams > Settings > Notifications > Mentions: Choose Banner and sound to receive both visual and audio alerts for @mentions.
- Windows Settings > System > Focus assist: Turn off priority-only or alarm-only modes so Teams notifications are not suppressed.
- Teams > Settings > Notifications > Use notification sound: Enable the sound toggle so the alert plays even when the window is not focused.
- %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams folder: Delete the cache subfolders to clear corrupted notification state that blocks alerts.
Why Teams Desktop App Misses Mention Alerts
Teams relies on the Windows notification system to display banners and play sounds. When a mention arrives, Teams sends a notification request to Windows. If the request is blocked, you see nothing. The most common blockers are your Teams notification settings, Windows focus assist, and a corrupted local cache.
Your Teams notification settings determine whether a mention shows a banner, plays a sound, or does nothing. If the setting is set to Only show in feed, no banner or sound appears. If the sound is muted in Teams or in Windows, you get a silent banner only.
Windows focus assist is a separate layer. When focus assist is enabled, Windows hides notifications from all apps except those on a priority list. Teams is not on that list by default, so mentions get suppressed. Focus assist can turn on automatically during certain hours or when you duplicate your display.
The Teams cache stores notification state and UI data. A corrupted cache can stop the notification logic from running. Clearing the cache forces Teams to rebuild its local data, which often resolves missing alerts.
Steps to Diagnose and Fix Teams Mention Alerts
Follow these steps in order. Test a mention after each step to identify the fix that works for you.
- Check your Teams notification settings
Open Teams and select your profile picture at the top right. Choose Settings > Notifications. Under Mentions, set the dropdown to Banner and sound. Also confirm the toggle for Use notification sound is on. If the option is set to Only show in feed, change it and test. - Turn off Windows focus assist
Press the Windows key and type Focus assist. Open the focus assist settings. Select Off to disable it completely. If you want to keep it on, add Teams to the priority list. Under Priority list > Add an app, select Teams and click Add. Test a mention after changing this setting. - Check Windows notification permissions for Teams
Open Windows Settings > System > Notifications. Scroll to Teams and ensure the toggle is On. Click Teams to expand the options and confirm Banners and Sounds are both enabled. If either is off, turn it on. - Verify the Teams sound output device
Open Windows Settings > System > Sound. Confirm the output device is correct and the volume is not muted. In Teams, select your profile picture > Settings > Devices. Under Audio devices, check that the Speaker dropdown matches your output device. Test a mention to hear the sound. - Clear the Teams cache
Close Teams completely. Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray and choose Quit. Press Windows key + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, and press Enter. Delete the folders named Application Cache, Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache, and Local Storage. Do not delete the whole Teams folder. Restart Teams and test a mention. - Use the Teams web app to compare
Open Teams in a browser at teams.microsoft.com. Send yourself a mention from another account or ask a colleague to mention you. If the web app shows an alert but the desktop app does not, the issue is local to the desktop app. Continue with the cache fix or reinstall Teams. - Repair or reinstall Teams
If no step works, uninstall Teams from Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Select Teams and choose Uninstall. Then download the latest installer from the Teams website and install it. Sign in and test a mention.
If Teams Still Has Issues After the Main Fix
Teams Shows a Banner but No Sound
The banner appears but the audio alert is silent. Check the Use notification sound toggle in Teams Settings > Notifications. Also open Windows Settings > System > Sound and confirm the volume is not muted. If you use a Bluetooth headset, ensure it is connected and set as the default output device.
Mentions Only Alert When Teams Is in the Foreground
When Teams is minimized, you get no alert. This often happens when focus assist is set to Priority only. Turn off focus assist or add Teams to the priority list. Also confirm that Windows notification permissions for Teams allow banners and sounds in the background.
Mentions in Channels Do Not Alert, but Chats Do
Channel mentions have separate settings from chat mentions. Open Teams Settings > Notifications > Mentions and ensure the Channel mentions dropdown is set to Banner and sound. If you only changed the chat mention setting, channel mentions remain silent.
Teams Desktop Shows No Alert After a Policy Change
If your organization changed a messaging policy, it can override your local notification settings. Ask your admin to check the Teams admin center > Messaging policies. The policy setting for Chat allows users to send and receive notifications must be enabled. Your local settings cannot override a blocked policy.
Teams Desktop vs Teams Web Notification Behavior
| Item | Teams Desktop App | Teams on the Web |
|---|---|---|
| Notification sound | Controlled by Teams settings and Windows sound output | Controlled by browser notification settings and system sound |
| Focus assist impact | Windows focus assist can suppress all alerts | Browser notifications are also suppressed by focus assist |
| Cache clearing | Delete local cache folders in %appdata% | Clear browser cache and site data for teams.microsoft.com |
| Policy override | Messaging policies apply to the desktop app | Messaging policies also apply to the web app |
| Background operation | Runs as a native app, can alert when minimized | Requires the browser tab to stay open in the background |
Use the table to decide which client fits your notification needs. The desktop app is more reliable for background alerts. The web app is a useful testing tool to isolate a local desktop issue.
After applying the fixes, send a test mention from a second account or ask a colleague to mention you. Confirm the banner appears and the sound plays. If alerts still fail, reinstall Teams to reset all local data.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+M to switch between Teams and the chat list quickly. This shortcut does not fix notifications, but it helps you catch up on missed mentions while you verify your settings.