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How To Disable Highlighting Newly Installed Apps In Windows 8.1 Apps Screen

Last Updated on September 25, 2020 by admin 2 Comments

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Just like Windows 7 and previous iterations of Windows, Windows 8.1 also highlights newly installed programs/apps on the Apps screen. That is, when you install a new application, Windows highlights the same for the next couple of days so that you can easily identify it.

Update: This method doesn’t seem to work. Please check it and let us know in comments.

If you install multiple applications very often, your Apps screen (Apps view) will have several highlighted programs. Luckily, the feature isn’t as annoying as it was in Windows 7, as the color used to highlight newly installed programs is lighter version of the color used for the Apps screen background. Even though most users find this feature helpful and Windows 8.1 doesn’t add newly installed apps to the Start screen unlike Windows 8, there are several users who want to stop Windows from highlighting newly installed programs.

Stop Windows 8.1 from highlighting newly installed apps in Apps screen picture01

As you know, in Windows 7 and prior versions, we could navigate to Start menu settings to disable highlighting newly installed programs. Unfortunately, Microsoft has removed this option from Taskbar and Start menu properties in Windows 8.1, and you have no option but to manually edit Windows Registry in order to stop Windows from highlighting newly installed programs.

Disable highlighting newly installed apps in Windows 8.1 apps screen

Stop highlighting newly installed apps

Follow the given below instructions to stop Windows from highlighting newly installed programs.

NOTE: We recommend you create a system restore point manually before editing Windows Registry.

Step 1: Open Registry Editor. To do so, simultaneously press Windows logo and R keys on your keyboard, in the resulting Run dialog box, type Regedit, and then press enter key. Click Yes button when you see the UAC prompt to launch Registry Editor.

Stop Windows 8.1 from highlighting newly installed apps in Apps screen

Step 2: Navigate to the following registry key:

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

Stop Windows 8.1 from highlighting newly installed apps in Apps screen picture1

Step 3: On the right-side, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named “Start_NotifyNewApps” (without quotes) and set “0” (zero) as its value.

Stop Windows 8.1 from highlighting newly installed apps in Apps screen picture2

Step 4: Exit Registry Editor and reboot your PC to apply the changes. That’s it! From now on, Apps screen shouldn’t highlight newly installed programs.

Stop Windows 8.1 from highlighting newly installed apps in Apps screen picture3

And if you were looking for a way to turn off this feature via Group Policy, it turns out that there is no such option present under Group Policy. How to remove power button from Windows 8.1 Update Start screen guide might also interest you.

RECOMMENDED: Download PC Repair tool to quickly find and fix Windows errors automatically

Filed Under: Windows 8.1 Tagged: Customize Windows 8.1, Start Screen

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Comments

  1. Aaron Saenz says

    May 21, 2018 at 8:57 pm

    Windows 8.1 Pro fully updated….. i have not done this … i want New Apps to be HighLighted…. i have the message
    “3 new apps installed, however nothing is highlighted.. i think it is chrome, steam, and U-Play updated… but nothing is highlighted any where on my start so that message will be stuck there until i reboot…?…. i am looking for a way to make sure that Highlight new apps is enabled…. basically when windows behaves is unexpected ways i want to make it work correctly or at least in a manner that i would expect….

  2. gutierrez says

    June 9, 2015 at 8:15 am

    The “# new apps installed” message on the Start screen is gone, but the Apps are still highlighted on the App list.

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