How to Change How Many Times Taskbar Button Flashes in Windows 10


Windows includes a special application desktop toolbar called the taskbar that shows on the bottom of a display screen by default. The taskbar allows you to find, see, open, and switch between your apps. You can also see the date and time, system icons, and items running in the background on the notification area. You can make the taskbar look how you want, manage your calendar, pin your favorite apps to it, change the size, change location on screen, and specify how taskbar buttons group together when you have more than one window open.

ForegroundFlashCount specifies the number of times the taskbar button flashes to notify the user that the system has activated a background window for an app. If the time elapsed since the last user input exceeds the value of the ForegroundLockTimeout entry, the window will automatically be brought to the foreground.

By default, the taskbar button will flash orange 7 times quickly, then 3 last slow flashes.

If you like, you can change how many times the taskbar button flashes quickly before the 3 last slow flashes.

This tutorial will show you how to change how many times the taskbar button flashes orange for your account in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

As an example, you can test the taskbar button flash count by running the downloaded .exe or .msi file for 7-Zip, then quickly clicking back on your web browser window before the 7-Zip setup opens.



EXAMPLE: Taskbar button flashing
Change How Many Times Taskbar Button Flashes in Windows 10-flashing_taskbar_icon.png



Here's How:

1 Press the Win + R keys to open Run, type regedit into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Registry Editor.

2 Navigate to the key below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Change How Many Times Taskbar Button Flashes in Windows 10-foregroundflashcount-1.png

3 In the right pane of the Desktop key, double click/tap on the ForegroundFlashCount DWORD to modify it. (see screenshot above)

4 Select (dot) Decimal, type a number for how many times you want the taskbar button to flash quickly before the 3 last slow flashes, and click/tap on OK.

7 is the default value. Typing 0 will give you indefinite flashes.

Change How Many Times Taskbar Button Flashes in Windows 10-foregroundflashcount-2.png

5 Close Registry Editor.

6 Restart the computer to apply.


That's it,
Shawn Brink