Desktop Notifications

Last updated on 02 Feb 2026

Wavebox brings together all your web apps in one place. Here’s how to set up, manage, and troubleshoot notifications so you never miss an important alert.

This article refers to pop-up desktop notifications, also called banner notifications that appear in the top-right of your screen.
For Unread Badges (red circles with numbers) read this article.

Overview

Types of Notifications: Desktop pop-ups with accompanying sound.
Platforms: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Integrated Apps: Special support for Gmail, Slack, Outlook, and others. They update in real-time, even when sleeping.

Global Settings

Open Wavebox Settings (cog icon) > General > Desktop Integration > Notifications.
- Choose a default sound (or “None”) for all notifications.
- Volume slider adjusts the default alert volume.
- Send a Test Notification (button)

Per-App Options: Turn On/Off and Sounds.

Right-click an app > Settings > App Settings.
Under Badges & Notifications:
- Toggle ON/OFF - Enable sticky banners to keep notifications on screen until you manually dismiss them.
- Dropdown - Change the notification sound. Choose from the selection, or upload your own sound-file. This overrides the global setting.

Allow OS Permissions

Windows: Check Settings > System > Notifications & actions and confirm Wavebox is allowed.
macOS: In System Preferences > Notifications, enable both Wavebox and Wavebox Helper (Alerts).
Test: In Wavebox Settings > Notifications, click Test Notification. You should see two notifications.

Troubleshooting

No Notifications on Windows

Turn off Focus Assist or set Wavebox to “Priority only” in Windows settings.
Check Notifications & actions to ensure Wavebox is allowed.
Restart after clearing old notifications.

No Notifications on macOS

Confirm permissions for Wavebox and Wavebox Helper (Alerts) in System Preferences > Notifications.
Disable Do Not Disturb or Focus in the menu bar.
Retry the Test Notification.
More details on this here.

Missing or Delayed App Notifications

Make sure the app isn’t signed out (look for a sign-in prompt).
Non-integrated apps: Enable “Auto-wake app” in settings so Wavebox checks in the background.
For integrated apps like Gmail, Slack, Outlook—notifications are pushed instantly.

Boosted or Custom App?

If you boosted a tab into an app but notifications aren't working, check how the app was added:

Right-click on the app icon and select App Settings
Look at the app type—if it says "Custom Weblink" for a popular service like Slack, Gmail, or Teams, this is likely the issue

Solution: Remove the app and re-add it from the Wavebox App Store instead:

Click the [+] button in your group
Search for the app (e.g., "Slack")
Add it from the store

App Store apps include enhanced notification and badge support that Wavebox specifically provides—custom weblink apps don't have this built-in support.

Still Not Working?

Check the app’s own notification settings (e.g., Gmail, Slack).
Update to the latest version of Wavebox.
Temporarily disable any system-wide Do Not Disturb.

Notifications not working in Google Calendar

You can change notification preferences for all your events on Google Calendar.
In Wavebox, click on your Google Calendar app.
In the top right of the Google Calendar page, click on the Settings Cog and select Settings from the dropdown menu.
On the left, under 'General' click Notification settings. Under 'Notification settings,' you can:
- Turn notifications on or off: Click the Notifications drop-down and select how you want to receive notifications.
- Adjust the timing of snoozed notifications: Turn on 'Desktop notifications,' then click Show snoozed notifications and customize your timing.
- Only get notifications if you respond 'Yes' or 'Maybe' to an event: Click the box next to 'Notify me only if I have responded Yes or Maybe.'

Zoho Desktop Notifications not working.

Zoho Mail doesn't enable desktop notifications by default, so you will need to visit Zoho settings to enable them. Further info. Here's how:
- Login to Zoho Mail
- Go to Settings, and select System
- Turn ON notifications by using the toggle button next to Desktop Notifications.

Facebook Messenger notifications not working.

The first time you sign in to Messenger, it will prompt you if you want to enable desktop notifications. Clicking Allow on the prompt will set them up.
If you missed the prompt or still aren't seeing notifications, there are some steps that can help troubleshoot this:
- Messenger settings - Facebook has some steps to follow to ensure notifications are enabled in this help article under the Desktop (messenger.com) section.
- Wavebox settings - Open a new tab and paste the following into the address bar wavebox://settings/content/all
  - Locate messenger.com and press the trash icon to remove site settings
  - Reload messenger and when prompted, click Allow to show notifications.