What is the Notification Centre in Task Manager?
The Notification Centre in Task Manager brings together the things that need your attention: new emails, @ mentions, new tasks and chats, status changes, calendar reminders, and shared notes and files. Instead of checking your mail, tasks and chats one by one, you can see a single number at the edge of the screen.
It's a small, dark “island”, positioned by default along the top edge of the app, above the thread column. When you have no unread items, it shrinks to a horizontal line measuring 40 by 5 pixels at the top edge. If something is waiting while the island is hidden, the line pulses with colour. When it does, hovering over the edge brings the island back.
Short app messages also appear by the island, such as “Saved”, errors and sending progress. They don't increase the counter: confirmation of an action you took isn't a new item to read.
What does the counter show?
The counter shows how many matters are waiting. The same number appears on the icon of the installed application in the macOS Dock or on the Windows taskbar. It includes unread threads: emails in inboxes, and tasks and chats with new messages. It also includes notifications outside these counters: mentions, calendar events, shares, AI Assistant suggestions, notifications from Automations and Open Space, and for administrators, a ready update as well.
Hovering over the counter shows chips for the categories where something is waiting: Mail, Tasks, Messages, Mentions, Calendar, Shared, AI Assistant, Automations and Open Space. Administrators also see Updates. When there are more than seven such categories, the overflow is hidden under a “+n” chip. The chip under the cursor expands its label. Clicking opens the panel on the selected category, while clicking the ball or an empty spot on the pill opens the “All” tab.
The panel shows unread items only. At the top are summary rows, for example “Mail - 11 unread messages” and “Tasks - 2 tasks with new messages”. The first opens the “All” mailbox, while the second filters the list to “New messages”. Individual notifications with timestamps appear below. Clicking one opens the relevant task thread, chat, email, calendar event, note, Files filtered to “Shared with me”, or AI Assistant window. An update notification opens Settings → Updates for administrators. Opened items disappear from the list.
What do you gain?
You don't start your day by checking several places. You can see how many items are waiting and where they came from. When there's nothing new, the screen doesn't remind you that the list is empty.
You don't have to manually clear items you've already read. An email read on your phone won't show up as new again when you refresh your mail. That way, you don't revisit things you've already dealt with.
You don't have to keep track of due dates yourself. You'll get a reminder fifteen minutes before a meeting and an hour before a task is due, as well as a list of the day's items in the morning. If you're writing a message, the app won't interrupt you - the new item will wait in the notifications list.
An everyday example
For example, a customer support team works with the app open all day. At 8:40, the first time they open it that day after 6:00, a “Good morning” card appears - with a list of scheduled items, or just a summary if today's calendar is empty but unread items are waiting; it's completely quiet only when there are neither. It includes a summary, for example, “Today: 3 due dates and 2 events”, and a list ordered by time. An icon distinguishes a task from an event, and the time appears on the right. Each row is clickable. If there are more than four items, the last row links to the full day view.
Throughout the day, the Island checks for new items in the background. At 11:45, while you're talking to a client, a pill appears saying “12:00 · in 15 min”, followed by a “Now” card at 12:00. When you switch to another browser tab, the reminder arrives as a system notification if you've given one-time permission in Settings → Profile → Browser notifications. Without permission, it waits in the Island list. When the app is closed, you'll still get an email if “Also send a notification by email” was selected for the event.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn off some notifications?
Yes. You can turn off each category separately in Settings → Profile → In-app notifications.
Does the Island get in the way?
When you have no unread items, the island folds away to a thin line along the edge. New notification cards disappear after 8 seconds, and calendar reminders after 12; hovering over them stops the timer. They don't appear while you're typing a message - only the counter increases. The Ctrl+. shortcut shows and hides the island.
Can I move the island?
Yes. The position icon in the panel footer moves the island to the top, right-hand side and bottom in turn. Your choice is remembered in this browser. On a phone, the island is always at the top.
What happens when I click “Mark as read”?
Regular notifications disappear straight away. For summary rows, the app first asks: “Mark 12 messages in Mail as read?”. Once you confirm, the counters next to mailboxes and workspaces in the left-hand column also clear. If you've selected a category tab, the action applies to that category only.