What are browser notifications

Why does this site want to send you notifications? You see that question almost every time you visit a new website. Click block and you never hear from them again. Click allow and alerts start appearing on your desktop, sometimes days later when you forgot you said yes.

Browser notifications sit at the intersection of websites and your operating system. They are one of the most visible engagement tools available, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Here is what they are and how they work.

What are browser notifications?

Browser notifications are alerts that a web browser displays on a user's device screen. They can come from websites, web apps, or browser extensions that the user has granted permission to send messages.

Desktop notifications appear as small banners in the corner of the screen on computers. On mobile devices, browser notifications may appear in the notification tray alongside app alerts.

How browser notification permission works

Every browser requires explicit permission before a site can send notifications. The user sees a prompt with allow and block options. The choice is stored in browser settings and applies until the user changes it.

Permission is tied to a specific website domain. Allowing notifications on one site does not grant access to another. Users can review and revoke permissions at any time through browser settings.

Good sites ask for permission at a moment that makes sense, like after the user reads an article or completes a signup. Bad sites trigger the prompt the instant the page loads, which leads to more blocks than allows.

Browser notifications vs web push

The terms overlap, but they are not identical. Browser notifications is the broad category of any alert a browser shows. Web push is the specific technology websites use to send messages to opted in subscribers.

All web push alerts are browser notifications. Not all browser notifications come from web push. Calendar reminders, extension alerts, and system messages can also appear through the browser.

For website owners, the practical path is web push. It connects your site to a delivery service and lets you send targeted messages. Read what are web push notifications for the setup side.

Permission best practices connect to how to set up web push notifications and avoiding notification fatigue.

Frequently asked questions