> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.softr.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Notification Center
> Give logged-in users of your app an inbox for comments, mentions and workflow notifications, and customize what it says.
The notification center is an inbox inside your published app. Logged-in users open it from the navigation menu to catch up on what needs their attention: comments and mentions on records they follow, and custom notifications that you send from a workflow.
Notifications wait in the inbox until the user reads them, so nothing is lost if they weren't online when it was sent. Unlike push notifications, the inbox needs no browser permission from the user.
In-app notifications are available on paid plans, starting with the Professional plan. On a plan that doesn't include them, the toggle shows a plan badge and can't be turned on.
## What appears in the inbox
The inbox collects two kinds of notifications:
* **Comments and mentions.** When someone comments on a thread a user follows, or mentions them in a [Comments block](/building-blocks/comments-block), the user gets a notification in the inbox.
* **Custom notifications from workflows.** Any workflow can send a notification to one or more users with the [Send Notification](/workflows/actions/send-notification) action — for example, when a task is assigned to them, an invoice is due or a request needs approval.
Notifications only go to **logged-in users** of your app. Visitors who aren't signed in never see the inbox.
## Turn on the notification center
In Softr Studio, open your app and go to **Users** in the top bar, then select the **Notifications** tab.
Under **Other channels**, turn on the **In-app notifications** toggle (1). This adds a **Notifications** link to your app's navigation menu. Use **Notification inbox** (2) to customize the inbox — see [Customize the inbox](#customize-the-inbox) below.
Changes to notification settings take effect once you [publish your app](/publishing/publishing-your-softr-app). Notifications are only delivered from a published app.
**Push notifications** sit right below the in-app toggle. They reach users in their browser or device even when your app isn't open, but users must allow them first. You can use both channels together — the [Send Notification](/workflows/actions/send-notification) action lets you pick Push, In-app or both for every message.
## Customize the inbox
Click **Notification inbox** next to the toggle to open **Notification inbox settings**. Every text your users see in the inbox can be changed here, so you can rename it or translate it into your app's language.
### General
* **Link label and icon** — the name and icon of the link in your navigation menu. It's **Notifications** with a bell icon by default.
* **All notifications tab** — the **Tab name** of the tab that lists every notification (**All** by default) and the **Empty state message** shown when there are none.
* **Unread notifications tab** — the **Tab name** of the tab that lists only unread notifications (**Unread** by default) and its **Empty state message**.
### Actions
* **Filters** — the labels of the two filter options: **All notifications** and **Comments only**.
* **Mark as read** — the labels (and icons) of the **Mark as read** and **Mark as unread** actions on a single notification, and the label of **Mark all as read**.
Click **Save** to keep your changes, then publish your app so users see them.
## Send notifications from a workflow
To send your own notifications to the inbox, add the **Send Notification** action to a workflow.
In a workflow, add a step, choose **Softr Apps**, then **Send Notification**.
Under **Channels** (1), keep **In-app** selected. Remove **Push** if you only want the notification to go to the inbox.
In **User email** (2), enter the email of the user to notify, or map it from an earlier step with **@** — for example, the email of the user who triggered the workflow. The recipient must be a user of the selected app.
Fill in the **Notification title** and, optionally, the **Notification body** (3). Both accept values from earlier steps, so you can include a record name, a due date or a status.
Optionally, set **Open URL on click** to the page the user should land on when they click the notification. It must start with your app's domain. If you leave it empty, clicking the notification opens your app's home page.
For every setting of the action, see [Send Notification](/workflows/actions/send-notification).
The action only delivers from a **published** app with **In-app notifications** turned on. If your app isn't published yet, a real test of the step fails with an "Application is not published" error.
## What your users see
Once the notification center is on, logged-in users see a **Notifications** link at the top of your app's navigation menu (1). Clicking it opens the inbox as a panel next to the menu.
In the inbox, users can:
* Switch between **All** notifications and **Unread** ones.
* Use the filter icon (2) to show **All notifications** or **Comments only**.
* Mark a single notification as read or unread, or use the **⋯** menu to **Mark all as read**.
* Click a notification to open the page it links to.
To check how a notification looks, log in to your **published** app as the recipient and open the inbox after the workflow runs.
## Related
Every setting of the workflow action that sends push and in-app notifications.
Let users comment on records and mention each other.
Edit the email templates and sender details for your app.
Automate tasks and processes in your Softr apps.