Github always shows "You have unread notifications" but there are none

[SolarianZ]

Select Topic Area

Bug

Body

Github always shows "You have unread notifications" but there are none:

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[cybergene]

Same here!

[SolarianZ]

This issue has existed for 4 years!!!
https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/6874#discussioncomment-2859125

[Omprakash3104]

This is a common but frustrating bug that many users experience. Here's what you can try to resolve the phantom notification counter:

First, try the basic fixes:

Refresh the page completely (hard refresh with Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)

Clear your browser cache and cookies for GitHub

Try accessing GitHub from a different browser or incognito mode

If that doesn't work:

Click on "Notifications" and check all tabs (Inbox, Unread, Participating, etc.)

Look for any repository notifications that might be hidden or archived

Try marking all notifications as read, even if they appear empty

Last resort solutions:

Use the GitHub mobile app to check notifications - sometimes it clears the counter

Try the direct URL: github.com/notifications?query=is%3Aunread

If none of these work, you'll likely need to report this to GitHub Support directly since it's a persistent backend issue. They can check your account specifically and clear any stuck notification flags that are causing the false counter.

Many users have reported this same issue over the years, so you're definitely not alone in dealing with this ghost notification!

[3xploiton3]

[PavelDobCZ23]

The same fu**ing problem here, clearing browser data or whatever doesn't help, it's tied to my account and simply won't go away, it's from some gitcoin bs repo I don't remember ever interacting with and the repo is deleted already. WTF fix your crap GitHub.

[deoxys3]

having this exact issue rn, it's driving me insane 💀

[davevad93]

Hi @SolarianZ,

You can find the solution here. Open your browser console, type allow pasting, then copy and paste the following code into your browser console and execute it (you may need to run it multiple times for it to take effect.):

(function(){var f=document.querySelector('.js-notifications-mark-all-actions form[action="/notifications/beta/mark"]');if(f){fetch(f.action,{method:f.method,body:new FormData(f),credentials:"include"}).then(r=>{if(r.ok)setTimeout(()=>location.reload(),500);});}})();

[IAliceBobI]

(function(){
  // Loop 1000 times
  for (let i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
    var f = document.querySelector('.js-notifications-mark-all-actions form[action="/notifications/beta/mark"]');
    if (f) {
      fetch(f.action, {
        method: f.method,
        body: new FormData(f),
        credentials: "include"
      }).then(r => {
        if (r.ok) {
          // Only refresh the page after the last loop succeeds to avoid interruption midway
          if (i === 999) {
            setTimeout(() => location.reload(), 500);
          }
        }
      });
    }
  }
})();

This cleans 1000 times and is extremely useful.

[SolarianZ]

I've seen this solution before, but I think this is clearly a bug that should be handled by Github 😂

[reckel-jm]

I had the exact same bug for a couple of weeks. The solution by @davevad93 solved the problem for the moment as a workaround.