microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys

Bug Report: Abnormal automatic Focus Assist activation and broken scheduled light/dark theme switching

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Description

### Description of the new feature / enhancement

This is not a new feature request, but a bug report for two existing abnormal behaviors of the app:
Windows Focus Assist will automatically enable under specific desktop window conditions when the app runs in the background.
The auto light/dark theme switching function fails to trigger on schedule and only works after opening the app interface, which ran smoothly in version v0.1000. Please fix these defects.

[PowerToysReport_2026-06-27-12-57-24.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/29403467/PowerToysReport_2026-06-27-12-57-24.zip)

### Scenario when this would be used?

These issues happen when the application runs persistently in the background on Windows PC:
Focus Assist automatically turns on when closing the app window or opening the command panel, with no other application windows open on the desktop. If other windows are open, Focus Assist will activate after clicking Show Desktop.
The built-in auto light/dark theme switch does not trigger at the scheduled time. It only switches after manually opening the app interface. This function worked normally in version v0.1000.

[PowerToysReport_2026-06-27-12-57-24.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/29403468/PowerToysReport_2026-06-27-12-57-24.zip)

### Supporting information

This is a bug report instead of a feature request. Two major abnormal issues exist while the app runs persistently in the background:
Issue 1: Windows Focus Assist (PC Do Not Disturb) auto-enables unexpectedly
Reproduction scenario 1: When I close the app window / open command line panel, and no other app windows are open on the desktop, Focus Assist will turn on automatically without any manual trigger.
Reproduction scenario 2: If other application windows are opened on desktop when closing this app, Focus Assist won’t activate. But once I click the "Show Desktop" button to hide all windows, Focus Assist triggers immediately.
Impact: All system desktop notifications get blocked once this mode turns on.
Issue 2: Auto light/dark theme switching fails to work on schedule
I have enabled the automatic light & dark theme switch function inside the app. However, the theme will not switch automatically when the scheduled time arrives. It only takes effect after I manually open and enter the app’s main window. This function works much more reliably on version v0.1000, and the current version has obvious regressions.
Additional background
The application keeps running resident in the background all the time during use. No custom Focus Assist auto-rules or third-party notification management tools are configured on my system.

[PowerToysReport_2026-06-27-12-57-24.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/29403446/PowerToysReport_2026-06-27-12-57-24.zip)

ppens when this application is open.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the two background-running scenarios described in the issue and inspect the attached PowerToysReport archive. Trace the Focus Assist activation and scheduled theme-switch behavior from those reproductions. Done means Focus Assist stays off unless explicitly enabled and light/dark themes switch at their scheduled times without opening the app window.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
desktop-dev, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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