What it means
A website notification is a message a site was permitted to send through the browser and operating-system notification area; Microsoft notes it can appear even when Edge is closed. A popup is content opened in a browser window or tab. Both can imitate a security alert, but the controls differ. Blocking popups alone does not revoke permission already granted to a site to send notifications.
A real-world example
A red warning appears in the Windows corner while no browser tab is visible. That points toward a website notification. A full-screen message inside a tab with a phone number is more likely a web page or popup. Neither presentation makes the warning an authentic Windows diagnosis.
What to do
Inspect the source domain without clicking the alert. For a site notification, open Edge's Site permissions, find the site and set Notifications to Block. For a browser popup, close its tab and review site and extension behavior separately.
The distinction that matters
A legitimate security product may also use Windows notifications, so identify the sending application in Notification Center. Do not treat an icon, logo or alarming wording as proof. If you entered information after clicking a fake alert, permission cleanup is only one part of the incident response.
Microsoft Edge website notifications
