How to Hide the Taskbar in Windows 11

To hide the Windows 11 taskbar, open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, expand Taskbar behaviors, and select Automatically hide the taskbar. The bar slides off the screen until you point to its screen edge (the bottom on a default layout). It is hidden, not uninstalled, and you can undo the change by clearing the same checkbox.

The fastest route is to right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings, which opens the same page directly.

What you need to know first

These steps are for Windows 11 Home and Pro and follow Microsoft’s Customize the Taskbar in Windows guide, checked in October 2026. That page has a separate Windows 10 tab, because Windows 10 uses a different Settings layout.

• No extra software is needed. The setting is built into Windows 11.
• Auto-hide is the only built-in way to hide the whole bar. Windows Settings has no switch that removes the taskbar entirely, and Microsoft says some parts of it, such as Start and Quick Settings, cannot be removed.
• Nothing is deleted. Your pinned apps, open windows and system tray icons are all still there when the bar comes back into view.
• Work and school PCs may differ. If your organization manages the computer, some personalization settings can be locked. Ask your IT administrator if the checkbox is missing or grayed out.

How to hide the taskbar in Windows 11

“Auto-hide” means the taskbar stays off the screen while you work and appears only when you ask for it.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings. You can also select Start and then Settings.
2. Select Personalization in the left pane.
3. Select Taskbar. You may need to scroll down the Personalization page to find it. The page opens with sections such as Taskbar items and System tray icons.
4. Scroll to Taskbar behaviors and select it to expand the section. A list of checkboxes and a Taskbar alignment menu appears.
5. Select the checkbox next to Automatically hide the taskbar. There is no Save or Apply button; the change takes effect when you select the box.
6. Close Settings or move the pointer away from the bottom of the screen. The taskbar should slide out of view.

The shortcut from the taskbar itself

Right-click an empty part of the taskbar, or press and hold it on a touch screen, and select Taskbar settings. Windows opens the Taskbar page, so you can skip straight to expanding Taskbar behaviors. If you prefer the keyboard, Microsoft’s keyboard shortcut list says Windows + Alt + Enter opens taskbar settings when a taskbar item has focus.

If you need a refresher on the app itself, see our guide on how to open Settings on Windows 11.

How to show the hidden taskbar when you need it

Hiding the bar does not change how you use it. You just have to call it up first.

• Mouse or touchpad: move the pointer to the taskbar’s screen edge, usually the bottom. The taskbar appears and stays while the pointer is on it.
• Touch screen: touch the bottom edge of the screen.
• Keyboard: press Windows + T to cycle through the apps on the taskbar, or Windows + B to move focus to the system tray. The Windows key on its own opens Start.

To check that the setting worked, move the pointer to the middle of the screen and confirm the bar is gone. Then point to the bottom edge and confirm it returns and you can select an app.

How to stop hiding the taskbar

To undo the change, go back to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and clear Automatically hide the taskbar. The bar returns to the bottom of the screen and stays there. Nothing needs to be reinstalled or restarted.

If the taskbar is gone and pointing to the bottom edge does not bring it back, press Windows + I to reach Settings without it. Our guide on getting the taskbar back in Windows 11 covers a bar that is missing or frozen.

Hide the taskbar on a second monitor

With more than one display, you can remove the extra taskbars and keep only one. In Taskbar behaviors, clear Show my taskbar on all displays. Select it again to put a taskbar back on every screen.

This is a separate checkbox from auto-hide. You can use either one or both. Our guide to setting up multiple monitors in Windows 11 explains how to choose your main display.

Auto-hide and the tablet-optimized taskbar are different

A 2-in-1 device is a laptop whose keyboard detaches or folds back so it works as a tablet. On those devices, Windows 11 has a second behavior that is easy to confuse with auto-hide.

When you disconnect or fold back the keyboard, the taskbar switches to a collapsed state. Microsoft describes it as minimized, with status icons like the time and battery level still visible. Swipe up from the bottom to expand it, and it collapses again when you open an app.

The setting is Optimize taskbar for touch interactions when this device is used as a tablet, in Taskbar behaviors. Microsoft notes it is only available on 2-in-1 devices with tablet functionality, so you will not see it on a regular desktop or laptop. Microsoft also says Automatically hide the taskbar works in both desktop and tablet use.

Hide parts of the taskbar instead

If you want a cleaner bar instead of an invisible one, you can turn off individual items on the same Taskbar settings page.

• Search: under Taskbar items, set the Search menu to Hide, or pick Search icon only to shrink it.
• Task view and Widgets: turn their switches Off under Taskbar items.
• System tray icons: use System tray icons and Other system tray icons to choose what appears near the clock.
• Pinned apps: right-click a pinned icon and select Unpin from taskbar. See how to pin to the taskbar in Windows 11 for the reverse.

To make the bar smaller while it stays visible, use our Windows 11 icon size guide. The size controls you see depend on your Windows version.

Troubleshooting: the taskbar will not hide

Microsoft’s taskbar guide does not list fixes for a bar that stays on screen, so treat the checks below as general steps, not an official procedure. Start with the simplest one.

• Confirm the checkbox. Open Taskbar behaviors and make sure Automatically hide the taskbar is still selected. Clearing it and selecting it again is a harmless way to reapply the setting.
• Move the pointer away. The bar stays up while the pointer rests on it or while a taskbar menu, Start, or Quick Settings is open. Click an empty part of the desktop.
• Look for an app that wants attention. By default, an app icon that needs you flashes and then stays highlighted until you select it. A highlighted icon is commonly reported to keep the bar on screen. Select the icon to open the app. You can also clear Show flashing on taskbar apps in Taskbar behaviors.
• Clear waiting notifications. Press Windows + N to open the notification center and select Clear all. Microsoft explains these controls in Notifications and Do Not Disturb in Windows.
• Check the hidden tray icons. Select the arrow next to the system tray and see whether a background app is showing an alert.
• Restart the PC. If the bar still will not hide, save your work and restart Windows, then install any pending updates in Settings > Windows Update.

The setting is missing or grayed out

Make sure you expanded Taskbar behaviors; the checkbox is not visible until you do. If the whole Taskbar page is unavailable or the box cannot be changed, the PC is probably managed by a workplace or school, and only an administrator can change it.

Hide the Taskbar in Windows 10 or Windows 7

In Windows 10, right-click an empty taskbar area and select Taskbar settings. Turn on Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode, or the separate tablet-mode switch for that mode. Point to the taskbar’s edge to show it again; turn the same switch off to keep it visible. Microsoft’s taskbar guide has separate Windows 10 instructions.

In the legacy Windows 7 layout, right-click an empty taskbar area, choose Properties, check Auto-hide the taskbar, then select Apply > OK. Clear the box to undo it. This preserves the archived menu for that older system; it is not the Windows 11 checkbox layout. Hiding the bar does not close apps or erase pinned shortcuts.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove the taskbar from Windows 11 completely?

Not with a Windows setting. The built-in option is Automatically hide the taskbar, which keeps the bar off the screen until you point to the bottom edge. Some guides suggest third-party tools or registry edits to go further. Microsoft does not document those methods, so they are not covered here.

Does hiding the taskbar close my apps or remove my pins?

No. Auto-hide only changes when the bar is visible. Open apps keep running, pinned icons stay pinned, and notifications still arrive.

Is there a keyboard shortcut to hide the taskbar?

Microsoft’s shortcut list has no key that turns auto-hide on or off. Once auto-hide is on, Windows + T and Windows + B let you reach taskbar apps and the system tray from the keyboard, and Windows + D shows or hides the desktop.

Can I move the taskbar to the top or side instead?

Microsoft added a gradually rolling-out Taskbar position setting in the August 2026 KB5120998 update. When available, find it under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and choose an edge. If the control is absent, your device may still have the older bottom-only layout. Icon alignment is a separate choice. For the current options, see how to change the taskbar location in Windows 11.

Why does the taskbar disappear when I watch a video full screen?

Full-screen mode in a video player, game or browser covers the whole display, including the taskbar. That is the app’s behavior and not the auto-hide setting. Leave full-screen mode, usually with Esc or the app’s full-screen button, and the bar is visible again.

Does auto-hide apply to every monitor?

Microsoft documents one Automatically hide the taskbar checkbox and does not describe a per-display version. To remove the bar from extra screens only, clear Show my taskbar on all displays instead.

Next step

With the bar hidden, the rest of the Taskbar page is worth a look. Our guide on how to customize the Windows 11 taskbar covers alignment, badges and system tray icons.