The Windows 11 taskbar can get cluttered with icons. Fortunately, it is an easy process to customize to remove unnecessary icons, hide certain applications, or to hide the taskbar entirely.
If you want to have more space available on Windows 11 taskbar, This is what you have to do.
How to hide the search icon and other built-in items from the taskbar
It is true that the search icon does not take up much space on the taskbar. However, it is redundant, since you can search with the search tool in the Start menu. Why let the extra icon take up precious space on your screen?
To hide the search icon and other built-in items on the taskbar, right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar Settings.
On the screen Personalization> Taskbar, you can hide the search icon along with the task view button, widget button and chat button.
You can quickly access the search box of the Start menu by pressing the key Windows + Q.
The button Task view access the virtual desktops feature. You can access this function without the taskbar button by pressing the key Windows + Tab. You can also press the key Windows + Ctrl + D to create a new virtual desktop directly.
How to unpin programs from the taskbar
If you’ve pinned a lot of programs to the taskbar, you may want to unpin some of the programs that you don’t use as much. You can always use the search box to find a program that you want to open.
To unpin a program from the taskbar, right-click the program icon and select Unpin from the taskbar. This will hide it from view immediately.
How to hide taskbar corner icons
To the right of the taskbar, near the clock and the Action Center, you will see other system icons. These include the pen menu, the touch pad, and the virtual touch pad.
If you don’t want to see these icons, you can hide them.
To hide these icons, right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar Settings. In the corner icons section of the taskbar, click the slider to disable the icons.
How to hide taskbar corner overflow icons
The icons of the Notification area or from the systray are now called taskbar corner overflow icons. They are icons of programs that run services in the background and are usually located in the system tray.
However, some programs put their icons on the taskbar, rather than on the system tray by default. However, you can move these icons back to the system tray to save space on the taskbar.
To return the program icons to the system tray, right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar Settings. Next, click on the overflow in the corner of the taskbar to expand that section.
To return an app to the systray, click that app’s slider button to disable it. You will no longer see that app on the taskbar.
How to hide the taskbar
If you don’t have overall screen space, you can auto-hide taskbar when you don’t use it.
The taskbar turns into a very thin strip at the bottom of the screen. Hover over this strip to show the taskbar again.
Windows 11 customization
The steps above should help you free up space on your taskbar for other things. However, there are other ways to customize taskbar, What move it to the top of the screen.
