The option to automatically hide the taskbar in Windows 10 can be great for those who prefer a minimalist look or just need a little more screen real estate. You can enjoy extra desktop space with just a few clicks. Unfortunately, sometimes the taskbar doesn’t hide properly.
Anyone who has been using Windows 10 for some time has probably encountered an issue where the taskbar refuses to hide when set to turn off automatically. This kind of thing can be very annoying when other programs, browsers or applications are currently open on the screen.
What can you do about it? If you’re having this kind of problem, it can be an easy task to fix it if you know what to look for.
The taskbar won’t hide in Windows 10? Here’s how to fix it
The auto-hide feature is designed to hide the taskbar from view until the application requires attention. The app should blink once and stay highlighted in the taskbar when it does. After you’ve clicked on the app, the auto-hide feature should return the taskbar to a hidden state.
An app notification that requires attention can also pop up and remain visible until the notification is closed. This is usually not a problem as Windows 10 notifications will disappear after a few seconds and allow you to view them later in the Action Center.
The problem arises when the application requiring attention was not written correctly in either the original design or update. This is compounded by Windows’ ability to hide system tray icons. The notification may be triggered but remain invisible to you, leaving the taskbar visible.
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To fix this, you have several options at your disposal.
Verify Settings and Restart
A simple fix that doesn’t require doing anything that you might not be familiar with is to restart the program that is causing the problem. If you know what the program is, just restart it and the problem will go away by itself.
You may also find it helpful to check if your taskbar settings are correct.
To do this, right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar Options from the pop-up menu.
Make sure the “Automatically hide taskbar in desktop mode” radio button is turned on.
If this setting has already been enabled, but you still feel reluctant to hide the taskbar automatically, disabling and re-enabling this setting can sometimes resolve the issue.
Another common solution is to restart Windows Explorer. This is more of a temporary fix to hide the taskbar again, but does not necessarily address the cause of its inability to auto-hide.
- Right-click on the taskbar and go to Task Manager. You can also type Task Manager into the search bar on the taskbar and select Task Manager when it appears in the results.
- Find Windows Explorer under Windows Processes.
- Right-click Windows Explorer and choose Restart. You will notice that your taskbar will disappear for a short time.
- After a reboot, the taskbar should hide on its own again.
This method is faster than rebooting your computer completely, so try it before doing this step.
If, after trying both of these methods, the taskbar is still not hiding, you will need to further determine the underlying issue causing the autohiding to fail.
Locate hidden icons
Sometimes icons hidden on the taskbar can be the reason for his unwillingness to hide automatically. These icons can be found in the taskbar, which can be accessed by clicking the upward arrow located at the far-right corner of the taskbar.
You won’t know the app needs attention while it’s hidden, so it might be good to check. Open the notification icon and fix the reason why the taskbar is not hiding.
This issue can also be addressed in the future by dragging and dropping the icons of certain applications that sometimes attract attention to the taskbar. If the app still doesn’t highlight, you can try right-clicking all visible apps to see if the issue resolves itself.
For any app that is causing a problem in this way, it may be better to tune or turn off notifications altogether.
Customize the media
Once you’ve identified which app or apps don’t let you hide the taskbar, you have several options.
First, you can continue to allow pop-up notifications, making the taskbar permanently visible until you click on the icon. Second, turn off notifications entirely. Third, if the app allows, select another option to lower the volume and reduce the reason for the notifications.
To better understand if you can disable or customize notifications altogether, you need to do a little research on the app itself. Some apps do not allow you to customize notifications, especially those that notify you with a blinking icon on the taskbar.
The taskbar icons are a little more complex. You will need to go into individual application settings, usually by right-clicking the icon and choosing Settings or Preferences. Even so, it may not have parameters for addressing notifications or how they appear.
There are some, such as apps for Skype and Slack, that allow you to customize the way you are notified based on the options available.
If you receive notifications in the form of an icon or pop-up, you can also turn them off in the app settings. However, the Windows 10 Action Center itself can also help. There is a switch for the taskbar button icons that should fix the problem.
One of these tips should help you when the taskbar is not hidden in Windows 10. These methods have been tested and will help you restore your desktop to its clean state without the taskbar.
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