How To Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Not Hiding?

I became annoyed with Windows 10 Taskbar not hiding. The reason is I use my laptop in a Tablet Mode! When I am working and surfing the web, I always put my laptop into a tablet mode. Most of you may ask me: why to hide taskbar? Well, these days we have 4-12 tasks running simultaneously in our PC. By hiding taskbar, we can expand the desktop for better use and also reduce the distraction. But, this simple action will cause other issues as well. Here are the ways to fix Windows 10 Taskbar not hiding issue with 3 methods.

There will be moments when the taskbar becomes an eyesore rather than a helpful tool on our computer screens. While the taskbar can easily be customized to reflect only the apps that we need, especially for Windows 10 users; however, it can become incredibly stubborn at times when it just won’t hide when we want it to.

Well, fret no more! I’ll now share with you some tips on how to successfully hide the Windows 10 taskbar. Check them out below.

Verify the current settings of your taskbar

In the Taskbar settings window (Settings > Personalization > Taskbar), check if the taskbar auto-hide features are already turned on. If these are turned off, turn on the “Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode” feature for desktop PC and notebook users. Turn on “Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode” also if you use your device in tablet mode.

Once you turn these features on, the taskbar should then be hidden automatically right away. It becomes visible again when you move the mouse cursor over the taskbar area and when an application or program has new notifications that need your immediate attention.

Restart the Windows Explorer

However, there are times when the taskbar is still visible even though the appropriate settings were already set and the applications or programs found in your taskbar have no notifications yet. In case this happens, you can restart the Windows Explorer through the Task Manager which is usually done in just a few clicks.

You can access the Task Manager through either of the following:

• Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc in your keyboard; or
• Right-clicking anywhere on the taskbar and selecting “Task Manager” from the list of options.

Once the Task Manager is open, look for Windows Explorer in the list presented under the Processes tab and select it. To restart the said program, you can either:

1. Right-click and select “Restart” from the list of options available; or
2. Click the “Restart” button located at the bottom-right of the Task Manager window.

Take note that once you click “Restart”, all the default applications or programs such as the Start menu, notifications, the taskbar, and the File Explorer will be restarted too.

Disable notifications on apps or programs found in the taskbar

If the problem persists after turning on the taskbar’s auto-hide features and restarting the Windows Explorer, the reason why the taskbar just won’t hide might lie in the apps or programs found in it. To check, we need to have icons of all apps and programs in the taskbar displayed through the following steps:

1. In the Taskbars setting window, click “Select which icons appear on the taskbar” under the Notification area section.
   
2. Once the corresponding window is open, turn on the “Always show all icons in the notification area” feature. 

The taskbar should now show the icons of all the apps and programs found in it, making it easier to spot the offending app or program that causes the taskbar’s persistent visibility. Once spotted, you can do either of the following:

1. Disable its notifications through the Notifications & actions settings (Settings > System > Notifications & actions); or
2. Hide its corresponding icon from the taskbar so that it doesn’t show up in the system tray anymore.

Hope you find the above tips helpful in solving your problem regarding Windows 10 taskbar’s visibility. Feel free to let us know which of these tips worked and not worked for you. You may also comment on other tips that can help solve this problem.

Summary: Fix Windows 10 Taskbar not hiding

• Use the arrow keys to move your taskbar.
• Bring it back by making a pinning request to the Settings app.
• Select Customize from the menu in the window that appears.
• Press +I to access Settings.
• Select Taskbar and start Menu.