How to hide the taskbar in Windows

Just because the Windows taskbar features a ton of handy info doesn’t mean you want to see it all the time. If you’d like to learn how to hide the taskbar in Windows — at least when you’re doing things other than gaming — you’ve come to the right place.

Depending on which version of Windows you’re currently running, the process might be slightly different. Either way, it’s still relatively simple. The opposite is easy, too, so if you find yourself needing the taskbar in the future, bringing it back is just as straightforward. Here’s how.

How to hide the taskbar in Windows 11

You can set the taskbar to automatically hide and only appear when you mouse over it. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Right-click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

Step 2: On the Personalization > Taskbar window that appears, select Taskbar behaviors.

Step 3: Make sure that the box labelled Automatically hide the taskbar is ticked. You can also use this opportunity to change the taskbar’s alignment, setting it to the left like in older version of Windows, or the center, as the Windows 11 default.

The screen may flicker for a second, and the Windows search bar will immediately collapse, but the taskbar may not hide itself right away. If yours doesn’t, give it a second, and move some Windows around. It will catch up.

If you find yourself needing the taskbar in the future, simply move your mouse to the bottom of the screen, and the taskbar will magically reappear. When you’re done, move your mouse away, and the taskbar will once again slide out of view.

How to hide the taskbar in Windows 10

The steps for hiding the taskbar in Windows 10 are very similar to Windows 11. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Right-click on the taskbar (it has to be on the taskbar itself, not anywhere on the screen) and select Taskbar settings from the resulting menu.

Step 2: On the Settings page that appears, look for the options that say Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode and Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode (if applicable). Make sure they are both turned On. Triggering them on and off will give you a preview of what it’s like with the taskbar hidden — it should slide out of sight at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: When happy with the results, simply close the Settings window. The taskbar is now hidden!

If eventually, you find yourself missing your old pal taskbar, bringing it back to the base of your screen all the time is just as easy as auto-hiding it in the first place. Just repeat the steps outlined above, and deactivate the settings button instead of activating it.

Want more tips on how to tweak the taskbar? Here’s our guide on how to move the taskbar in Windows 11.

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