Windows · Personalization

Customize the Taskbar

Taskbar settings control which icons appear, how they're aligned, and which system tray items show by default. This is where you manage pinned apps, the search box, widgets, and corner icons like clock, network, and volume.

How to open Taskbar

  1. Open Settings → Personalization → Taskbar.
  2. Expand 'Taskbar items' to toggle Search, Task view, Widgets, and Chat.
  3. Expand 'Taskbar behaviors' to change alignment or enable auto-hide.
  4. Click 'Other system tray icons' to choose which icons always show.

What you should know

  • Align taskbar icons to the center (default) or left.
  • Choose which system tray icons always show versus which stay hidden in the overflow menu.
  • Toggle the search box, Task view, Widgets, and Chat buttons on or off.
  • Turn on 'Automatically hide the taskbar' for more screen space.

Some corner icons, like network or volume, can be individually hidden from the taskbar but will still be accessible through the hidden icons overflow arrow — hiding an icon does not disable the underlying feature.

Why it matters

The taskbar is the part of Windows you interact with dozens of times a day, so small configuration choices here compound into real daily friction or convenience. Left-aligning the taskbar, for instance, is a meaningful workflow change for anyone coming from Windows 10, while auto-hide reclaims vertical screen space on smaller laptop displays. Getting system tray icon visibility right also means you can glance at battery, volume, or network status instantly instead of hunting through an overflow menu.

Best practices

  • Switch to left alignment if you're used to older Windows versions and find center alignment disorienting.
  • Keep frequently checked icons like battery, volume, and network set to always show rather than buried in overflow.
  • Enable auto-hide only on smaller screens where the reclaimed space genuinely matters, since it adds a small delay each time you need the taskbar.
  • Turn off taskbar elements you never use, like Widgets or Chat, to reduce visual clutter and accidental clicks.

Common problems and fixes

An app's icon is missing from the system tray.
Click the small up-arrow to check the hidden icons overflow menu, or open 'Other system tray icons' in Settings and toggle that app's icon to always show.
Taskbar keeps auto-hiding when you don't want it to.
Turn off 'Automatically hide the taskbar' under Taskbar behaviors, since this setting is separate from any per-app fullscreen behavior.
Taskbar icons look too large or too small after a display or scaling change.
Toggle 'Use small taskbar buttons' under Taskbar behaviors, or adjust display scaling since taskbar icon size partly follows your overall scale setting.

Tips and tricks

  • Middle-click a taskbar icon to open a new instance of that app instantly instead of right-clicking for a menu.
  • Shift+click a taskbar icon to open a new window of an already-running app, useful for apps that otherwise just switch focus.
  • Use Win+number (like Win+1) to launch or switch to the app pinned in that taskbar position.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move the taskbar to the top or side of the screen like older Windows versions?

Not through standard Settings in current Windows versions — the taskbar is locked to the bottom of the screen without third-party tools.

Why did my pinned apps disappear after a Windows update?

Major feature updates occasionally reset taskbar layout to defaults; re-pin your apps by right-clicking them in Start or File Explorer and choosing 'Pin to taskbar'.

What's the difference between Task view and Widgets buttons?

Task view shows all open windows and virtual desktops, while Widgets opens a personalized feed of news, weather, and calendar info — both can be hidden independently if you don't use them.

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