By default, the Windows 11 and 10 taskbar is an ever-present fixture at the bottom of your screen. It gives direct access to your frequently-used apps, currently running apps, the Start menu, widgets, time and more. However, not everyone wants to stare at the Taskbar 24-7-365. They either want it gone for aesthetic reasons or to reclaim a few pixels of real estate at the bottom of the display.
This guide will show you some quick steps to allow the taskbar to fade away from view when not in use. The steps are basically the same in both Windows 11 and its predecessor but we’ve noted the subtle differences below.
How to auto-hide the Windows 11 or 10 Taskbar
Follow these steps to auto-hide the taskbar in Windows 11 or 10.
1. Right-click on the taskbar
2. Click Taskbar settings. This will bring up the Personalization menu for the taskbar
3. Scroll down to Taskbar behaviors and click the down arrow in Windows 11.
In Windows 10, the hide taskbar toggle is exposed by default.
4. Check the box for Automatically hide the taskbar in Windows 11.
In Windows 10, toggle “Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode” to on. You might also wish to do this for tablet mode.
When you’ve finished all these steps, the taskbar will automatically retract into the bottom of the screen, almost completely out of view. We say almost, because there are still a few pixels at the bottom of the screen to let you know that the taskbar is hidden. However, as soon as you move your mouse to the bottom of the screen, the taskbar pops back into view to accept your next command.
To disable this feature and return to an always-present taskbar, you just need to do the opposite and uncheck or toggle off the autohide setting.
