Windows 11 Taskbar Settings: Alignment, Icons and Auto-Hide

The taskbar is the part of Windows you look at most, and Windows 11 gives you more control over it than first appears. You can move the icons to the left, remove buttons you never use, keep tray icons visible, show app names instead of bare icons and decide how it behaves on a second monitor. This guide walks through Windows 11 taskbar settings section by section, using the Settings app only.

The steps apply to Windows 11 version 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2. A few options differ between builds; where your screen does not match, look for the nearest equivalent in the same section.

Open Taskbar settings

Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings. Or open Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Microsoft’s customize-the-taskbar page uses the same route.

The page is split into a few sections, covered below.

Taskbar items

This section turns the built-in buttons on or off:

• Search: choose a search box, an icon with a label, an icon only, or hide it. You can still search by pressing the Windows key and typing.
• Task view: the button for virtual desktops and open windows; see Windows 11 virtual desktops. Windows key + Tab does the same.
• Widgets: the news and weather panel. Turn it off if you never use it; our widgets checklist covers the panel itself.

Other buttons may appear here depending on your build and region.

System tray icons

The tray is the area by the clock. Two lists control it:

• System tray icons covers Windows’ own icons such as the pen menu, touch keyboard and virtual touchpad. Set each to show always, show when in use, or never, depending on what your build offers.
• Other system tray icons lists apps such as OneDrive, cloud sync tools and vendor utilities. Turn an app on to keep its icon visible instead of hidden behind the up arrow.

If an icon is missing from the list, the app is not running or does not place an icon in the tray.

Taskbar behaviors

Expand Taskbar behaviors for most of the useful settings:

Setting	What it does
Taskbar alignment	Centre (default) or Left, like Windows 10
Automatically hide the taskbar	Hides it until you move the pointer to the edge
Show badges on taskbar apps	Unread counts on mail and chat icons
Show flashing on taskbar apps	Highlights apps that want attention
Show my taskbar on all displays	Adds a taskbar to every monitor
When using multiple displays, show my taskbar apps on	All taskbars, main only, or where the window is open
Share any window from my taskbar	Lets calling apps share a window from its taskbar thumbnail
Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop	The slim strip after the clock minimises everything
Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels	Always, When taskbar is full, or Never

For a step-by-step guide to moving icons left, see align the taskbar left in Windows 11.

Show app names (never combine)

Many people coming from Windows 10 want each window to show as a labelled button. Set Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels to Never. There is a second setting for other taskbars if you use more than one monitor. The labels take space, so on a small laptop screen When taskbar is full is a good compromise.

Position on screen

Microsoft’s notes for Windows 11 version 26H2 mention new options for where the taskbar sits. If your build has them, they appear in Taskbar behaviors. If not, the taskbar stays at the bottom; we do not recommend registry edits or third-party patchers that move it, since they often break after updates.

Pin, unpin and reorder apps

• Pin: open Start, right-click an app and select Pin to taskbar. Or right-click a running app’s taskbar icon and choose Pin to taskbar.
• Unpin: right-click the icon and select Unpin from taskbar.
• Reorder: drag icons left or right.
• Open quickly: Windows key + 1 opens the first pinned app, Windows key + 2 the second, and so on.

Multiple monitors

With more than one display, decide whether every screen gets a taskbar (Show my taskbar on all displays) and where app buttons appear. Showing apps on the taskbar where the window is open keeps each screen tidy. Microsoft’s multiple-monitors page and our Windows 11 multiple monitors guide cover arranging displays.

Taskbar not working?

If the taskbar is frozen, icons are missing or clicks do nothing, settings are not the problem. Restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select Windows Explorer, Restart task), install updates, and follow Windows 11 taskbar not working. For the Start menu itself, see Start menu not working.

Quick taskbar shortcuts

• Windows + T cycles through apps on the taskbar.
• Windows + B jumps to the system tray area.
• Shift + click a taskbar app opens a new window of it.
• Ctrl + Shift + click opens it as administrator.
• Right-click an icon for its jump list of recent files.

Related settings

Dark mode changes the taskbar colour and is needed for an accent-coloured taskbar; see dark mode in Windows 11. For desktop shortcuts instead of pins, see show desktop icons in Windows 11. The full tour of the Settings app is in our Windows 11 settings guide.