Windows 11 can tuck the taskbar out of sight and bring it back only when you move the pointer to the bottom edge. It is one setting, and it gives you the strip of screen the bar normally uses. If the bar refuses to hide, shows up on a second screen you wanted clean, or stays away once hidden, the later sections cover those cases.
Turn on auto-hide in Taskbar settings
After the setting is on, the bar slides away and reappears whenever the pointer touches the lower screen edge. It slips out of sight again as soon as the pointer leaves.
- Right-click an empty spot on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. You can also press Win + I and go to Personalization then Taskbar.
- Scroll down and expand Taskbar behaviors.
- Check Automatically hide the taskbar.
- Move the pointer to the lower edge to confirm the bar returns.
Windows 10 uses a desktop mode switch
In Windows 10, go to Settings, then Personalization, then Taskbar, and turn on Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode. A matching switch for tablet mode sits right below it, so you can hide the bar in either mode or both.
Stop an app from keeping the taskbar on screen
An app that wants attention can hold the bar open. Look for an icon that is highlighted or flashing. Opening that app usually ends it. If the bar still stays up, try each of these:
- Press Win + N to open the notification center and clear anything waiting there.
- Close the app that was flashing and start it again.
- In Taskbar behaviors, uncheck Show flashing on taskbar apps so icons stop flashing for attention.
- In the same list, uncheck Show badges on taskbar apps so icons no longer carry badges.
Choose which monitors get a taskbar
With two screens, the bar can sit on both or only on your main one. The switch lives in Taskbar behaviors. If a second monitor should stay clear, do this:
- Open Settings, then Personalization, then Taskbar.
- Expand Taskbar behaviors.
- Uncheck Show my taskbar on all displays.
Put the taskbar on the second monitor instead
In Windows 11, moving the bar to the second monitor also makes that monitor the main display.
- Open Settings, then System, then Display.
- Select the monitor that should carry the taskbar.
- Open Multiple displays and check Make this my main display.
- Go to Personalization, then Taskbar, and uncheck Show my taskbar on all displays as described in the previous section.
Fix a taskbar that won't come back when you hover
If the pointer at the lower edge does nothing, try these fixes, checking the bar after each.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer on the Processes tab, right-click it and choose Restart. Check the bar after the screen redraws.
- Open Settings, then Windows Update, choose Check for updates and install what it finds. Restart the PC afterward.
- If nothing works, uncheck Automatically hide the taskbar so the bar stays in place until the problem is sorted.