If the Auto-Hide Taskbar feature is not working in Windows 11, this post will interest you. Microsoft changed how the taskbar works in the Windows 11 operating system. Certain aspects have changed; therefore, you should not expect it to work in the same way as Windows 10. Now, recently some users of Windows 11 have been complaining about the taskbar failing to auto-hide when set to do so.
The big question right now is what could be the cause behind this problem? Well, like many issues relating to Windows 11, some problems can be fixed easily while others require additional effort from the part of the user.
How to fix the taskbar auto-hide problem
If the Auto-Hide Taskbar feature is not working in Windows 11, here are some suggestions to help you resolve the issue successfully:
- Turn on the Auto-hide feature
- Restart Windows Explorer
- Disable Show badges on Taskbar
- Disable Windows Notifications overall
- Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State.
1] Turn on the Auto-hide feature
The first thing users should do in a situation like this is to check if the taskbar is set to autohide in the first place. Chances are this is not the case, so let us enable it right now.
- To get the job done, you must begin by pressing the Windows key + I to open the Settings menu.
- From there, go to Personalization, then select Taskbar.
- If that’s too much work, simply right-click on the Taskbar, then select Taskbar Settings.
- Next, you must scroll to the very bottom and click on Taskbar Behaviors
- When the menu expands, please tick the box next to the words – Automatically hide the taskbar.
- Right after moving the cursor, the taskbar should automatically hide itself.
Read: How to Hide Taskbar with a Hotkey
2] Restart Windows Explorer
The next step here if the above option fails, is to restart Windows Explorer to see if that will set things back to normal.
- To get this done, you must open the Task Manager on your computer.
- Do this by right-clicking on the Taskbar, then select Task Manager from the menu.
- Once done, please go to the Processes tab, then search for explorer.exe.
- After that, right-click on explorer.exe, then select End Task from the context menu.
If done correctly, your screens should refresh as Windows Explorer restarts and refresh the screen.
Read: How to add Automatically Hide Taskbar to Context Menu
3] Disable Show badges on Taskbar
The next step to take here if the above fails to work, is to disable Show badges on the Taskbar. This is a simple task, so let us explain how to get it done.
- Begin by pressing the Windows key + I open the Settings menu.
- After that, please navigate to Personalization, then select Taskbar.
- At the bottom, please click on Taskbar behaviors, and from there, be sure to disable Show badges (unread messages counter) on taskbar apps option.
Doing this is important because maybe the notification that is linked to a specific app is causing the Taskbar to fail. Therefore, by disabling the Show Badges option, the notification on the taskbar is effectively turned off, and as such, the problem should no longer continue to be a nuisance.
Read: Taskbar does not hide when on full-screen mode
4] Disable Windows Notifications overall
Note that there are some apps that may display notifications quite often, and as such, they may cause the taskbar to not stay hidden. The best option to take here is to disable Windows 11 notifications overall.
- To get this done, please open the Settings menu by clicking on the Windows key + I.
- From there, click on System, though by default it should be selected.
- Next, locate Notifications and click on it.
- Finally, disable the Notification feature, then restart your computer.
If all goes according to plan, then the problem regarding your taskbar should now be over and done with it.
5] Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State
If nothing helps, see if it occurs in the Clean Boot State. If it does not, you may have to manually troubleshoot and identify the offending process that is causing the Taskbar to not auto-hide. If it happens even in Clean Boot State, you may have to Run DISM to repair your system image.
READ: How to Enable or Disable Taskbar for Tablets on Windows 11
Why does auto-hide Taskbar stop working?
If the auto-hide Taskbar feature has stopped working, then we suggest checking to see if Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode, is enabled in Settings. Additionally, if the taskbar is failing to hide during fullscreen mode, then chances are one or more applications delivering the notifications do not support hiding the taskbar in fullscreen mode.
READ: How to Auto-hide Desktop Icons in Windows
How can I speed up the auto-hide feature of the taskbar?
In order to speed up the auto-hide process, you must disable Animations. Simply press the Search button, then type Animations. Click on Animation Effects from the search results, and from the Settings Window, disable Animation Effects.
