How to Manage and Customise the Windows Taskbar

Remove Items You Don’t Need

By default, Windows loads the taskbar with icons you may never use and don’t need. Clearing these out makes your taskbar cleaner and easier to use. When you only have a few items on the taskbar it’s much easier to find what you want.

Windows 11 and Windows 10 taskbars are slightly different (although they perform the exact same function).

Windows 11 — Items You Can Hide

In Taskbar settings, under Taskbar items, you’ll find toggles for:

• Search — A large search box or magnifying glass icon. Click the drop down arrowhead and set it to Hide to save space.
• Task View — Shows thumbnails of all open windows. Useful for multitasking, but easy to ignore if you don’t use virtual desktops. Turn it off by clicking the toggle switch.
• Widgets — A news and weather panel. Many people find this distracting. Toggle it off if you don’t use it.
• Chat (Microsoft Teams) — Can be turned off if you don’t use Teams.
• Resume — Links to connected phones and other devices. For most users just turn it off.

You might find that the options available on your PC differ slightly, it all depends on which version of Windows 11 you’re using.

If you use any of these then obviously leave them enabled, but my guess is that you’ve never used any of them. Turn them off. They’re a waste of the limited space available on your taskbar.

Windows 10 — Items You Can Remove

Right-click on the taskbar to open the taskbar menu. You’ll see options for hiding:

• Search — Hover your mouse pointer over Search, on the sub menu click Hidden.
• Show Cortana button — Deselect it.
• Show Task View button — Uncheck this.
• News and Interests — Hover over News and interests, on the sub-menu click Turn off.
• People — Deselect it.

Note that your specific taskbar menu may be slightly different from the one shown depending on which version of Windows 10 you’re running. But the principle is the same, deselect, uncheck or turn of everything you’ve never used. For most people they’re just wasting space and distracting.

How to Unpin Items from the Taskbar

Not everything can be removed from your Windows taskbar using the settings. Many items are “Pinned”.

Pinned items are one click shortcuts to programs and apps installed on your PC. A kind of quick launch button. Most of them really don’t need to be on your taskbar. Keep your taskbar for items (programs and apps) that you daily. Remove anything that you don’t use.

To unpin an item, right click directly on it, then left click “Unpin from Taskbar”