How to show or hide the Windows 10 system tray icon

Located to the right of the taskbar, the system tray, or correctly known as the notification area, has been a part of Windows for over 20 years. It has continued to improve since it was first introduced with Windows 95 and provides easy access to system functions, notifications - applications.

Whether you want to hide any icon or keep a specific icon visible in the notification area, or hide everything beyond the clock on the taskbar, here is a detailed guide to how to do it.

1. How to display the hidden icons in the system tray with the mouse

In Windows 10, many icons are hidden by default in an expandable pane, giving you more space on your taskbar. To display them, click the arrow to the left of the notification area.

The easiest way to display any of these icons in the notification area is to drag them with the pointer from the expansion pane to the 'notification area' to the right of the taskbar.

TIP: If enabled, the setting "Always show all icons in the notification area" will make the arrow and expandable panes disappear, keep reading to learn more about this option. .

2. How to show the hidden icons in the system tray using Windows 10 settings

Another method to show hidden icons in the system tray is to use taskbar settings. To do that, do the following:

Step 1: Right-click on an empty area of ​​the taskbar then click on Taskbar settings.

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Step 2: In the T askbar settings section , scroll down and find the Notification area ( notification area ). Here, click the link " Select which icons appear on the taskbar ".

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Step 3: Turn on or off the switch for each icon you want in the 'notification area'. The icons you turn on the On switch will appear immediately on the taskbar.

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* Note: If you turn on the switch and the app doesn't immediately show up, that means the app isn't running on your computer yet, remember that the notification area only shows running apps. Now you can launch that app to see the results.

If you want to keep track of everything, you can use the Always show all icons in the notification area option at the top of the list. Switch the switch to On and all the icons in the list will immediately show up in your taskbar.

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You can also enable or disable system icons , for example network or volume can be turned off completely. Do the following to customize the system icons .

Go to the notification area section from the taskbar settings again and click the Turn system icons on or off link.

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Customize the appearance of the system icons by turning on / off the switch next to them.

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Once the system icon is on, you can use the instructions above to decide whether the icon is in the notification area or the expansion drawer.

3. How to hide the icons from the system tray with your mouse

Having too many icons in the notification area (system tray) can make things cluttered, while reducing the space on your taskbar, so we recommend hiding the app icons. use that you rarely use.

The easiest way to do this is to drag them with your cursor from the notification area into the extended hidden pane.

4. How to hide the icons from the system tray using Windows 10 settings

You can also do this from the taskbar settings, accessed by right-clicking on an empty area of ​​the taskbar then selecting Taskbar settings.

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In the settings list on the right side of the window, scroll down until you find the Notification area section . Click or tap " Select which icons appear on the taskbar ".

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Make sure that the Always show all icons in the notification area option is turned off and then flick the switch to hide the icons in the expansion drawer.

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When it comes to system icons, they can not only be hidden, but also completely disabled, so they disappear both in the notification area and in the expansion drawer.

To do this, you must first go back to the Nonfiction area from the Taskbar settings and then click the Turn system icons on or off link. system).

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From the list in this window, turn off the icons that you don't want to see in your notification area. This makes them immediately disappear, never bothering you again.

Good luck.

Micah Soto

Update 15 September 2020