How To Hide the Taskbar in Windows 10 (Auto Hide)

Learn the simplest way to automatically hide the taskbar in Windows 10 when it’s not in use for a minimal & cleaner desktop.

By default, the taskbar is visible at the bottom of your screen. As most of you know, the taskbar is one of the most valuable and used features in Windows. It allows you to pin your most used apps, access currently open apps, and lets you access various features, including the Start menu, Task View, search, and widgets. While the taskbar is useful, having it visible all the time can not only make your desktop & workspace look cluttered but also shrink the available screen real estate, which is especially true on smaller screens like laptops.

Thankfully, you can easily configure Windows 10 to hide the taskbar automatically. That way, it hides automatically when not in use. To display the taskbar, all you have to do is simply move your mouse cursor to the bottom of the screen.

In this quick and straightforward guide, let me show you the steps to auto-hide the taskbar in Windows 10. Let’s get started.

Hide the Taskbar in Windows 10 Using Settings

1. Right-click the Taskbar.
2. Select the “Taskbar settings” option.
3. Turn ON the “Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode” option.
4. Turn ON the “Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode” option.
5. Close the Settings app.
6. With that, the taskbar will auto-hide when it’s not in use.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, we need to open the taskbar settings. To do that, right-click on the empty space on the taskbar and select the “Taskbar settings” option. Alternatively, you can also open the Settings app by pressing the “Windows key + I” shortcut, and go to the “Personalization” > “Taskbar” page.

On the right panel, turn ON the following options:

• Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode.
• Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode.

That is all. From now on, the taskbar won’t appear on the screen. To show or unhide the taskbar, move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen. To hide it again, move the mouse pointer away from the taskbar.

Hide the Taskbar Using the Registry Editor

Note: Before proceeding, please back up the registry, just to be safe.

1. Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “regedit” and click “OK“.
3. Go to the following folder in the Registry Editor. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3
4. Double-click the “Settings” value on the right page.
5. Change the second entry of the first column to “02“
6. Click “OK“.
7. Close the Registry Editor.
8. Restart your computer.
9. With that, you’ve hidden the taskbar in Windows 10.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, launch the Run dialog box by pressing the “Windows key + R” shortcut. Next, type “regedit” and click “OK” to open the Registry Editor. Alternatively, you can also search for “Registry Editor” in the Start menu and click “Open”.

Once it opens, go to the following folder. You can paste the path in the address bar and press “Enter”. This will take you to the “StuckRects3” folder.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3

Now, double-click the “Settings” value on the right panel.

In the “Edit Binary Value” window, change the second entry of the first column to “02” and click “OK“. Refer to the image below.

Finally, close the registry editor and restart your computer. That’s it. From now on, Windows 10 will automatically hide the taskbar.

To disable auto-hide and always show the taskbar, follow the same steps, but change the value to “03” and click “OK“.

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That is all. It is that simple to hide the taskbar in Windows 10. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.

Good to read: How to make the taskbar transparent.