If you are reading this article, you probably already know what the system tray is and what system tray icons are. For the less informed, the system tray is the area on the Windows 11 taskbar next to the date and time, where small icons appear. The battery, volume, and network icons always appear in the system tray, along with other app icons.
Although volume, battery, and network icons appear in the system tray, Windows 11 does not let you disable them. However, it lets you show or hide other app icons such as OneDrive, printer, Bluetooth, and Windows Security.
If you feel the system tray is cluttered and want to hide a few items, you can do so with ease. The hidden icons can be accessed by clicking the hidden icons menu icon (caret/chevron pointing up).
Show or hide system tray icons in Windows 11
Step 1: Perform a right-click on an empty spot on the taskbar and then click Taskbar settings to open the Settings > Personalization > Taskbar page. The page offers all settings and options available to customize the taskbar.
Step 2: Here, click System tray icons to see options to show or hide emoji, pen menu, and touch keyboard.
Step 3: To show or hide an app icon in the system tray, click Other system tray icons.
Step 4: Move the slider next to an app’s entry to toggle its presence in the system tray.
Another way to show or hide system tray icons on Windows 11 taskbar
To hide a system tray icon, all you need to do is drag and drop it from the system tray area to the (caret/chevron pointing up) icon on the taskbar. The moment you drag a system tray icon over to the caret/chevron icon, you see an unpin icon indicating that dropping the selected system tray icon will unpin it from the system tray.
To unhide a system tray icon, click the caret/chevron icon, and then drag and drop the icon you want to add to the system tray from the hidden menu area onto the caret/chevron icon. The selected icon should immediately appear in the system tray. Simple as that!
As mentioned earlier, you cannot hide the battery, volume, and Wi-Fi/network icon in Windows 11.
Tip: Simultaneously press the Windows logo key and the B key (Windows + B) to select the hidden icons menu, and then press the Enter key to quickly view hidden system tray icons. Press the Esc key to close the menu.
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