Hiding the Taskbar in Windows 11 During Full Screen
Having the taskbar pop up when you’re trying to enjoy some full-screen action can be dead annoying. Fair dinkum, whether you’re bingeing your favourite shows or smashing out a presentation, that pesky tab can get in the way. Lucky for you, there’s an easy fix to make it vanish — pretty straightforward, too. The trick’s buried in the Personalisation settings, but it makes a massive difference to your viewing experience.
First up, open the Settings. Click on that Start button—yeah, the little Windows icon down the bottom-left—and hit the gear icon. Or, if you’re keen on shortcuts, just press Windows key + I and you’re in. Feeling fancy? Type ms-settings: into the Run box by pressing Windows key + R. It’s like a secret door to all your settings!
Once you’re in there, look to the left side and find Personalisation. This is where you can do a bit of tidying up on your desktop — including your taskbar. It’s like Microsoft’s treasure chest for tweaking things, hiding right under your nose.
Now click on Taskbar. All your taskbar options are in this section. Depending on which version of Windows 11 you’ve got, finding this spot can feel like a mini treasure hunt. But once you’re here, you’ll see options for size, position, and more — just beware of going down the rabbit hole!
The key move: flick the switch that says “Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode.” It might be tucked away under some other settings, but it’s important. Turn that on, and the taskbar should hide when you go full screen in most apps. Heads up though — sometimes it’s a bit temperamental and won’t hide straight away. A quick restart or logging out and back in usually sorts it out if it’s playing hard to get.
If you prefer working via the command line, you can do this with PowerShell too, but honestly, unless you’re a tech whiz, the GUI approach is much easier for most of us.
One more thing: some apps, like your favourite media players or browsers, might not play nice with the auto-hide. When you hit F11 for full screen, remember the auto-hide setting needs to be on for it to work smoothly. It’s a bit of trial and error figuring out how different apps react to full screen mode.
If the taskbar keeps popping up when it shouldn’t, check those sneaky background apps — notification tools, chat windows, you name it — they might be messing with the auto-hide. And if it’s still acting up, you can try disabling fullscreen optimisations for specific apps in the settings.
Getting this sorted really makes your screen look slick — no more taskbar hogging the limelight. Once set, it’ll only come back when you move your mouse to the bottom. Small change, but it makes a big difference.
To recap:
- Open Settings and go to Personalisation
- Turn on auto-hide for the taskbar
- Check app-specific settings if full-screen’s being dodgy
- Watch out for background apps that might cause trouble
Could be a real lifesaver if you’re into binge-watching or giving those presentations. Happy viewing, mate!