Windows 11: How to Unpin Chat from the Taskbar, No Worries

If you’re looking to tidy up your Windows 11 taskbar and bugger off the Chat icon, it’s pretty straightforward — but of course, Windows has its quirks, as always. Sometimes, that icon just won’t unpin or the menu acts a bit funny. This quick guide runs through a few simple tricks to make sure that pesky Chat icon’s gone for good, or at least until you want it back. Once you’ve sorted it out, your taskbar looks a lot cleaner, and it’s easier to focus on what really matters.

Windows 11: How to Unpin Chat

Let’s run through some reliable ways to ditch the Chat app from your taskbar. Most of the time, all you need to do is right-click and select “Unpin,” but sometimes, you might need a quick workaround. No dramas — it’s just about giving Windows a gentle nudge in the right direction. Just keep an eye out for any weird app settings or policies that might be blocking you, especially if your PC belongs to work or school.

Method 1: The classic right-click trick (Most common)

Find that Chat icon sitting right on your taskbar, probably at the bottom left. It’s the speech bubble icon near your profile pic or close to the Start button.
Right-click on the Chat icon. Sometimes, it takes a moment for the menu to appear — patience is key.
Select “Unpin from taskbar.” If that’s not there, or it’s greyed out, move on to the next method.

This usually does the trick because Windows is set up to make unpinning easy. Sometimes, it’ll unpin straight away. But if not, no worries — there are other ways.

Method 2: Turn off Chat in Settings (For stubborn cases)

Open Settings by clicking the Start button and hitting the gear icon, or just press Win + I.
Go to Personalisation > Taskbar. Sometimes, the Chat icon is linked to your taskbar options here.
Scroll down and switch off the toggle for Chat or Widgets (depends on your build). This will hide the icon completely.

Why does this work? Well, on some setups, the Chat icon is controlled through these toggles. Turning it off removes the icon and stops Windows from trying to keep it pinned. Your taskbar will look a lot cleaner after, but heads up — this might also stop Chat from appearing in the taskbar altogether, not just unpinning it.

Method 3: Restart the process or dig into policies (For rare stubborn cases)

If the icon still won’t go, try ending the related process: open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Look for a process like BackgroundServices or something related to Chat or Widgets, right-click, and select End Task. Only do this if you’re confident — don’t end critical system processes — but usually that’s safe for Chat.
Sometimes, the icon sticks because of Group Policy or registry tweaks, especially on work or school hardware. If that’s the case, you might need to tinker further, like editing the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run or using Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

If you’re not familiar with editing the registry, be careful — messing around there without a backup can cause issues. These steps are usually a last resort, and only if you know what you’re doing.

Tips for Keeping It Unpinned or Bringing It Back

If you’ve unpinned Chat and want to add it back later, just search for it in Start or look through All Apps, right-click, then hit Pin to taskbar.
Sometimes, Windows updates or restarts might re-enable the icon or pin it again. Keep that in mind if it keeps coming back when you don’t want it.
If you’re over the Chat pop-up entirely, consider disabling it from running in the background via Settings > Apps > Installed apps — just for good measure.

FAQ

What if I just can’t unpin the Chat icon at all?

Sometimes, apps are locked in place by policies or recent updates making unpinning tricky. If right-clicking doesn’t work, try disabling it in Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar. If that doesn’t help, it might be due to some locks on your system — you could need more advanced fixes or wait for a Windows update to sort it out.

Is unpinning the same as uninstalling?

Nope. Unpinning just removes the icon from your taskbar. The app itself stays installed and can be found via Start or searched for. Uninstalling is a whole different kettle of fish and isn’t necessary if all you want is a tidier workspace.

Will this make my PC run faster?

Unpinning isn’t going to do much for performance — it’s mainly about how it looks. But smaller taskbar icons can make navigation feel a bit snappier since Windows doesn’t have to load them all the time.

Quick summary

Find the Chat icon on your taskbar.
Right-click and select “Unpin from taskbar.”
If that doesn’t work, head into Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar and turn off Chat there.
If all else fails, end related processes via Task Manager or check your group policies.

Final word

Unpinning the Chat app is usually pretty quick once you know where to look, but Windows can be a bit unpredictable sometimes — especially after updates. It’s a good idea to clear the clutter and tidy up your workspace, and this is a handy little trick to do just that. Just be wary if you tweak system settings or policies, as it might take a bit more messing around to get it sorted. Hopefully, this helps you shave a few minutes off your day and keeps your desktop looking bonza.